Christian Peregin
Board of trustees for L-Istrina under study
The annual mega teleshopping-cum-entertainment charity bonanza has continued to generate interest and money after more than a decade since its inception. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi
In the wake of the controversy that shrouded this year's edition of the annual charity event L-Istrina, Public Broadcasting Services is expected to make a number of changes to ensure a better performance next year.
PBS chairman Clare Thake Vassallo said the important thing is to have people with experience working on the programme to ensure a sense of continuity. This was one of the problems they had this year because the company entrusted with the organisation was new to L-Istrina, she said.
"This event is too delicate to play around with. People have come to depend on it. I believe in a balance between experience and new ideas," she added.
She said some form of mechanism will be set up, such as a board of trustees, which would ensure at least one coordinator to work on the project full-time all year round in order to keep it alive.
This is an idea that founder Peppi Azzopardi has been harping on for at least three years but his suggestions had never been taken up.
Another thing that will be up for discussion is whether prize giving should be the focus of the programme or whether the charity marathon should be based solely around altruistic donations and light entertainment.
Yet, Dr Thake Vassallo does not think this is an issue. "Who are these people who are telling others how they should give their money? It is up to people to decide when to donate. No one complains about lotteries and gambling halls; those can ruin people's lives. L-Istrina is a fundraiser for people in need. Who cares if people have a chance to try their luck while giving money? This is not a moral issue, it is a chance to help in any way we can."
She said that L-Istrina is the most transparent of activities, with three auditing firms involved in every aspect of the event to ensure that not a cent is unaccounted for.
When contacted, Mr Azzopardi said he did not feel there was anything wrong with the "lottery" format because the final aim is still reached, that of giving money to people in need. But he would welcome a discussion on whether or not to keep giving out prizes.
Mr Azzopardi, who has always presented the programme, said that, although there was always room for improvement, he did not want to fuel the fire of controversy further and he preferred to discuss directly with PBS about what can be improved.
"The controversy does not hurt L-Istrina, it hurts those people who need the money that we collect," he said.
This year, the event was outsourced to the companies Take Two and MK Leisure and the format changed slightly with a new venue, more entertainment and longer pre-recorded video features which the organisers hoped would ensure better television and so attract more donations.
But three hours into the show, PBS decided to scrap the prepared entertainment and focus on prize giving when it was noted that not enough calls with donations were coming in.
This enraged those who worked on the event and, although the companies have not made their positions official, some people who preferred to be left unnamed complained that weeks of hard work had been lost and hours of footage were left unaired. They also said the lottery format defeated the spirit of L-Istrina.
Mr Azzopardi thinks that, while changes during the show were expected, the format should have been decided on before instead having such drastic changes being made after the programme had started. He also feels there should always be coordination between PBS and the organisers. But he also thinks that the aim should be to maximise the final sum collected.
"I am not into teleshopping but I have done more than that for L-Istrina and will continue doing so because I know the benefit it has for people in need. I received phone calls from parents who must go to England to have one of their children donate bone marrow to the other or a woman who cannot afford a funeral for her dying husband. I also know that, one day, I might be that person in need."
L-Istrina had started as a PBS production organised by Mr Azzopardi and other volunteers from his flat in Msida and ran as such for three years before it was turned into the big national charity event it is today.
After 2005, Where's Everybody, Mr Azzopardi's company, decided to move on and leave the show to be organised by other companies. Since then, PBS has each year issued a call for tenders for those interested in organising the event.
Yet, the amount collected has never been able to match the figures that Where's Everybody used to collect.
Gordon Pace, L-Istrina 2007 organiser on behalf of Ir-Razzett tal-Ħbiberija, said that this year's organisers did a good job but the situation was unfair on them.
"There were too many last-minute changes. There needed to be better coordination. If you are chairman of the PBS it is in your interest to keep tabs on the situation before the event rather than asking for changes to be made on the ground. Obviously, that was not done."
He also complained that the format defeated the spirit of charity.
"We are raping the value of L-Istrina. This is not just any fundraising event. It is endorsed by the President and it is a national event. It should be exemplary to other fundraisers not the other way round. The annual fundraiser of Id-Dar tal-Providenza should inspire us. They collected more than €500,000 without giving a single prize."
