YOUR SUMMER
2023 UPDATE
See the difference you make
to older people
Welcome to your
Summer 2023 Update
I’d like to start by saying a huge thank you. It’s down to supporters like you, that so many older people around the world can access better healthcare, a secure income and the help they need in emergencies.
In January, I was fortunate to travel to Tanzania to see the work you help fund first hand. I visited older persons' groups offering savings and loan schemes as well as healthy ageing initiatives.
It was fantastic to see with my own eyes the impact the groups have on older people’s lives. They are able to earn much-needed income, from selling soap, eggs, or dressmaking. The members of the groups talked about how exercise keeps them healthy and how they look out for one another if they are ill. They also told me they are urging their government to establish pensions for all older people. Programmes like this would not be possible without you.
In April, I had the opportunity to represent Age International, speaking on behalf of older people, at a United Nations meeting in New York, to discuss older people’s human rights. Income security and access to health services were key themes. Age International and similar organisations urged governments to do more to ensure older people receive the income and healthcare they deserve.
Before I go, I encourage you to check out the back page of this report which calls for older people to be included in commitments to universal health coverage.
Working together we can ensure older people are not forgotten or left behind.
Thank you.
Alison Marshall, CEO, Age International
Alison Marshall, CEO, Age International
Displaced by drought in Somalia: Abbas' Story
As Somalia experiences its sixth consecutive failed rainy season, thousands of older people have been forced to leave their homes in search of food and water. For many, the experience has been extremely stressful and traumatic.
Abbas Hussein Ibrahim, 75, is a father of six. After migrating in search of food and water he is now living in an overcrowded temporary camp.
Abbas’ wife, Awliyo, suffers from depression due the lack of food and shelter and the stress and frustration of losing their crops. Her husband explained that she sometimes talks to herself at night. “…She was a good farmer but now has nothing and that is why she got the mental health issue.”
With your help, and the help of other donors, Abbas was given cash to help buy the things he needs as well as emergency supplies such as a solar torch and water carriers to help survive life in the camps. Awliyo has received much needed support for her mental health. He told us: “My wife was referred to a mental health hospital in the city and treated."
Awliyo (left) meeting with HelpAge staff. Photo: ©Nur Mohamed/HelpAge International
Awliyo (left) meeting with HelpAge staff. Photo: ©Nur Mohamed/HelpAge International
Your donations, and those of others, have also allowed Abbas to be trained on mental health and well-being to assist his wife as well as helping other older people with disabilities in his community.
Abbas Hussein Ibrahim, Photo: ©Nur Mohamed/HelpAge International
Abbas Hussein Ibrahim, Photo: ©Nur Mohamed/HelpAge International
This work wouldn’t be possible without your kindness and generosity. Thank you.
Helping older people in crisis
Your support in emergencies
When the Disasters Emergency Committee launch an appeal we join with them and the other 14 member agencies to deliver emergency aid and support. Thanks to everyone who has supported our recent appeals in Turkey-Syria, Ukraine and Pakistan. You’ve helped ensure that older people have not been forgotten.
Ukraine
In Ukraine, our local partners are working to provide cash assistance, food, water, healthcare and shelter to older people who remain in dangerous areas.
We have also distributed vital hygiene kits and physical assistance items such as walking frames. These are only some of the ways you, and our wonderful community of donors, have helped older people in Ukraine.
Alexander (81), Ukraine. Photo: © DEC
Alexander (81), Ukraine. Photo: © DEC
Alexander 81, shares what it is like to receive support from our local HelpAge partner. “I hope for a speedy peace. A HelpAge volunteer brings me food and we speak together. After talking with her, I want to live.”
Pakistan
Devastating floods last year left millions of people without basic necessities. We have continued to fund a variety of essentials especially designed to meet the needs of older people. This included providing kits to 2,500 older people to help them through the winter. Sadly, in the aftermath of the floods, many homes and villages were destroyed. As often happens, older people have been left behind and forced to live on the roadside.
Hussna Chachar (70) Pakistan. Photo: ©Faisal Hussain/HelpAge International
Hussna Chachar (70) Pakistan. Photo: ©Faisal Hussain/HelpAge International
Ms Chachar, 70, from the Lakhi Village in Shikapur explains: “I am happy and grateful to HelpAge International for providing mattresses, blankets and warm clothes. I can now sleep peacefully in my mosquito net.”
Turkey & Syria
In February 2023, a series of earthquakes struck southern Turkey and north-west Syria. Since then, many older people have been unable to access food, shelter, clean water, or medical care. Our local partners in Turkey responded quickly, delivering more than 600 food kits, designed to meet the nutritional needs of older people. We were also able to provide safe shelter, cash assistance and hygiene kits to over 1,500 older people in Syria.
