The Archdiocese of Malta has granted the historic Dar Saura property in Rabat to the Malta Trust Foundation for 65 years. Valued at €25 million, this 17th century home will be converted into an ’empowerment hub’ for children and young people with disabilities.
Previously a home for the elderly, Dar Saura will now host Malta’s first Centre for Music and Arts, Villabianca, to accommodate its growing waiting list. Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna and Malta Trust Foundation chair Marie Louise-Coleiro Preca formalised this significant donation, emphasising the property’s new role in social welfare.
“The best use of church property is for social purposes, especially supporting those in need”, said Archbishop Scicluna. The property will undergo a €10 million restoration, funded by EU and public resources, to preserve its Class A status and accommodate various activities, including rehabilitating the St Nicholas chapel.
Marie Louise described the agreement as a historic moment, and envisioned the hub as a place where kids with disabilities might flourish and reach their full potential. With rehabilitative dance, music, and art programmes, the Ta’ Saura Empowerment Hub will serve up to 500 children and young adults when it opens in two years.
In addition, the site will have a multipurpose training hall, a social enterprise, a multisensory area, a petting farm, and an occupational therapy centre. Workshop spaces and also studio apartments for foreign therapists are also proposed.
This donation coincides with the Archdiocese’s 2019 transfer of the Adelaide Cini Institute to the Hospice Malta, signifying yet another important way that NGOs are helping to improve real lives.
#MaltaDaily