The home’s director Fr Martin Micallef.

Fifty years since Dun Mikiel Azzopardi was given a donation to help him build a home for people with disabilities, the demand for the services he started remains high.

“The need for our services is increasing because the parents of people with disabilities age and are not always able to keep taking care of them.

“The house also provides a respite care service to allow families of people with disabilities some rest. This is important if we want people with disabilities to remain living within the community,” the director of Id-Dar tal-Providenza, in Siġġiewi, Fr Martin Micallef told this newspaper.

Fifty years ago today, just before ending his regular Rediffusion programme Is-Siegħa tal-Morda, Dun Mikiel expressed his desire of building a home for people with disabilities. Soon after, a woman who had remained anonymous until her death handed him the equivalent of €233.

One of the home’s benefactors was Archbishop Michael Gonzi who donated the €7,000 he had received for his 80th birthday in 1965. The first home to be built at the complex was named after him. That same year, Pope Paul VI donated five chasubles, an alb and a chalice for the home’s chapel.

We still have to work on reducing prejudice

The first three residents were welcomed in February 1968.

“To date, the home remains a miracle of Divine Providence. Raising funds remains a challenge, however, thank God, Divine Providence has always made good for the home’s huge expenses,” Fr Micallef said.

In 1986, the yearly Volleyball marathon kicked off. The fundraiser, by Moviment Kerygma was held until 2004 and the total amount donated throughout the years reached €2.8 million.

Another fundraiser was started by the Church’s radio RTK in 1996. This New Year’s Day marathon started being broadcast on TV in 2003 and, during the event, people are invited over to meet the residents and see ongoing projects. So far, about €1 million has been collected.

Today, Id-Dar tal-Providenza homes 109 residents, aged between four and 83, and needs about €4 million to cover its yearly costs, including the salaries of 200 people. Another 200 work at the home on a voluntary basis.

Looking ahead, Fr Micallef said that, apart from providing residential services, the home would continue to raise awareness about respecting the dignity of people with a disability.

“Society is always prejudiced and, although we have come a long way, we still have to work on reducing prejudice,” Fr Micallef said.

Half a century ago, society looked down on people with a disability and some were even kept hidden from the community.

Although things had changed since, people with a disability were still sometimes discriminated against and this could be the result of lack of awareness, such as parking in spots reserved for people with a disability, he noted.

More information on www.dartalprovidenza.org.