FIDEM Charity Foundation launches the We Connect Project

The team at the FIDEM Charity Foundation are proud to be launching their brand new project – an innovative, multi-dimensional online platform called We Connect, which can now be accessed here.

A positive, safe online space where people across the Maltese Islands can come together as a community, We Connect prioritises one’s well-being and finding happiness in every day. In addition, all their services are free.

The FIDEM Charity Foundation is a non-profit organisation, which provides support and empowerment opportunities to the vulnerable, through access to education, arts, culture and well-being guidance.

They seek to empower their participants with the opportunities they need in order to increase their confidence and achieve positive and lasting change in their lives.

The goal for the We Connect Project is to empower the community with free, unlimited access to a wide range of services, tools and opportunities, designed to help with the uplifting of one’s emotional and mental well-being and the combatting of loneliness. To ensure accessibility for all, We Connect will soon be available in both Maltese and English.

The times we are currently living in are unprecedented and therefore, many are experiencing well-being concerns, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

FIDEM set up the ‘Hear to Help’ Helpline, as a first step, rapidly after the lockdown began, in line with their guiding principles of empathy and compassion. They soon discovered that one of the most frequent concerns experienced by callers was loneliness, particularly amongst the elderly.

Their ultimate aim, therefore, is for We Connect to significantly help turn the tide on the on-going, widespread issue of loneliness in our society.

The online Live Chat and ‘Hear to Help’ Helpline (+356 9932 0977) services are available in the We Connect Help Centre, to offer immediate support to anyone who needs it, any time between 9am and 7pm every day.

They also offer a Legal Aid service for those who require legal assistance, particularly with issues related to the pandemic.

Their services are accompanied by a Wellbeing Hub, offering expert well-being guidance, covering a wide range of emotional and mental well-being and healthy living topics, and featuring regular online exercise classes, held by professional teachers.

We Connect also has a Seniors Hub, which will provide tailored well-being advice to their older members. We Connect members can get involved in their community by connecting and chatting with each other, through their message boards, sharing their We Connect story to inspire others, and taking up their volunteering opportunities, to help others. Becoming a We Connect member is free and registering is a quick and straightforward process.

Their Arts and Education Hub will have a wealth of absorbing content to read and watch, by leading experts, along with empowering educational opportunities in order to help members engage and have their minds and spirits uplifted.

FIDEM is passionate about the fundamental right to education for all. Before COVID-19, FIDEM was focusing on providing access to educational and creative workshops, as well as vocational assistance, with their participants, primarily based in women’s shelters and children’s homes.

Through We Connect, FIDEM intends to continue to reach these participants, through a variety of online classes, including English literacy and computer literacy classes, drama, and arts and crafts workshops.

They will also be distributing computer equipment and providing IT training to people who need assistance in terms of accessing We Connect’s services. Eight computers thus far have already been distributed.

FIDEM would like to thank their partners, as well as We Connect’s team and contributors, an exceptional group of people who are volunteering their time and expertise to the project.

If you are interested in supporting the We Connect project, you can become a We Connect member and spread the word, by applying to join the team of contributors to volunteer your expertise, as well as by making a donation to the FIDEM Charity Foundation.

Click ‘Get Involved’ here, to learn more. Your donation will help We Connect in reaching those who require assistance, with access to computer equipment and IT training. It would also allow the team to continue investing in expanding We Connect, to ensure that the free service is wide-reaching and offers the most value possible to our community.

Follow We Connect on Facebook here.