The Karl Vella Foundation will no longer rely solely on voluntary work after it became the first organisation this year to benefit from a public-social partnership with the government.

The foundation provides psychological help to children whose relatives are either sick or have passed away.

Chair and co-founder, Claire Chircop, told the Times of Malta on Friday that the foundation had always operated on a voluntary basis and so the partnership will ensure that it is sustainable. It will now receive just over €226,000 over a period of three years. 

The foundation holds three sessions every week and is open to children, aged between five and 17, who need assistance as a result of a parent or a sibling falling ill, or, in some cases, passing away.

“At the moment we have a group of some 28 children who attend the sessions twice or three times a week. Not all of them require one-to-one attention but we make sure to provide some form of psychological support through the group sessions,” Ms Chircop said.

The foundation also strives to provide the children with a sense of continuity at a time when they are experiencing disruption at home by providing them with homework help or any other support that helps lift their spirits.

Ms Chircop co-founded the foundation with her friend Jo’Anna Vella and Rose Vella, wife of the late Karl Vella, who was the inspiration behind the support service.

She got to know Mr Vella when he was already battling cancer and wanted to continue his legacy of positivity and altruism after his death in 2014.