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. 

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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.

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Henry Matthews, Campaigns Coordinator for HelpAge International explains how age helps in so many ways…

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Over the past 25 years HelpAge International has seen at first-hand how older people contribute so much to their communities. Mediators, educators, advisors…older people play all these roles and more.

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