The branded bench was used in Qatar Airways’ social media campaign supporting its recent launch of the Malta-Doha route in June.

“Qatar Airways fully understands and embraces the importance of supporting charities and their vital work in the local community,” said Mate Hoffmann, Qatar Airways Country Manager Italy and Malta. “We strongly believe in coming together to support Hospice Malta with such a worthy cause, and are thrilled that our famous ‘selfie’ bench will continue to bring comfort and cheer to the people of Malta in its new home,” the country manager added.

“We are absolutely thrilled with the donation which was dropped off last week,” said Kenneth Delia, Hospice Malta General Manager. The bench will offer our day therapy patients the opportunity for respite and comfort in our tranquil garden space. It is a fantastic initiative on the part of Qatar Airways and we could not be happier to be chosen as the airline’s charity of choice,” the general manager added.

Hospice Malta is a voluntary organisation that offers its services free of charge through a multidisciplinary team of professionals and volunteers, providing and promoting palliative care for those suffering from terminal conditions. The patient-centred palliative care offered targets the relief of pain and other physical symptoms, as well as emotional, psycho-social, and spiritual issues.

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The course started in October 2018 and has involved a series of talks on water conservation, energy consumption, waste management and reduction, and sustainable development. 

It has been designed by Dr Alexandra Mifsud from the Centre of Environmental Education Research (CEER) at the University of Malta and Amanda Zahra from the Water and Energy Agency.

Funded by the HSBC Water Programme, this event was directed at businesses, where members of staff were trained on the change of behaviour they can make related to the safeguarding of the environment and leading a more sustainable lifestyle both at home and at the workplace, as the press release says. 

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a main focus of the “Together for Sustainability” course, are in line with what CSR is all about and that is the reason why the CORE Platform was given an opportunity to speak on the subject during the last session, the press statement underscores.

CSR awareness raising

The aim of the European CSR day is to raise awareness on what CSR is, the importance of having it incorporated within a business strategy and framework, and the benefits that it yields, both to the company and its employees, as well as to the community and environment it operates in.

Helga Ellul, President of CORE Platform, explained that CSR must always start internally. From here one can then start engaging in CSR activities outside of the company. Nowadays, consumers and customers are becoming more aware of responsible corporations, in fact, many are those that choose the services of a company that engages in CSR instead of one that does not, Ms Ellul added.

Thus, CSR helps to improve the reputation of the business as well and it must also never be done solely to gain a better image as that will not work in the long-run. 

Finally, Ms Ellul focused on the misconception of CSR being charity is still an issue and that this is something that one needs to work on to overcome.

Developing sustainable economies

“At HSBC, we are proud to be playing a leading role in developing sustainable economies internationally and locally. Today, our sustainability approach focuses on three main areas: sustainable finance; sustainable supply chains; and employability and financial capability. In each of these areas, we have begun to take genuine strides forward,” said HSBC Bank Malta CEO Andy Beane.

“We have set out a series of commitments to contribute to the global transition to a low-carbon economy. We have also pledged long-term support to help people access education and training, so they can acquire the skills they need to succeed in today’s workplace,” Mr Beane added. “And through our partnerships with customers, NGOs and other key stakeholders, we are encouraging responsible business in global supply chains. Bringing together more than 500 people from over 60 organisations across Malta to learn about sustainability is core to this strategy as we need to work together to accelerate the country’s transition to a low carbon, sustainable future that we can feel proud to pass on to the next generation,” the HSBC Malta chief concluded.

The post Malta CSR Institute holds last session of sustainability course first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

“We ensure that each senior resident is well cared for with love and that they receive our full attention. We enjoy organising such traditional family occasions that give our residents a sense of home. They really appreciate it,” said Dr Sarah Cassar, General Manager of Casa Antonia Nursing and Residential Home.

After classic pop revivals sang by soprano Ruth Sammut Casingena, Casa Antonia’s resident hairdressers Maria Gatt and Maria Zammit gave the home’s “mothers” hairdos, while students from the International School of Beauty Therapy led by Sharon Warrington applied facial treatments.

Casa Antonia Nursing and Residential Home employs a staff of over 120. The home says it offers “holistic services and truly personalised care” for its residents.

The post Casa Antonia nursing home honours mothers on Mother’s Day first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

The LifeCycle Challenge for 2019 and 2020 is organising two three-day events, where participants will ride stationary bikes, turning every five minutes of cycling into a €2 donation each.

The first event takes place at the University of Malta from 13 May, Monday, to 15 May, Wednesday, at the Main Quadrangle of the university. The venue will be open from 09:00 to 16:00 every day.

The second event takes place at the city gate (opposite the Maltese parliament building) in Valletta from 16 May, Thursday, to 18 May, Saturday. The venue will be open from 09:00 to 14:00 every day.

LifeCycle organises bike challenges in different countries to generate funding for the needs and care of kidney disease patients and their families. The foundation’s work focuses on three major areas; raising awareness, supporting treatment and research, and working hand in hand with the medical staff of Mater Dei Hospital’s Renal Unit.

This year, the LifeCycle Challenge is being organised for the 21st time, and it will be taking cyclists on a 2,000-km route from Vietnam to Laos and Cambodia ending at the World Heritage site of Angkor Wat temples. Training for the challenge starts this month.

“As part of our Nescafé 3in1 sponsorship we are offering the public the chance to be part of LifeCycle Challenge,” said Alfred J. Borg, Marketing and Corporate Communications Manager at Nestlé. “As much as LifeCycle Foundation has from its very inception sought to instill respect and dignity for renal patients, their families, and the rest of the community through various educational initiatives, Nescafé too seeks to instill respect from the plant, to the farmer, to the community, and ultimately to our consumer,” he added.

“Our aim is to involve sports enthusiasts and the public of all ages, to experience cycling and, at the same time, help us improve the lives of kidney patients. The more people can join us on this stunt, the more we can extend our support. Thanks to our sponsor Nescafé 3in1, we are able to bring the LifeCycle experience closer to the public,” said Alan Curry, LifeCycle Founder.

The LifeCycle Foundation was founded in 1999 in Malta to create awareness and generate support for patients suffering from end-stage renal disease, according to the official page of the foundation. This year the challenge will take place between 9 September and 23 September across Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

Donations to the Nescafé 3in1 LifeCycle Challenge 2019 are open and can be provided via sms: 5061 7370 = €2.33; 5061 8920 = €6.99; 5061 9229 = €11.65; or via a call to 5160 2020 =€10, 5170 2005 = €15; and 5180 2006 = €25.

Bank details are the following:
Swift code: VALLMTMT
IBAN number: MT 18 VALL 22013000000014814521017
Bank name: Bank of Valletta
Account number: 14814521017.

The post LifeCycle charity event comes to University of Malta and Valletta first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.

MCAST launched its CSR programme on 13 February, intending to provide its students with the opportunity to complement their studies with experiences that add value to their holistic knowledge base. The CSR programme will also offer an accredited framework of knowledge and skills.

“MCAST is committed to empowering its young and adult learners to become active and employable citizens that contribute to Malta’s dynamic democratic society and economy,” the press statement says.

Michelle Muscat represented the foundation at the signing of the agreement at MCAST’s Main Campus in Paola on 21 March, at the Institute for Applied Sciences.

The post MCAST inks CSR pact with Marigold Foundation first appeared on The Malta Business Weekly.