Calamatta Cuschieri kicked off its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) calendar of events for this year, when the team of its subsidiary CC Fund Services attended a workshop in partnership with the environment rejuvenation movement Saggar. Held on January 18th at the NGO’s nursery in Wardija, the hands-on team-building event aimed at educating CC Fund Services employees about the importance of rehabilitating our environment and local native trees which have seen a steady decline over the past 15 years. They also had the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty by collecting and planting indigenous seeds and saplings. 
 
Gabie Calamatta, Head of CSR, said Calamatta Cuschieri is passionate about the environment. “This event was the first initiative for 2020, our teams appreciate the hard work NGOs like Saggar put in to ensure native trees survive for future generations and we want to do our part,” she added.  
 
Saggar is a non-profit organisation that has pledged to rejuvenate the Maltese environment by planting one million native trees over the course of a decade. The ambitious afforestation project will rehabilitate public and private lands and create ecological nature reserves that will also serve as natural seed banks and green spaces for the general public to enjoy.  
 
As part of the workshop, the CC Fund Services team had a go at separating seeds from plants, mixing soil with compost and preparing cuttings for planting, as well as planting these in pots. They also picked up a few tips and tricks about vermiculture - the cultivation of earthworms for converting organic waste into fertiliser and setting up their own compost heap.  
 
Claude Ebejer, founding member of ACT stated: “The rehabilitation of the Maltese Islands is possible only if we work together to make it happen. Saggar was happy to host the awesome CC Fund Services team who with great energy helped in preparing and sowing seeds and cuttings.” 
 
Meanwhile, echoing the satisfaction by all participants in offering a helping hand to a good cause, Stephen Gauci Baluci, Head of CC Fund Services said: “Helping out at Saggar was a pleasant and gratifying experience. Apart from being a very interesting subject, I felt a sense of accomplishment knowing that I have contributed to reforesting our island with Maltese indigenous trees.” 
 
As part of its CSR efforts, Calamatta Cuschieri has over the years organised a series of events and initiatives like the Walk for Cancer, the Blood Donation Drive and the Investing in Nature campaign. It has also set up the CC Foundation which aims to raise awareness on social, cultural, health and environmental related issues, while it has supported and collaborated with organisations like ALS Malta. 
 
CC Fund Services Ltd is part of the Calamatta Cuschieri Group, Malta’s largest independent financial services group that pioneered the local financial services industry in 1972. The Group currently employs more than 165 people and offers a wide range of services including Investment Advice, Life Insurance, Savings Plans, Pensions, Wealth Management, Online Trading, Fund Administration and Marketing services amongst others. Calamatta Cuschieri is a founding member of the Malta Stock Exchange and the representative and distributor for UBS Funds in Malta.