HelpAge International: catering for an aging world
March 8th is International Women's Day and "HelpAge International" is calling for
urgent action to help millions of older women who are the invisible backbone of communities,
families and food production.
HelpAge International is the only global organisation
with a singular focus on providing assistance to and advocating for disadvantaged
older people.
It has been selected to receive the 2012 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian
Prize of $1.5 million, for its work in alleviating human suffering.
The foundation
announced it had been chosen to receive the award on International Women's Day, highlighting
and in recognition of the invisible role of older women in maintaining the welfare
of families, communities and food production across the developing world.
Linda
Bordoni spoke to Richard Blewitt, chief executive officer of HelpAge International
who explained that our world is continuing to age and that we must prepare for this
monumental demographic shift.
One of the missions of HelpAge, he explained,
is to raise awareness as to the importance of recognising and supporting older people
so they can continue to be contributing and productive members of society.
Blewitt
also explains that HelpAge is both an advocacy and development organisation and works
in different areas providing emergency relief work, health care, legal advice and
financial support for older people.
Blewitt points out that as the world population
ages, women make up the majority of older people around the world. Nearly two thirds
of those over the age of 80 are women.
He says that many older women in developing
countries are not only the economic providers for families, but frequently they are
the sole caregivers of AIDS orphaned grandchildren.
In Kenya alone, there
are 1.1 million children orphaned by HIV/AIDS; in a country where more than half of
those over aged 60 already live in absolute poverty.
On International Women's
Day (and every other day of the year of course), he says, HelpAge wants older women
farmers to get the help they deserve, including: targeted agricultural subsidies,
a basic form of pension for agricultural workers and increased skill sharing with
children to protect future generations.
Blewitt says it is a fundamental challenge
for society to make sure that all parts of the community can actually move ahead and
succeed in their lives: We call it the longevity dividend: the countries that are
going to succeed for tomorrow are the ones that actually value age and can see older
people as relevant economic stakeholders, political stakeholders and social stakeholders.
Those that marginalize them - Blewitt says - are going to be the societies of yesterday