Marigold Foundation 'sets record straight' over its prison charity project

The Marigold Foundation has once again denied exploiting inmates participating in the Love Faith Forgiveness (LFF) project, and expressed its disappointment over the “erroneous reports aimed at misinforming the public”.

“Despite giving all details to the media, and giving full disclosure and details about the project, the newspaper [The Times] persisted on reporting wrong facts. 

The Marigold Foundation wants to set the record straight and is answering all allegations being levelled at the project for the sake of correctness and full transparency,” the foundation said in a statement.

The Marigold Foundation was launched in 2014, supported by the Bank of Valletta. The Love, Faith, Forgiveness is not a registered NGO but a project initiated by designer Mary Grace Pisani in collaboration with CCF. The Marigold Foundation acts as the project’s patron.

As its chairperson, Michelle Muscat – wife of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat – called a press conference earlier this week to rebut allegations of exploitation of prisoners.

Through the LFF project, the foundation trains female inmates to be seamstresses and have sewn curtains for St Vincent de Paul residence and CHOGM.

It was however alleged that inmates were owed over €16,000 for work they have carried out since last June.

“Since the start of the project, inmates were paid over €14,700 with the last payment effected on 23rd February 2016. Detailed documentation of all work carried out by each inmate is kept. Other payments due in respect of work that has been carried out or is still ongoing will be paid as per normal procedures.”

Work carried out by inmates is valued at market prices and inmates can see the price list, which is available in the workshop. Participants fill in their respective worksheet detailing the type and amount of work done. From the amounts charged to clients – based on market prices – the foundation deducts amounts earmarked for National Insurance, Victim Support, expenses for sewing accessories and admin costs as well as future projects.

Whilst it was alleged that two inmates, now out of prison, had not been paid, the foundation said that the two women had been paid in full for all the work they carried out.

Payment is also due to another inmate who left at the end of February during the period when work was interrupted due to the H1N1 virus: “Payments could not be processed during this period as the project coordinator, Pisani, was prohibited by her doctors from visiting CCF.”

To date, The Marigold Foundation has only received €500 which the inmates themselves collected and donated to the Foundation.  

“The reference to the 10% of the proceeds refers to the money which is earmarked for Victims Support and which will be passed on to Marigold when all payments have been settled.”

The foundation denied treating inmates “like slaves”, working from 4am till 7pm: “Inmates choose to attend the course and to participate in the work scheme on a voluntary basis.  They themselves choose when to go to the workshop and they decide how much time they spend there.  They have never been asked to start work at 4am, as alleged.  

“Prison authorities informed us that inmates usually start work after breakfast and special permission would be needed if a prisoner wants to leave the cell earlier.  During the preparations for the CHOGM, prisoners were in fact allowed to leave their cells earlier.”  

Recently, the programme coordinator also managed to negotiate with CCF so that a number of inmates were given permission to go on site to help to put up the curtains. This is an important achievement since it provides the inmates with the experience of the last phase of curtain making, the foundation added.

The designs made for a parliament exhibition were not sold and it was part of the inmates’ training. The curtains are still hanging in the sewing rooms at Corradino Correctional Facility.

The project is currently suspended as doctors have prohibited the co-ordinator from going to CCF due to her medical condition. Pisani had contracted the swine flu during a recent outbreak in the prison.

The foundation was still waiting for CHOGM to make its payments. An OPM spokesperson has since the press conference told MaltaToday that the CHOGM task force has effected payment, although this newspaper has not confirmed the exact amount outstanding.