In her touching opening speech for the 2024 edition of L-Istrina, the President of Malta, Myriam Spiteri Debono, invited families to lend a hand in giving to those for whom Christmas is not fun. She underlined how so many are living this Christmas period in hospitals, as it is important “the day after Christmas to be a day of solidarity.”.
The words of appreciation from the President came when the 2024 fundraising marathon, Flimkien b’Solidarjetร , started this afternoon at the Kirkop Sports Complex. This was the first Istrina since she became President. It runs uninterruptedly for 12 continuous hours and is transmitted live on all major television channels.
Generosity urged by Malta’s Leaders
The Prime Minister, Robert Abela, echoed the President’s call and announced a government donation of โฌ100,000 from the Good Causes Fund, inviting one and all to donate. Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna reflected on what Istrina meant: a call to the nation for love, aid, and solidarity. Opposition Leader Bernard Grech appealed for the public to donate generously, insisting on unity in spirit to help those in need.
A Tradition of Giving
From its first edition in 1995, L-Istrina has become an integral part of Christmas in Malta. Every year on 26th December, the whole country comes together to raise funds for the Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation to help people in need because of health and financial problems.
Last year’s Istrina had reached โฌ5.27 million, while it reached โฌ4.5 million at 10:30pm today, which is encouraging for a final figure.
This long marathon of generosity strongly signals that the values of love, charity, and compassion run deep in the blood of Maltese and Gozitans – a tradition continued year after year to keep up and inspire the less fortunate.
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