“Although children may seem resilient in the face of life’s challenges, they are still vulnerable and need to be supported”, said President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca while highlighting the importance of addressing the psychosocial well-being of children experiencing illness of a family member.
The President was addressing the opening of a conference organised by the Karl Vella Foundation, ‘Left in the sideline: illness in the family through the eyes of the ‘healthy’ child’, which focused on the needs of healthy children experiencing illness in their family.
President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca commended the foundation for its efforts in addressing this lacuna and said that the conference placed a much-needed focus on offering a more effective and supportive outreach to children who find themselves in caring roles or must deal with the impact of illness of a parent or sibling.
The Karl Vella Foundation is a member of the National Cancer Platform Association, set up by President Coleiro Preca to bring together all the non-government organisations in the field of cancer to collaborate and ensure a holistic, coordinated, and sustainable service for cancer patients and their loved ones.
The Karl Vella Foundation offers its essential services from the President’s Kitchen Garden and includes various forms of therapy and counselling which are a vital life-line to those passing through times of crisis and uncertainty.