NB. This project has come to a conclusion.

Over 50% of the population in Ecuador live on less than US$2 a day, and poverty is worsening because of the country’s economic crisis and political unrest.

Migrant families from rural indigenous communities who come to the country’s capital, Quito, searching for work are among the poorest.

Older migrants who have been brought to the city by their families often find themselves in an unfamiliar environment. They have been used to working as rural farmers to earn a living but, in an urban setting, they can no longer contribute to family finances. Many feel isolated and are particularly vulnerable to abuse.

Aims

The project, supported by Jersey Overseas Aid Committee and set up by HelpAge International and our partner, CEPIM, focused on 94 marginalised older people and their families, living in a poor neighbourhood on the outskirts of Quito.

The project aimed to equip older people with new skills and techniques that would help them adapt rural-farming methods to their new urban environment by:

• providing agricultural equipment
• providing training in sustainable agricultural techniques, food- preservation techniques and marketing.

Activities

• Older people have been trained to use fertilisers and new farming techniques, such as growing plants in an aquatic environment without soil. They have grown tomatoes, lettuces and herbs.
• A greenhouse has been built and is now in use. A water tank that collects rainwater is used for irrigation. New agricultural tools and equipment help the older people to work more effectively.
• Older people have been trained to pack, preserve and market their produce. With the support of CEPIM, they have established a shop to sell products to the local community.
• Profits from the sale of produce have been used to finance a community savings fund. This covers a variety of the older people’s basic needs, such as emergency medicine, medical consultations and transport costs. The fund also pays for visits to nearby places of interest and other social activities.

Achievements

• Older people have a better understanding of locally appropriate agricultural techniques, resulting in higher productivity.
• Older people and their families have improved food security and nutrition. The community kitchens, where many older people eat, now include fresh vegetables in their meals. Older people share their crops with their families.
• Older people have become more involved in their community through the sale of their produce.
• 2,700 older people benefit from a 10% reduction on goods bought in the shop.
• The project has improved the self-esteem and status of older people within their families and the community.
• The project has attracted the interest of the local government and the Ministry of Social Wellbeing. The local government has agreed to build an older people’s centre in the neighbourhood, and the Ministry of Social Wellbeing is providing spectacles and hearing aids for older people.

The future

Improved facilities, such as the greenhouse and equipment for drying herbs, will allow the older people to continue and expand this work. Their enthusiasm will help to ensure the sustainability of the project, and they can share the new techniques they have learnt with their families.

Given the nature of the project, it may take between six months to a year to see any significant returns, but the older people and CEPIM are very positive about future results.