SOS Malta - Malta Resource Centre

SOS Malta, a Maltese-registered NGO set up in 1991, aims at aiding people experiencing times of crisis and empowering them by providing support services and opportunities to implement development and change in their country to ensure a better quality of life. It also aims at encouraging volunteers to participate in the implementation of projects. Furthermore, it encourages advocacy on behalf of social causes, as well as promotes models of good care and practice. As from 2004, SOS Malta embarked on supporting a new local initiative aimed at providing capacity building as a means to help NGOs and groups working for social change, development, and the fight against poverty and social exclusion become more effective and efficient and better equipped to operate through sharing of best practices, and provision of training and consultation. This is being done through The Malta Resource Centre for Civil Society NGOs (MRC). The main aim of the MRC is to provide capacity building as a means to help NGOs and groups working for social change, development, health, environment, culture and the fight against poverty and social exclusion become more effective and efficient and better equipped to operate and participate within the European Union, specifically to influence policies and plans and access EU funds. Our vision is to provide stronger identity for the NGO sector and to develop structured systems of NGOs representation. This is done through the setting up of networks, providing a forum for sharing good and useful practices, provision of training and consultation, research, projects development, providing technical assistance for applying and managing EU funding and the promotion and development of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The Malta Resource Centre for Civil Society NGOs: • supports a network of 50 NGOs and groups working to fight poverty and social exclusion, • supports a network of 30 NGOs working in the health sector and • supports a National Federation of NGOs (including all the sectors). • provides ongoing information, technical assistance and training events to NGOs and groups • runs a major health project called ‘Health Volservnet’ to organise voluntary work systems and structures in the hospital and in the community to enhance patient care • is developing a major EU research project on voluntarism • is developing the first and only national NGOs and Groups on–line database