Poverty among the most vulnerable in society may be less obvious these days but it is “all the more real”, a nun who has been working with the poorest in society for over 50 years believes.

Sister Benigna Scully of the Little Sisters of the Poor, who run the St Paul’s Home in Ħamrun, told the Times of Malta that while since her arrival in Malta in 1965 she has seen changes, there were still those who struggled daily, and she  described what she believes is “hidden poverty”.

“You don’t see people on the street begging, but there is a hidden poverty and that is all the more real. Poor people don’t make themselves known. I know because my family was poor, but my mother would never let us out of the house unless we were perfectly clean and in good clothes she sewed herself.

They struggle to make ends meet, especially when it comes to paying the bills

“There are people that have very small pensions, expensive medicines to buy, and they come here [to St Paul’s Home] with no hope of going anywhere else. It’s real poverty,” Sr Scully said.

She went on to describe other forms of poverty that she witnessed first-hand on a daily basis, especially while out collecting donations. She insisted that while there were now more organisations working with the poor, those most in need often did not come forward to ask for help, and pointed out that as a result even the most basic forms of poverty were still in existence, despite efforts to address it.

The St Paul’s Home in Ħamrun is a residence for those elderly poor who have nowhere else to go. At present, there are 71 residents, with 12 sisters of the community spending their days collecting donations to fund running the home.

While there were now more organisations working with the poor, those most in need often did not come forward to ask for help

According to Sr Scully, people in Malta are extremely generous and it is very rare that the sisters are turned away when asking for donations. Nonetheless, she admitted they still struggle to make ends meet, especially when it comes to paying the bills every month and purchasing equipment for those at the home.

“We urgently need a hoist, for instance, because one of the ones we used broke down recently.

“We do get donations from benefactors but it’s never enough,” Sr Scully said, adding that no patient is admitted against a fee, as this went against their commitment to helping the neediest in society.

Donations can be made through direct deposits on APS Bank account Little Sisters of the Poor – number 101-35618520010.

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