He said that after he organised L-Istrina he was left with an "ugly" feeling inside. "I felt like I sold my soul. It stopped being about giving and started to be about how much people could win and a race to top last year's figure."
He also thinks that when so many prizes are given out, the logistics and work involved to distribute them to all the winners all over the island takes up quite a big chunk of the energy that may not be worth the effort.
But Mr Azzopardi thinks otherwise. "Why should other charities and political parties use the lottery format to generate money and not L-Istrina? What is so bad about it?"
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E.Vella
Jan 7th 2009, 16:20
I did not give any donations to Istrina, for I saw it a farce as many other years...instead I preferred leave the money to else. With the recession at our doors I did not expected that much money would have been collected...its better to thanks the Providence to the money collected...and think what message and values are we giving to our people...I think if all the presents given were turned into money the sum would have been much more.
Other organisations...without instigating competition for goodness sake...without presents or prices collected a very good some....Charity is important but values must be protected.
Forsi bl-"Intenzjoni Retta" ma tantx tigbor imma tkun qed taghmel il-gid lil min iwettaqa...if Istrina wants to give prices instead of changing them into money so to help those in need - do as they wish - we are a free country but others like me will not cooperate
Antoinette Grech
Jan 7th 2009, 14:29
I think the general public would be interested to know who are the members of this Board of Trustees, who are the organisers, can we get to know them better via a Xarabank programme dedicated to a post mortem of this year's Strina. In short who are the people that keep on appearing whenever the President of Malta and his wife are on camera. Are they his bodyguards? Are they hard workers, volunteers or just sycophants trying to look important?
John Azzopardi
Jan 7th 2009, 12:51
L'istrina is a very important event and is done for a very very good cause. However, I do suggest changes. I think the presenters are good. What need to change is the idea that it's all done to win prices. I do believe that if actual examples of should be showed and the show is full of good entertainment (singers, dances, bands, etc) instead of focusing on prices all the time. There should be one price maybe, but not to the current extent. This is a charity event and I find it strange to have such a large amount of gifts being given out in the name of collecting moeny for charity. Again, this is my opinion.
Schembri Ray
Jan 7th 2009, 09:23
I'm a person that don't donate to receive a gift. The only gifr I receive is the peace in my heart that I helped someone else. I think it's not an issue of prices or not but those who are giving how they are feeling? If they donate to try their luck for a price it's a shame. Remeber that Christ told us once that the left hand should not see what the right hand did when comes to charity. Another issue is that those who are giving away prizes - are they giving from their pocket or they are giving them for easy advertising and avoid taxes? I usually switch from programs that advert the same products in every spot. I think that they are brainwashing us with the same adverts everytime. Many boards of the same advert appears in the background and it is announced every now and then. One last thing is well done to the Maltese people that although the whole world is experiencing a crisis; we managed to donate quite a big some of money.
Ramon Micallef
Jan 7th 2009, 00:19
I have no doubt that each and every year ALL people involved, whether in the actual organisation of L-Istrina or otherwise give their very best for a great success however I very much disagree with the method being used.
I beleive there are much more ways and ideas how to collect funds without giving away so many prizes. It makes absolutely no sense to give away Euro 2 million worth of products to get a return of Euro 1.3 million. Without anybody donating anything, one could have easily organised a SALE on these items and got the same return...Hassle free and everybody would be a winner.
There are also formulas how everybody could get advantage from the same return and benefits when donating.
I do not wish to enter into any debate but sincerely beleive that all it takes is a good managerial team and PBS should be left aside to manage their own problems.
This year I happened to spend some time at the venue and there is absolutely no doubt that people call when prizes are given away.
Why not consider L-Istrina as a nationwide 'out of the studio' event !?
Brian Hansford
Jan 6th 2009, 20:17
i read in the times that Dr Thake Vassallo does not think this is an issue. "Who are these people who are telling others how they should give their money? It is up to people to decide when to donate. No one complains about lotteries and gambling halls; those can ruin people's lives. L-Istrina is a fundraiser for people in need. Who cares if people have a chance to try their luck while giving money? This is not a moral issue, it is a chance to help in any way we can."
i totally disagree with this reasoning. .
so now we have sold our beliefs for the sake of collecting more money?
is this what charity is all about ?
