As part of our “Integration Through Education and Information” project funded through the Voluntary Organisations Project Scheme (VOPS) managed by the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector, MOAS is planning and organizing activities and events on the Island. Our aim is to integrate the different communities living and residing in Malta and to promote cultural exchange among participants.
For this week’s blog, here is an update on the activities we carried out in September and October!
Cooking class at The Pod
At the beginning of the month, we organized our first cooking class to celebrate Maltese culture, traditions, and cuisine. The session was held at The Pod in the Food Court in St. Julians.
With the help of chef Karl Mallia, all the participants from the people we assist in Malta learned how to prepare and cook the traditional Maltese ftira biz-zejt. The sandwiches were filled with tomato paste, tuna, capers, olives, and Gozo cheeselets, among other ingredients.
Each participant filled and cooked several Ftiras and, all together, prepared a very colourful and tasty fruit salad. At the end of the class, we sat together and enjoyed the food, sharing culinary tips and traditions from our countries of origin. It was a beautiful experience and a joyful and meaningful moment for all of the participants!
Second art therapy session
In September, MOAS organised its second art therapy session
foryoung refugees and asylum seekers residing in Malta. The class was held at the Ronald McDonald’s House of Charities Centre in Qawra, in cooperation with the Japanese artist Miyuki Sugihara who kindly donated her time to teach watercolour techniques to a group of teenagers aged between 16 and 21 coming from Vietnam, Guinea and Ukraine.
Using different painting techniques and materials, the participants painted Christmas cards for their family and friends, while listening to traditional Christmas songs!
Visit to Valletta Underground
Recently, with a group of migrants, asylum seekers, and Maltese residents, we went on an adventure and explored Valletta Underground. On a 1-hour excursion walking below the main streets of the Maltese capital, we visited the three main water reservoirs used by the knights of St. John during the siege of Malta, and we walked along the tunnels and chambers where the Maltese population hide when the island was bombed during the Second World War. Thanks to the guides of Heritage Malta, we managed to spot some graffiti painted on the walls during the bombings and we learned more about the plants growing underground and their ability to get water and thrive without natural light.
The group enjoyed the visit, it was an extraordinary activity to take part in and a good opportunity to know more about the Maltese historical past.
If you are willing to participate in these cultural and educational informal activities, please send an email to [email protected] or subscribe to our Facebook page “MOAS Volunteers Hub”.
This project has been funded through the Voluntary Organisations Project Scheme managed by the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector supported by the Ministry for Inclusion, Voluntary Organisations and Consumer Rights (MIVC)”.
(This project/publication reflects the views only of the author, and the MCVS cannot be held responsible for the content or any use which may be made of the information contained therein).
