“AbilityFAIR” for Social Justice in Malta

In February 2014, the Third World Group and Breaking Limits organised the ‘AbilityFAIR’ in Malta, an activity to raise awareness just before the the World Day for Social Justice. The aim was to make people aware that we are still living in an unjust society while a “society for all” is possible if we set our mind to it.

Participating NGOs had stands to promote and inform the public about their work. The information available aimed to inform people about issues such as disability, migration, fair trade, domestic violence and poverty. Speeches encouraged the audience to work together for a just society by looking at the abilities of every person instead of grouping them according to their challenges. Representatives of the Maltese government gave examples how the government is working to provide equal opportunities for all citizens.
The public could also reflect about and write their abilities on a board titled ‘I am able to…’ aimed to raise awareness that we’re all able to contribute to our society, big or small. A forum discussed the privileges participants enjoy in their lives and whether they contributed to achieve them or assumed that they deserve them. There were also various spor
ts promoting inclusion in sports: wheelchair handball, sitting volleyball and partaking in an urban obstacle track whilst using a wheelchair. Participants could experience some of the daily challenges many people face.

For more information on the work of Third World Group see http://www.thirdworldgroup.org/


Information provided by Isabel Micallef (Third World Group).