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Violence in Darfur has displaced more than 2.7 million people from their land. They have been left without shelter, lacking basic necessities and unable to tend to their crops.
Many displaced people have sought security in temporary camps. Approximately 8% of these are older people.
Recent HelpAge surveys of older people in seven of these camps found that:
- three quarters of these are women
- at least 24% have problems with their eyesight
- 4% are housebound.
Older people's specific needs
Older people in the camps are rarely included in international humanitarian relief programmes to provide food, healthcare and shelter.
Many older people, particularly those without family, don’t have appropriate shelter because they lack the resources or strength to build on their own.
Treatment for age-related chronic diseases and illnesses, such as eye problems, is not available in the camps.
Older people with mobility issues do not have enough food to eat because they cannot reach food distribution points.
Older women are particularly vulnerable. Considered to be less at risk of rape than younger women, they are sent to collect firewood from outside the camp, leaving themselves open to attack.
HelpAge International's response
HelpAge International is working in 12 camps for internally displaced people in West Darfur. These include urban camps around Geneina, and Goker, Sisi, Mornei, Kerene, and Habila in rural areas.
Achievements to date
Over the past five years, HelpAge has made an impact in the following areas:
Health
Through our eyecare programme, we have helped restore the eyesight of more than 7,000 and treated over 23,000 people for minor eye problems.
Our free donkey cart ambulances transport up to 600 older people each month to health centres.
Livelihoods and social activities
We have set up 18 social centres which provide livelihood support and organise social activities.
About 1,500 older men and women visit the centres every month. They are given local materials to create traditional handicrafts, such as woven pot covers and baskets. Some sell these products to earn a small income.
The centres also offer older people a chance to socialise. They give each other moral support, share news and stories, and rebuild the sense of community that is often missing in the camps.
Food and shelter
We have constructed more than 4,000 shelters for older people. More than 12,000 older people have received other household essentials such as matresses, warm clothing for winter, hygiene kits and kitchen sets
In partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP), we have distributed more than 50,000 food baskets to older people. We target those who are at risk of malnutrition because they do not have the right documentation, or because of ill-health or social isolation.
Since 2007, we have also given extra food baskets to 1,000 older people at high risk of malnourishment, to increase their calorie intake.
Awareness raising
We have been successful in raising awareness of older people’s needs in emergencies.
Many medical agencies, including MEDAIR and International Medical Corps have agreed to set up prioritised referral systems for older people. This means that a specific time-slot is allocated to older people so they can be seen immediately instead of queuing for hours.
Increasingly, we are being approached by other INGOs and UN agencies to provide technical support and advice on including older people in their programmes. This is proof of their growing recognition of older people's specific needs in emergencies.
The future
We will continue to run small-scale income-generating activities, and to provide health and nutrition support.
We will also support El Geneina hospital to provide geriatric training and supply appropriate drugs for older people.
In 2009, we will run our first eye campaign in North Darfur as part of our plan to expand work in the Darfur region.
Donors
HelpAge International is grateful to the following agencies for funding our work in Darfur:
