Malta celebrated the European Year of Volunteering in the encouraging knowledge that, according to 2010 statistics on income and living conditions, eight per cent of those over the age of 12 living in private households – about 28,500 individuals – are engaged in some form of voluntary work.
It is of course good to have so many committed people working in their communities during their free time without being paid, for example in the Church, hospitals, philanthropic organisations, youth and sports associations, social clubs, pro-environment groups and helping people in other countries.
They offer their time, talents and, often, also money to support the less fortunate members of society or make a positive contribution to their community by volunteering. The efforts of such individuals and those of the volunteering organisations make a huge difference to people’s lives in countless ways.
Society would be much worse off without their service. Their presence and commitment also instill confidence because they confirm that goodness exists and that it is healthy in our midst.
The Maltese experience in the area of volunteering, therefore, certainly deserves being celebrated. It is also fit and proper to express deep gratitude to all the volunteers and their families, especially those whose work involves bigger personal and family sacrifices.
Their volunteering is an active expression of civic participation that gives witness to and strengthens among us values such as solidarity. This helps us see the “other” as a brother/sister and pushes us towards a firm determination to commit ourselves to the common good.
The value of solidarity has deep roots within the Maltese people in spite of all our shortcomings in other areas.
Nonetheless, if the European Year of Volunteering is to leave a durable positive effect on the community, it has to be borne in mind that its objectives do not start and end with celebrations. These objectives include enabling and facilitating the environment for volunteering, empowering volunteer organisations, improving the quality of volunteering and raising awareness of the value and importance of volunteering.
The government’s decision to transform the old slaughter house in Valletta into a volunteer centre, also to the benefit of organisations that have no premises where to operate, should, by time, reap its own good and positive effects.
Still, it remains to be seen whether we are succeeding in the main challenges in this sector, primarily in seeing an increase in volunteering and more awareness of its added value. The main test perhaps lies in whether the volunteer community will continue to increase or not, especially in the present time marked as it is with increasingly difficult way of life and day-to-day realities. Volunteering, which is much more than an expression of goodwill and involves a lot of self-giving, will continue to play a crucial role in sectors as varied and diverse as the Church, education, youth, culture, sport, the environment, health, social care, consumer protection, humanitarian aid, development policy, research, equal opportunities and external relations.
Let us all hope that, inspired by the human desire for solidarity that is rooted in the human person, more people, especially the young, will seek to find time and scope in their lives to join the community of volunteers.
Donating money for a good cause, as many have done so generously over the past days, whether in the annual charity marathon L-Istrina, the fundraising campaign in aid of Id-Dar tal-Provvidenza or other worthy initiatives, is indeed commendable. Offering some of one’s free time is an active expression of self-giving.