Exumeni, 67, Haiti: Rebuilding lives

Exumeni's house was destroyed in the 2010 Haiti earthquake. (c) Frederic Dupoux/HelpAge International When an earthquake of 7.0 magnitude struck Haiti in January 2010, among the 3.5 million affected, 200,000 were older people. Two years later, thousands still live in camps in poor conditions.

Exumeni Paul is a 67-year-old widow from Port-au-Prince. She has no children. Her house was destroyed by the earthquake and she moved into a tent. Her tent collapsed and now she is staying with a neighbour and her family in their tent.

"My neighbour and her four children sleep on the bed and I sleep on the floor on a pile of clothes. I don't know when I will get my own shelter again," she says.

"There are times where I haven't eaten for a few days"

Exumeni's health is poor. She has pain in her legs and problems with her memory. "I have some medicine but it is very strong and I need to take it with food. But often I don't have any food to take it with. I try to eat at least once a day, but there have been times where I haven't eaten for a few days."

"My neighbour gives me food when she can, but she has her own family to feed. I have nothing - not even a cup, plate or bowl. I don't have any clothes either. I don't own anything," Exumeni says.

350 million people are affected by disasters every year

When disaster strikes, it is usually the weak and vulnerable like Exumeni who are affected the most.

It is estimated that every year, about 350 million people are affected by crises and disasters. With 11% of the world's population aged 60 or over, this means that a significant number of people affected by emergencies are from this age group.

In emergencies, older people can often contribute their knowledge and experience to emergency relief and rehabilitation efforts. They also face particular risks. For example, they may have difficulty reaching food and water distribution points or accessing temporary shelter. Older people also have specific nutritional requirements that are often not met in general food rations.

Providing medical care to vulnerable groups

Since the earthquake in Haiti, HelpAge has been working with local partners and older people themselves to help them rebuild their lives.

As well as providing immediate relief to 25,000 older people and their families, HelpAge has arranged for more than 13,500 older people to receive medical consultations and free medication. More than 200 people have been trained to provide care in 93 temporary camps, making regular visits to 4,000 of the most vulnerable older people.

Older people remain overlooked in humanitarian responses

Despite the particular impact of emergencies on older people, their needs and capacities continue to be widely overlooked in all stages of emergency responses.

A key recommendation of Ageing in the Twenty-First Century is to ensure the inclusion of ageing and the needs of older people in disaster management and preparedness programmes.