Id-Dar tal-Providenza awarded the 2021 European Citizen’s Prize

Id-Dar tal-Providenza’s Monument of Mercy project has won the European Parliament’s 2021 Citizen’s Prize for Malta in recognition of its embodiment of the best of Maltese and EU values.

The 2021 winner’s nomination, put forward by MEPs Roberta Metsola and David Casa (EPP, MT), said the mission of providing homes with a family-like environment integrates and empowers people with a disability within the community, in line with EU norms and values, and this challenging task continued to be carried out even in last year’s exceptionally difficult circumstances.

The European Citizen’s Prize is awarded every year for exceptional achievements by citizens in EU Member States.

“Id-Dar tal-Providenza and its project ‘Monument of Mercy’ proved to all the European Institutions what we Maltese were already privileged to know,” said MEP Alex Agius Saliba (S&D, MT) who presented the Citizen’s Prize medal to id-Dar tal-Providenza Director Fr Martin Micallef.

“Id-Dar tal-Providenza embodies the best of the values that we as Maltese and Europeans hold dear. Their excellent work in exceptionally difficult circumstances with the most vulnerable group of people in our society displays the best values of the EU and provides an example for all of us to follow,” the Labour MEP said.

Id-Dar tal-Providenza Director Fr Martin Micallef, expressed appreciation for the recognition by the European Parliament, and contextualised the organisation’s work in the bigger European picture.

“The EU strategy for people with disabilities between 2021 and 2030, is built around the recognition of the rights granted in various countries in Europe by other countries in Europe, around independent and where possible autonomous living, and the elimination of discrimination and the creation of equal opportunities at every possible level,” Fr Martin said.

“These are intrinsic to the concept of dignity, a concept which is at the heart of everything created by Mons Mikiel Azzopardi when he dreamed of and started working on the Dar Tal-Providenza project, and which so many Maltese and Gozo believed in and supported over the years.”

“The European Parliament does not only legislate, it also likes to promote what is good,” said the Head of the European Parliament Office in Malta Dr Mario Sammut.

“Even when faced with difficulties during the pandemic, id-Dar tal-Providenza continued to protect the most vulnerable in our society. Their excellent work in such exceptionally difficult circumstances, displays the best of European values. Recognizing this effort and commitment is of tremendous importance to the European Parliament, and hence this award.”

The award ceremony will be followed by an EU-wide ceremony in Brussels for citizens recognised with this award in the different member states. Given the COVID-19 pandemic prevented this ceremony last year, a double Citizen’s Prize Award Ceremony for both the 2020 and 2021 winners will take place at the European Parliament in Brussels on 9th November 2021. Id-Dar tal-Providenza will be joined by last year’s winner, the Malta Lockdown Festival.

Other recent winners of this award in Malta include Bjorn Formosa of ALS Malta and the Għaqda Każini tal-Baned.