A project to help families live an economically sustainable lifestyle is being prepared by Caritas, the Cana Movement, the Faculty of Economics and the Centre for Family Studies at the University.

Caritas director Mgr Victor Grech said that through the project, families would be helped not to spend more than they earned – a common problem in Malta – and be guided towards wise decisions even as regards family budgets.

Mgr Grech, who made his comments during the feast of Christ the King yesterday, highlighted the economic and social inequalities that exist in the world despite the fact it had enough wealth for everyone.

“How do we explain that 220 million people do not have jobs or that millions earn $1 a day; that 15 million children die before the age of five due to lack of adequate nutrition and medical care; that 500,000 mothers die in childbirth?”

The United Nations Millennium Development Goals for 2010 had failed, Mgr Grech said, and he wondered whether the extension to the deadline to achieve the same anti-poverty aims would be met again.

Bringing the issue closer to home, he said that while the standard of living in Malta was relatively better than that of other countries and social benefits and other measures helped to avoid absolute poverty, studies had shown that some families did not have enough income to lead a decent life.

Nevertheless, he believed in the capability of the Maltese to look after the common good and that both the government and the Church would shoulder their responsibility to eradicate poverty.

Social policy should be aimed at safeguarding the dignity and rights of everyone, especially the vulnerable, he said, adding the Church would continue to work with the government towards this end.