S Vella
Jan 6th 2009, 15:59
Some people donate just for the good feeling and some others need to know that there's a prize for doing it. Whatever the reason - the Maltese people are definitely kindhearted and I
thank them for their generosity on behalf of my teenage daughter.
That there are different projects which collect donations is good as without these donations the same Maltese people will suffer drastically. No matter how well off or hard working you are when one of the family needs financial help during a health crisis it is this very money you are discussing that can make a difference to the family.
For a small nation we are big people!
Joseph Mangion
Jan 6th 2009, 08:40
I agree that we should have more information about who will benefit from the funds and how these organizations are chosen. Personally, I stop donating when I see that charity that I give does not go entirely for charitably purposes. For example I am aware of an institution who benefited from l-Istrina for a significant number of years and I really doubt whether this a business or a charitable institution, more so when the person representing the organization more appears in public to give a flamboyant image in magazines (golf / leisure / lifestyle etc) rather than for charitable purposes.
Brian Hansford
Jan 6th 2009, 01:03
the first wk of january 2008 i had dedicated a program about l-istrina
i had proposed the following during Realta' way back in january 2008;
1) Organize a walk round malta and gozo while collecting money from by passers.
2)A day out in ta' qali for the family , games, football and so on.
3) organize a fair companies that want to donate can do so , everything will be sold at a reduced price, all money collected going to istrina, the government to take off any tax on cars donated . the money should only be used for illness.
finally the day the istrina will take place their will be no sad stories shown after all Christmas is the season for joy, we can and we will collect LM1 MILLION if we work as a team and believe in ourselves i have said this before i will repeat again it can be done if we truly have faith . political parties should organize fund raising after the istrina i agree with Mr azzopardi, but l-istrina should not teach our children to gamble either.
i congratulate the organizers of this year's istrina they worked hard and wanted a change.
charles grech
Jan 5th 2009, 22:15
Once upon a time animal lovers were promised assistance from the yearly fund raising marathon L-ISTRINA. History is a great teacher and we all know tthese were only false promises. Animal lovers have written new lyrics in Maltese for the christmas song Deck the Halls:
ILLISTRINA DAHKU BINA
HAFNA FLUS U XEJN GHALINA
PEPPI, DWARDU, U GWAKKINA ( jew KATRINA)
KUNTENTI GHAX INQDEW BINA?
SOS ANNIMALI
charmaine mangion
Jan 5th 2009, 19:22
i gave the donation as usual hoping that i will never be needing them, not that tommorrow it could be me. after giving the donation and i've put the phone down my 3 year ols son asked me, " what is our prize mum?" and i had to explain to my little boy that what we give is not to get a prize but to help. after this event i changed the channel and decided not to watch l-istrina again. i want my son to grow up thinking that when he helps it will be from his heart and not to get something back.
martinsaliba
Jan 5th 2009, 16:17
Change the event from a charitable one to a national fair with prizes for those who buy tickets with the proceeds going to charity. That would be honestly calling the event what it really is. I never give a conrtibution but i do gamle a couple of times. True the money goes to the same purse but its not the same thing. When they say how charitable the Maltese are they are lieing through their teeth, they know the real reason why people phone. I really wish that i could say that i gave a conrtibution for charity but as long as it stays as it i'm sorry NO.
C.Camilleri
Jan 5th 2009, 16:04
@igalea. it is more of the same.
D Vella
Jan 5th 2009, 14:49
Interesting to know what the expenses are and how much these companies get as a fee,who gets paid,what for and how much,what these people put down as 'expenses' etc and finally how much goes to the individual charities. Transparency is important.
Emmanuel Vella
Jan 5th 2009, 13:38
If I had my say, just for one year I would do it without any prizes at all. That way I can test if the Maltese people are truly generous or not. Donating to win a prize is gambling not charity.
M. Mizzi
Jan 5th 2009, 13:38
I don't know if there's anybody else who feels like I do but lately I noticed that when I make a donation to someone without expecting something back (like for example Puttinu Cares) I feel very good inside but when I make a donation to l-iStrina that good feeling inside is tarnished with a feeling of bitterness because I didn't win anything. So to me, making a donation to l-iStrina is like taking part in a lottery.
