Church gifts €25m property to help youngsters with disability
Dar Saura, in Rabat will be converted into an empowerment hub for children and young people with disabilities after the Archdiocese of Malta handed over the multimillioneuro property to the Malta Trust Foundation for 65 years.
The 17th-century building, which until recently served as a home for the elderly, will come to life when Malta’s first Centre for Music and Arts, Villabianca, relocates to larger premises to address the extensive waiting list.
The archdiocese’s altruistic decision to hand over the property – worth €25 million and covering an expanse of 5,500 square metres – was sealed during a signing ceremony held in the presence of Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna and Malta Trust Foundation chair Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca.
“The best use of Church property is when it is destined for a
social purpose, especially helping those who need the most support. I hope Dar Saura will become a state-of-the-art hub empowering children and youth with disabilities to engage with their skills and discover and nurture their full potential through music and the arts,” the archbishop said.
The Grade 1 scheduled property is being granted as a gratuitous loan to the foundation, which will be tapping European Union and public funds to restore and upgrade the building, including the rehabilitation of the chapel dedicated to St Nicholas.
The property, which will cost about €10 million to convert, can be renovated to accommodate a variety of activities without adversely affecting its Class A status.
Coleiro Preca said this was a historic moment that would position Malta as a hub in the Mediterranean for young people, who, as a consequence of their disadvantaged background or disability, struggled to develop their potential.
“My dream is to see this hub become a one-stop-shop for families to see their children with disabilities thrive; a place where they can grow, develop their abilities and be empowered to go out into the world,” Coleiro Preca said.
This is the second time in five years that the Archdiocese of Malta is gifting properties to help NGOs that are making a tangible difference to people’s lives. In 2019, the archbishop handed over Church premises, known as Adelaide Cini Institute, in Santa Venera, to Hospice Malta.