PROMISE : poverty observatory biannual bulletin : issue 2

Abstract

The second issue of the PROMISE Biannual Bulletin focuses on childhood poverty, a reality which severely limits a person’s life opportunities. Eradicating child poverty should therefore be a sustained policy target, by framing child poverty as a matter of political choices rather than financial or technical possibilities. The Statistical Snapshot presents an overview of key data which show a dip in the Maltese child AROPE rates in 2025 after an overall incline from 2020. Child AROPE rates remain consistently above general population AROPE rates; and the drivers of these elevated rates are highlighted.

In the feature article, Prof. Carmel Borg discusses the role which schools can play as community hubs in countering inequality and promoting social justice, highlighting education as a key factor that can enable children to carve a pathway out of poverty. Although local communities are not extensively involved in schooling, there are myriad community initiatives addressing child poverty. This publication profiles Dar Frate Jacoba, a residential educational therapeutic programme rooted in nature, alongside reflections by Sr Magdalene, a key figure in the Ursuline Sisters’ mission to provide loving care to disadvantaged children.

The latest poverty-related policy developments in Malta and at EU level are briefly described.

A historical spotlight is then shone on the evolution of child poverty over the past 70 years since the publication of the Survey of Child-Welfare Problems in Malta. It also explores a more contemporary perspective of poverty in St Patrick’s residence and school from a social work perspective.

The Initiatives and Innovations section recognises entities’ efforts in supporting children, including child-focused voluntary work abroad by the University Chaplaincy, The Blossom Project (Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, MFWS), Nourishing Young Minds (St Jean Antide Foundation, SJAF), The Children’s Manifesto (MFWS) and the integration of child migrants (Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seekers, AWAS).

Finally, this issue features two resources focusing on child poverty and responses at a European level.