The Malta Independent on Sunday
Melita Foundation supports Inspire
Project to enhance learning for service-users
The Melita Foundation has collaborated with Inspire Foundation through a donation that exceeds €32,000 which will allow for the refurbishment and development of new classrooms for children attending Inspire’s educational programmes. Eighty children aged between five and 16 years olds will benefit from this project. Most of these children are on the autism spectrum, but all have behavioural challenges.
This project will allow for facilities, which are currently available, to be enhanced, providing specifically adapted environments for the activities held within the programmes. The right environment will allow children to explore a range of sensory stimulation, provide a safe space to learn and facilitate independence in daily activities.
As a result of such facilities, each child will have the opportunity to exercise their thinking, creative, imaginative and reasoning skills while learning appropriate behaviour. Through the various room models, which include one-to-one classrooms and school classroom settings, they can learn to function in different environments and further work on their communication skills.
Learners will have the opportunity to engage in educational, leisure and outdoor activities. These facilities will provide a suitable environment for tutors and therapists to guide learners through addressing their needs and capitalising on their strengths.
“With an increase in the number of children attending the programmes we needed to revise the layout of the space available to ensure that we can continue to support each and every one of these individuals to reach their potential, as well as enhance the unique facilities available. As a result, we have also taken the opportunity to revise our approach to learning and after looking at a number of best practice models, we designed an environment that would be more conducive to the needs of those benefitting from our programmes. Thanks to the Melita Foundation, we can make that a reality,” commented Antonello
Gauci, CEO at Inspire Foundation.
Professor Tanya Sammut Bonnici, chair of the Melita Foundation, said: “Inspire has been instrumental in helping so many people to meet and overcome the challenges of developmental disorders. As time passes, these challenges continue to grow and, given the particular circumstances of 2020, so do the associated financial pressures. The Melita Foundation was, therefore, more than willing to step in and provide this significant support to Inspire, supporting it in its endeavours to continue delivering world-class care to these children.”
The Inspire Foundation provides educational, therapeutic and leisure services to hundreds of children and adults with physical disabilities, developmental disorders and behavioural challenges. The organisation’s educational and therapeutic services are accredited by the National Autistic Society (UK). With expenses reaching almost €4m a year, the organisation continues to depend on donations and voluntary giving to be able to provide
the best quality service to persons with a disability and their families.
The Melita Foundation was launched by Melita Limited in February 2020 with initial funding of €500,000 with a primary focus on the development of digital skills and creativity among young people in Malta. The Foundation also supports the conservation of Malta’s heritage and
environment. The creation of the Foundation was made possible by an initial donation from Apax Partners, Melita’s shareholders until May 2019. With the full support of their current shareholders, EQT, all the Foundation’s expenses are funded entirely by Melita Limited meaning that 100 per cent of the funds available to the Foundation will be used to support projects.