The Order of Malta Volunteers in Gozo is the relief aid organization of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta which focuses its activities on Gozo.
Members of this charity organisation are mostly based in Gozo and they carry out hospitaller work on behalf of the Order of Malta. The Order of Malta Volunteers in Gozo was formed by the Principal Chaplain Grand Cross Monsignor John Dimech over ten years ago with the aims of strengthening Christian values among people and providing humanitarian assistance to those in need. Based on the charisma of the Order of Malta, the Volunteers in Gozo provide spiritual, medical and social care.
This commitment can be seen in religious pilgrimages organised by the Order to Lourdes, to Ta’ Pinu Sanctuary and to religious feasts where the members of the Order of Malta Volunteers in Gozo accompany patients, most of them in wheelchairs or using a walking-frame.
The Volunteers in Gozo also provide a special ambulance transport service for wheelchair cases. This service which was inaugurated over four years ago with the help of Malteser Hamburg, is operated nearly every day. This service also provides transport for patients in Church homes and public health facilities.
Relief aid and assistance to missions in developing countries, including Kenya, Ghana, Pakistan, Guatemala, Peru and Cuba, is also one of the major aims. For the past five years, the Order of Malta Volunteers in Gozo has sent tons of items, especially medicine, food, educational material and clothing where they were most needed.
Moreover the Order of Malta Volunteers in Gozo provides good-quality clothes and blankets to the asylum seekers in Malta and Gozo on a continuous basis, thanks to the support of various Knights of Malta and collaborators who offered storage and logistics so that the supplies reach the people in need. A large amount of clothing, medicine, stationery and toys are currently being sent to various missions in the above-mentioned countries. Over the years several volunteers from this organisation also went for hands-on experiences in Ethiopia and Albania.
Every month a group of volunteers visits the elderly in one of the nursing homes in Gozo. Apart from this, food and supplies are distributed to people in need. This activity also involves collaborating with social workers.