Charity is alive and well, with the Missions Office last year collecting nearly €1 million to be sent to Catholic missions overseas.

The funds – €950,218 – were collected by the Catholic Church’s official charitable organisation for the spreading of the Gospel in the world, which is present in 159 countries. The money is then distributed directly to bishops of the dioceses and eventually to the individual congregations that carry out assistance projects.

Malta sent €344,860 to Benin, €185,833 to Togo, €52,473 to the Ivory Coast, €44,450 to Burkina Faso, €78,650 to Kenya, €74,550 to Nigeria, €75,260 to Uganda, €35,718 to Vietnam, €31,424 to India and €20,000 to the Philippines. The rest of the money was distributed to Corfù, Zambia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

In Benin, the major recipient of Maltese funds, the money will be going towards medical equipment, agricultural programmes for locals to grow their own produce and a boarding school for 110 girls.

In the coming days, the Missions Office, in collaboration with a number of organisations, will be holding two public events.

On Sunday at 8.45 a.m., a walk in aid of the missions leaves St Helen’s church in Birkirkara to St Joseph School in Blata l-Bajda, to be followed by Mass at the school chapel. A participation fee of €10 for adults and €5 for under16s will be collected, with all proceeds going to the Missions Office to help finance projects in Third World Countries.

On October 24, a Missionary Village will be mounted on the grounds of the National Park in Ta’ Qali between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. The programme will include Mass, games, food and the sale of items coming from countries where the missions are present.

For information visit www.missio.org.mt.