The Cana Movement has helped countless couples and families. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

The Cana Movement is struggling to continue offering its services as its funding has been slashed from some €70,000 a year to about €25,000.

However, this reduced sum too seems to be hanging by a thread as the family-oriented NGO has yet to receive confirmation that it has been granted funds to continue with its operations, a spokesman for the NGO said.

The Cana Movement offers marriage preparatory courses to engaged couples as well counselling services. It was set up over 50 years ago and has helped countless couples and families.

The NGO spokesman said that in the past the movement received an annual fixed amount of €70,000 but this had been stopped and instead they had to apply either for project-based funding or service agreement.

The NGO applied for the latter agreement and was granted €25,000, which is a far cry from the amount needed to ensure Cana’s work carries on, the spokesman told Times of Malta.

According to the spokesman, the Cana Movement was running at a deficit but the dismantling of the organisation was not on the horizon.

He added that the NGO was not given a reason why the funding had originally been stopped, insisting that as the government was promoting the safeguarding of the family unit, it was incomprehensible why this had happened.

A meeting with Family Minister Michael Falzon to discuss the matter further is to be held soon, the spokesman revealed.

Contacted about this, a government spokeswoman said that Public Social Partnership Agreements (PSPs) are for three years and not a one-time grant, which used to be financed under the NGO grant.

The Cana Movement, the spokeswoman said, wanted to embark on a new PSP and had meetings with Family Ministry officials during the last legislature, forwarding a preliminary proposal for a potential Public Social Partnership agreement.

“At the moment, new proposals for PSPs are being discussed internally, including the one from Cana Movement. This procedure is also being done in line with Budget 2018,” the government spokeswoman said.