Mr Fakkik (58) Syria. Photo: ©Andalus Media/HelpAge International
Mr Fakkik (58) Syria. Photo: ©Andalus Media/HelpAge International
Mahmoud Muhammad Qazeckli Fakkik, 58, from Jindires in Syria spoke to us on the day he received assistance from our local partner, Syrian Expatriate Medical Association (SEMA).
“I am grateful for the help that people have given us. I am thankful for the water, food, and blankets that arrived today from SEMA.”
Ways You Help: Helping older people access a secure income
Your donations not only help older people in humanitarian crises, they also help to support older people to earn a living or receive a pension for the first time, so that they can benefit from a secure income in their later years.
In Sri Lanka, 74-year-old Mrs. Yasawathie lives in a village called Gintota, where she makes doormats for a living. Since 2016, she has been receiving assistance through our local partner HelpAge Sri Lanka. They have provided her with loans to buy materials and new equipment, such as cloth and a sewing machine. Thanks to these loans, Mrs. Yasawathie can run her small business, can give
employment to her daughter, and can send her grandchildren to school.
However, due to the current economic crisis in the country, Mrs. Yasawathie is currently unable to sell her products, making it difficult for her and her family to buy what they need. With the help of your donations and those of other donors, HelpAge Sri Lanka has provided her with a range of support. She received new glasses from a mobile medical camp as well as training in how to care for other older people in her community. She was also selected to receive financial assistance as she tries to secure her own income again.
Spotlight interview: Kayla Arnold,
Policy Advisor at Age International
Meet Kayla, she is part of the Policy & Influencing Team at Age International. Her role is to help Age International influence global health policies to be inclusive of all ages and support healthy ageing worldwide.
Kayla Arnold, Policy Advisor at Age International
Vietnam ©Simon Rawles, HelpAge International
Describe your job in one sentence?
Through research and policy influencing, I work to ensure that the UK government considers the needs and rights of older people in low- and middle income countries.
What inspires you most in your role?
I am inspired by the older people I meet who show incredible strength and resilience. For example, visiting Older People’s Associations in Kenya where the impact of Age International and HelpAge programmes on older people’s health is clear. I am also inspired by how research and data can impact UK and international audiences. Many people are simply unaware of older people’s health experiences. However, once they hear, many express enthusiasm for ensuring their actions and work are more inclusive of older people.
What has been the biggest focus so far this year?
This year we have a big focus on healthy ageing, specifically on ensuring that older people are included in universal health coverage. Our report, ‘Universal Health Coverage for All Ages: An Agenda for Action’, was recently published and provides evidence and recommendations for strengthening the age-inclusive health system. It also emphasises the importance of ensuring older people’s health needs and rights are visible as governments pursue universal health coverage.
What are you looking forward to over the next six months?
I am looking forward to sharing our health report’s findings with a wide variety of audiences, including the UK government. I am also particularly excited to take this work further with the launch of our Healthy Ageing campaign. This campaign aims to engage the UK public on older people’s health globally and build public support to ensure that the UK government includes older people in their engagement at the upcoming United Nations High-Level Meeting on health coverage.
Vietnam. Photo: ©Simon Rawles/HelpAge International
Vietnam ©Simon Rawles, HelpAge International
Support our Healthy Ageing Campaign
The world’s population is rapidly ageing. As the world ages the number of older people living with chronic diseases or a disability is increasing.
Despite this, around the world, healthcare systems are not meeting even the basic needs of older people. Universal health coverage offers huge opportunities to improve access to basic healthcare. But for it to be truly universal, health systems need to meet the needs of all ages, including older people.
The first step is for global governments to commit to including older people. Join us in calling for older people to be included in commitments to universal health coverage made at the United Nations in September.
Find out how you can get involved in securing better health for older people.
You can effect change.
Thank you for your ongoing support
Despite the challenges faced last year, your commitment to older people enabled us to achieve so much, together. We hope you will continue to stand alongside older people to ensure they receive the help they need.
If you’d like to know more about any of the topics covered in this report, or any other areas of our work in the future, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can email our friendly team at contact@ageinternational.org.uk or call 0800 032 0699.
HelpAge International UK, trading as Age International, is a registered charity (no. 1128267-8) and a subsidiary of Age UK (charity no. 1128267 and registered company no. 6825798); both registered in England and Wales. The registered address is 7th Floor, One America Square, 17 Crosswall, London, EC3N 2LB.
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