Margaret Chilcott (pictured right), 62, is an Emergency Programme Coordinator for HelpAge International:
“Why, at 62, am I still in humanitarian aid work? I guess the simple answer is that I can.
“I am still active, can keep up with the pace and am still learning every time I go to another country. There are many advantages in being an older humanitarian aid worker.
Alex Kalache, HelpAge ambassador, remembers his friend, mentor and ally, Bob Butler (pictured). Bob championed older people’s rights, coined the term ‘ageism’ and worked tirelessly to change negative stereotypes of ageing until just three days before his death on 4 July this year:
Bob’s multiple achievements are well known - from the Pulitzer Prize in 1976 for his seminal book “Why Survive: Being Old in America”, through to his establishment of the US National Institute of Aging and his co-founding of the American Federation for Aging Research, the Alliance for Aging Research, the Alzheimer Disease Association and the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry.
Add to these ground-breaking initiatives, chairmanship of the White House Conference on Aging by invitation of President Clinton and the creation and directorship of the International Longevity Centre.
At the end of June 2010, HelpAge’s regional centre in Latin America celebrates Don Hector Sandoval’s 18 years of service. Don Hector has worked as a messenger, assistant, collaborator and is a friend to many staff, partners and older people fighting for their rights in Latin America.
Don Hector says: “I fulfilled my dream of working for an organisation that supports older people. I feel I have done the institution, myself and my family proud.”
At the tender age of 64, Don Hector joined Valerie Black Mealla, the regional representative of HelpAge in Latin America at the time, to establish the Regional Development Centre in La Paz, Bolivia.
He says: “It seemed like a great opportunity to expand my knowledge and experiences inside Bolivia as well as beyond its borders.”
Don Hector had previously worked in the mines in Potosi and as a mechanic in La Paz. He then joined HelpAge as an office assistant and messenger. He has participated in public fundraising campaigns, ran the documentation centre and organised the publications.
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Richard Blewitt, CEO of HelpAge International, shares his personal views on older people’s right to decent work:
1 May is International Workers Day. To mark this HelpAge International has launched a new report, “Forgotten Workforce: Older people and their right to decent work.”
The report details some of the ways in which older people face extremely hard working conditions. “Forgotten Workforce” highlights the scale of work carried out by older people in low and middle income countries and the difficulties they face.
By Eduardo Klien, Regional Representative, East Asia/Pacific
China never ceases to amaze me. The China I first visited in 1998 is very different from the one we see nowadays. This is one of the most radical and rapid social change in history.
The transformation is overwhelming. It is evident in the modernization of cities, means of communication, dress codes, attitudes of the youth and the expansion of media. It is modernization at top gear, but at the same time is the maintenance of old and not so old traditions. China’s history is present everywhere. In Sichuan, for example, one can see the Dujiangyan irrigation and flood-control system that dates back more than 2,300 years… and is still working! China is a nation proud of its history and traditions; it is risking a lot by embracing modernity at such speed.
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We could all take a leaf out of Betty Londergan’s book (or blog).
1 January 2010 marked the start of a pretty amazing year for Betty. For the next 365 days, she pledged to donate $100 every day to a worthy organisation, cause or project…and blog about it.
You’ll be pleased to know that not only is Betty a very charitable person, she is also a very good writer (all the more reason to read her blog). And it wasn’t very long before Betty’s project gained quite a following.
Bridget Sleap, HelpAge’s Rights Policy Advisor, (pictured left) writes about older people’s rights on Human Rights Day:
Across the world, populations are ageing. There is no denying that this phenomenon presents huge challenges. How do you protect the rights of an ageing population? How do you build stronger, more inclusive societies?
Taking a human rights approach can help. Protecting older people’s rights, treating them with respect and on an equal basis with younger people will enable them to lead dignified, secure lives, as equal members of society, as is their right.
Human rights and development go hand in hand – respecting people’s rights results in better development, where respect, dignity and having a say are recognised alongside material security as important to people’s wellbeing.
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I met the children at Bigwa primary school who are brought up by their grandparents, having lost their parents to AIDS. They have dreams of becoming doctors, lawyers prime minsters and sung of education being the key to life.
I visited Mama Amina who, at 76, is bringing up 11 grandchildren in shocking conditions with no income. Her plot of land is far away and she finds it difficult to farm now. The children gather stones to sell to other families building houses. This is their income.
Wilbur has an energetic commanding character, a retired secondary school teacher and journalist, he says “I retired 15 years ago but although retired, I am not tired.”
Born on the slopes of Africa’s highest mountain Mount Kilimanjaro, he is happy living in the shadow of the Acropol mountains with his wife, chickens, goats pineapples, bananas and mangoes - he is self sufficient. But he is well aware that many of his older neighbours are struggling to eat, unable to afford medical care and that the poorest are those who are raising grandchildren alone because they have lost their parents to AIDS.
‘Age helps’ sums up HelpAge’s core position. We believe that older people are a benefit to society and a positive force for change.
Unfortunately, we find that most messages about older people in the media are extremely negative and focused on older people’s vulnerability – something that we are constantly challenging and trying to change.
I found a really interesting article in PlusNews this week, “ZAMBIA: Orphans grow up without cultural identity” which finally showed the need for older people’s experience in communities, and was a rare example of an ‘age helps’ message.
It highlighted the crucial and unique role that older people play as educators and mentors around the world and why it is so important for us to empower older people and fight for their rights.
UNICEF’s latest report on Orphans and Vulnerable Children shows that there are 20,000 households in Zambia led by children, with the number increasing.
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