Long Ba Ying, 68, China

Long Ba Ying says that he now really enjoys being part of his older people's association. Long Ba Ying, 68, lives in a hilly, remote village in Hunan province, China.

Most villagers belong to the minority Miao ethnic group and make a living from farming and raising animals. 

The village is very under-developed, with poor access to transport, healthcare and other services. Poverty is widespread and levels of literacy are low.

HelpAge International and local partners work in Hunan province to improve the well-being and the livelihoods of older villagers, including addressing health issues.

Before the HelpAge project, health practitioners working in the village did not know much about age-related illnesses. Older people had to travel for several hours to go to a county hospital, which is about 15km away, for any treatment or examination.

HelpAge partnered with three Chinese Universities to improve health practitioners' understanding of age-related conditions and to further develop the teaching infrastructure in this area.

Staying healthy and active

"Now village health practitioners know more about older people's health issues. They have been trained to give us basic check-ups and help us stay active," says Ying about the improvement in healthcare provision.

The project also focused on strengthening older people's capacity to engage in public life, particularly through an older people's association. The project provided training in financial and project management and agricultural skills.

Shortly after the project started, the village older people's association started to grow and gain more respect from villagers. Ying then became an active member.

"The association has existed since 1995 but we did not like it much, we didn't find it very helpful," says Ying.

"Now I really enjoy the activities they organise, especially the drum group, exercises and celebrations. All 305 older people are now active members."

The older people's assocations add spice to our lives

Ying told us the village's older people's association makes a real difference to their lives.

"They're very well organised and we really enjoy the social activities. They help us build relationships and add spice to our lives.

"One of people's association's key activities is providing money to help us earn a living. This allows us to put to use the skills we have learnt through the project. The training improves older people's and villagers' skills and knowledge. We earn some extra income to help improve our family's standard of living and our children's education."