Migrants living at the Malta Peace Laboratory at Ħal Far surprised President George Abela yesterday by presenting him with a monetary donation for charity collected from a day’s worth of wages.

The President thanked the migrants, remarking that they were the ones who should be receiving help and not the other way round.

Fr Dionysius Mintoff, founder and director of the Peace Lab, explained that the migrants worked very hard – most of them 13 to 14 hour shifts.

Dr Abela and his wife were shown around the spacious grounds as part of the President’s official visit to Żurrieq.

Built on former British military airfield, the Peace Lab was founded in 1971 as a memorial to Pope John XXIII’s vision of peace.

It aims to foster better understanding among all irrespective of creed, race or nationality.

The premises are currently the home of some 50 men from Ghana, Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, Ivory Coast and Mali.

The cubicles are miniscule and rather damp yet clean and tidy. A caravan doubles as a clinic, where doctors offer their services free of charge three times a week.

An air of serenity permeates the premises, the silence punctured only by the bleating of goats and the clucking of chickens, which occupy a part of the gardens.

This makes a striking contrast to the nearby detention and open centres – the migrants here are smiling and at peace.

Fr Mintoff said that their motto was “we are one family”.

While touring the chapel, which also doubles as a hall and conference room, Fr Mintoff reminded Dr Abela that the Peace Lab successfully started proceedings in the Maltese law courts to prevent the government from forcefully sending the first group of migrants to their war-torn homeland in 2004.

Dr Abela was serving as the Peace Lab’s lawyer at the time.

The Peace Lab is looking for volunteers to teach migrants how to use a computer at the premises. Interested volunteers may send an e-mail to info@peacelab.org.