The festive season is over. The most significant interpretation of the record contributions made by the public to various charities goes beyond the heart-warming consideration that our society still has a soft spot for those who are marginalised in our society. Many people understand that they have a responsibility to ensure that social cohesion continues to characterise our society.

The concept of the welfare state is coming under increasing pressure as more and more Western countries grapple with the consequences of a bitter and long recession which has often made it necessary to cut social benefits even to those who depend so much on support for a decent quality of life.

Some politicians tried to downsize the welfare state years before the latest economic recession erupted in 2008. They promoted the concept of a ‘welfare society’ where society in general would assume the responsibility for promoting social values and support the weak in the community. While the reasoning behind this concept could be sound, many social analysts argued that this implied an abdication by the State of its social responsibilities.

The public has once again shown that it cares about the wellbeing of thousands of individuals and families that can no longer contribute productively to the growth of our economy, but need the support of others to survive and preserve their dignity as human beings.

While the State should continue to guarantee an effective safety net to prevent vulnerable people from crashing under the weight of their social disabilities, the rest of society needs to do its bit ideally on a voluntary basis. The big challenge continues to be determining how much is needed to satisfy the seemingly endless needs of voluntary organisations catering for the socially disadvantaged.

The role of the government in the social sphere should ideally be focused on preventing social marginalisation. The war against illiteracy and low educational achievement is one area that needs to be addressed with more determination.

For instance, educational leaders argue that many young people are being caught in the poverty trap as a result of cultural issues rather than a specific failure in our education system. A partnership between government organisations and charities is needed to help and convince those parents who struggle to survive economically not to sacrifice the education of their children to make some small financial gain.

One weakness of the current phenomenon of enticing people to contribute to charities, especially during the Christmas season, is that some charities do not have sufficient visibility in the media and charity campaigns. Many small charities do excellent work in the community but lack the time and resources to publicise their mission and the needs that go with it.

These charities still need support if they are to continue contributing to the wellbeing of our society. A fairer way of distributing funds contributed by the public may need to be devised so that all worthwhile causes get a chance to be supported.

It is also time for the government to reward the generosity of those who contribute to charities by granting more fiscal incentives to individuals and businesses who support charities through their contributions.

Public as well as private financial resources will always be limited. Yet despite the negative impact that the global recession has had on voluntary organisations, charities in Malta have seen the public’s support for their causes increase.

This is a trend that Maltese society should be proud of.

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