Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1160525
17 COMMERCIAL maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 28 AUGUST 2019 FOR the 12th consecutive year the Saint Paul's churchyard in Rabat, Malta, witnessed an energetic water gaming sports activity with the theme 'Games for Everyone'. The activity, divided over a week, sees teams of children and young adults enjoying a summer competitive atmosphere. All this thanks to Żgħażagħ Rabtin Pawlini, with the par- ticipation of the Responsible Gaming Foundation (RGF) and the Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation in the Prime Minister's Office. The Rabat Local Council, under the guidance of Mayor Sandro Craus, also gave their help for this activity to be put forward in the best possible way. Parliamentary Secretary Silvio Schembri praised the initiative and reiterated his commitment to support the Responsible Gaming Foundation in its ef- forts to get closer to youths and help them understand ways to keep themselves fit, learn how to work in a group environ- ment but above all instill values within our communities. He praised the work done by the Foundation particularly in its corporate social responsi- bility programmes which are supporting other non govern- mental organisations in their activities and initiatives. ''I have to admit that the Re- sponsible Gaming Foundation remains close to my heart and during the time when I served as its Chairman I always envi- sioned it as a bridge to address social issues and offer support and services to those that fall victims of gambling," he said. Craus thanked the Rabat youth committee for their an- nual determination, sheer will and hard work which always give the best results. The General Manager of the Responsible Gaming Founda- tion Shawn Zammit talked about the importance of aware- ness about responsible gaming and also made reference to the Education Campaign among fourth year primary students, where RGF staff visit schools around Malta and Gozo along- side their mascot ''Chippy'', to describe and discuss the prob- lem of compulsive gambling from the early ages. He also referred to the RGF freephone service 1777, where people suffering from addiction or relatives of such persons can call anonymously on a 24 hours basis and find all the appropri- ate assistance from the trained staff of the foundation. In the end Zammit talked about the project ''Take Ac- tion About Problem Gambling in Malta'', where the founda- tion will take responsibility of researching, raise more aware- ness and train main parties in- volved in the subject of prob- lem gambling in Malta. The Chairman of the Youth Committee Żgħażagħ Rabtin Pawlini Adriano Farrugia, also thanked thanked all those who participated in the events. Water sports activity for children and young adults as an alternative to gambling THE President of Malta, Dr George Vella greeted a group of LifeCyclists and their back-up team from Nescafé 3in1 Life- Cycle Challenge, who stopped briefly at San Anton Palace in Attard. The cyclists were on their Sunday morning ride of 180 km, which takes them around nine hours to complete. On welcoming the LifeCyclists, including LifeCycle Founder Alan Curry, Chairperson Dr Shirley Cefai, and the title spon- sor Nestlé Marketing and Cor- porate Communications Man- ager Alfred J. Borg, and Nestlé Senior Coffee and Confection- ery Category Manager Char- lene Ellul, Vella outlined the sig- nificance of this event in being a tangible contribution to the ben- efit of renal patients. He wished the group of par- ticipating cyclists and their support team the best of luck for their admirable endeavour. Curry thanked the President for receiving them at the Palace and briefly outlined the work by LifeCycle (Malta) Founda- tion and about this year's Nes- café 3in1 LifeCycle Challenge. "Since inception, 21 years ago, LifeCycle has seen a consid- erable number of individuals becoming clients at the Renal Unit. We look at giving the patients a brighter outlook on their lives by giving them bet- ter coping skills and knowledge in mitigating the difficulties with which they are faced," he said. Among its annual contribu- tions, LifeCycle supports the maintainance of the software matching programme Traccia at the Renal Unit. Traccia facilitates the proce- dure of finding the right match for renal patient compatible with a kidney donor. Since the introduction of Traccia in 2017, 32 patients successfully received a kidney transplant after their blood composition was found to be compatible with the donated organ; the annual maintenance and use of the Twilight Shift Van to transport patients to and from Mater Dei Hospital for their evening dialysis, some three or four times a week; sponsoring the annual Lourdes Pilgrimage every August for renal patients and accompanying medical staff. LifeCycle also works to fur- ther awareness about organ transplants in Malta in col- laboration with the Transplant Support Group. In addition this year LifeCycle Foundation, through its newly set up R.U.S.H. - the Renal Unit Support Health Hub, is paying for psychological support to al- most 300 kidney patients and kidney donors, talks on health and nutrition, as well as offer- ing free fitness sessions to renal patients undergoing dialysis treatment. For these two consecutive years LifeCycle's main spon- sor is Nestlé Malta with their iconic brand Nescafé 3in1. The sponsorship will be ex- clusively dedicated towards a new research programme in kidney disease at the Univer- sity of Malta, and towards Re- nal Unit Support Health Hub (R.U.S.H.). Nescafé 3in1 LifeCycle Chal- lenge 2019 aims to raise the substantial sum of €200,000 to sustain its current and new projects for 2019-2020. The cyclists and back-up sup- port team will depart for Viet- nam on 9 September. They will start their arduous 10-day ride, an almost 2,000 km journey, from Vietnam through busy roads, climbs and undulations to Laos and Cambodia. The finish will be at Angkor Wat, one of the world's greatest wonders. They will be back in Malta on 24 September. President welcomes LifeCyclists to San Anton