C. Spiteri
Jan 5th 2009, 13:33
Why not offer the gifts given by the sponsors at half retail price. People will be buying the items saving large amounts of money and still being donating while the lottery element will be eliminated
lgalea
Jan 5th 2009, 11:45
PBS chairman Clare Thake Vassallo
As we say in Maltese, min ma jbiddilx jitqammel.
K Spiteri
Jan 5th 2009, 11:11
"PBS chairman Clare Thake Vassallo said the important thing is to have people with experience working on the programme to ensure a sense of continuity. This was one of the problems they had this year because the company entrusted with the organisation was new to L-Istrina, she said."
Is Dr. Thake Vassallo telling Maltese people indirectly that she wants Where's Everybody back managing and running l-Istrina?
What Maltese people need is new companies setting new ideas of running l-Istrina not the same old faces and voices.
Philip B Cortis
Jan 5th 2009, 11:08
Another important point is the greed in such events. Why it is a must that every year it must beat the “record” of last year. Do you remember the volleyball marathon. I seriously ask what happened? Is it because the last edition was not a record breaker?
I think the previous bishop made it clear that l-Istrina is not about the spirit of giving. Giving has nothing to do with winning. Winning is greed. Giving has nothing to do about record breaking. For those that are Christians (and l-Istrina is for the Maltese people which the absolute majority are Christians) do know that Christ praised the old, poor lady that just gave come small money to the church and condemned those that gave hundreds. Those that gave allot did so in public but the old, poor lady gave in silence.
What about having a priest presenting L-Istrina? What about having the church as part of the organization and has a veto on ALL the decisions? What about a lighter, calmer presentation then the greedy “Phone now, phone now, prices are coming up, your last chance”?
Graham Crocker
Jan 5th 2009, 10:58
Well. if you guys think morality and principle is more important than helping people.
Remove the prices next year & keep it drab.
Its not like I expected to win the car when I switched to TVM for like 5 minutes and donated, Peppi telling everyone that Last year, the last one who phoned won and I think that exploited people who have a gambling problem.
Whatever, its for a good cause and thats all that is supposed to matter.
Philip B Cortis
Jan 5th 2009, 10:51
I donate every year. Normally I make a small number of donations to several of those in need. The last years I refused to donate to l-Istrina for 2 main reasons.
I don’t have sympathy with some of the receiving organizations. This year, I had learned of some major gaffs from various sources about one of the receiving organizations. I’m not going into details because I don’t have 100% proof but I would prefer not to give this organization any additional cent and give that cent to another organization that I sympathy with.
The reason there are so many different organizations, all working for those in need, is simply because different people sympathy with different needs. Else, we can have one mega NGO that does all the work, but it’s not like that. Although I’m giving money for charity, YES I want to CHOOSE the charity. L-Istrina don’t allow for this.
The other reason is mentioned in the article by Mr. Gordon Pace “The annual fundraiser of Id-Dar tal-Providenza should inspire us. They collected more than €500,000 without giving a single prize.” And I add, with a tenth of the recourses!!
lgalea
Jan 5th 2009, 10:50
What did they expect with all the layoffs and an ever increasing amount of taxes upon taxes, tariffs and "contributions" for the various services?
R Micallef
Jan 5th 2009, 10:36
I cant believe this: Dr Thake said: "the important thing is to have people with experience working on the programme to ensure a sense of continuity. This was one of the problems they had this year because the company entrusted with the organisation was new to L-Istrina"
Is she blaming the companies who took the tender? If they were new I think even SHE was new and decided to take a terrible decision not to air the entertainment. Not airing the entertainment was definitely NOT A GOOD IDEA
liam kelly
Jan 5th 2009, 10:31
Quite a strange article to read!...
Its a shame Ms Vassallo didn't have so many bright ideas during the inception stage of l-istrina.....and completly changing the whole strategy half way through the show is quite frankly unacceptable; both unfair on the company tendered to do it and lets be honest; it suggests she had absolutly no confidence in the show or meaningful strategy from the start.
As for the show itself; i tend to agree with Gordon Pace; the show has lost its prestige, quality and has sold its soul down the river in a despirate attempt to get more money; ok so its not such a bad thing to try and get as much money as possible; but what are the viewers going to think next year? Are they going to regard the show as a gambling extravaganza, and therefore maybe forget a bit of its true meaning as a means to donate to the needy?
Lets hold people accountable and get back to basics.