Tecla, 87, Moldova

Tecla is houseband and very isolated. Nobody visited her until HelpAge International's partner CBO "Pro-Democraţie" started a project to reintegrate vulnerable older people into the village community.

Tecla finds living alone difficult but appreciates having visitors. (c) Max Ahner/HelpAge International

In Satul Nou, where she lives, they are initiating activities such as "warm houses", or homecare visits.

The older people prepare and eat dinner together, reminisce about their youth, and find out the latest news from their village. This stops them feeling so lonely and forgotten by the world.

Maria, a volunteer home-based carer, visits Tecla at home. She brings her water and buys whatever she needs.

I can't leave my house

Tecla says: "Because I'm old my legs hurt me and I can't leave my house, but I can get to my stove to cook. My daughter comes and brings me everything I need. She helps me clean the house, but leaves me again because she has her own house to run.

"She comes to me when she can but she has a lot of fish to fry now. I have grandchildren too but they are not in this country. They went to work in Italy and Portugal."

Tecla raised her grandchildren too, looking after them while their parents went to work - a common practice in Moldova.

Pension is not enough to live on

Tecla says she can't even walk out into the garden. "I haven't been in my garden for four years," she explains. "I am lucky that women visit me and we talk. I can't do anything in the yard or in the garden but if somebody brings me something to do here on the veranda I can work.

"If I see a woman coming to take water from the well, I ask her to bring me water too. Maria lives close to me and she brings me water. Two buckets are enough for two days.

"They raised my pension to MDL350 (US$29) a month. But everything is so expensive now. There is not enough money to buy everything you need. I pay MDL200 (US$16) for gas.

"With what remains of my pension I buy a kilo of sugar, one kilo of cereals, one kilo of buckwheat. Before I know it, MDL100 (US$8) are gone. There is no money left for medicines.

Visits make me glad

"Maria helps me with whatever she can. Sometimes she just comes to sit with me, and that makes me glad. Sometimes she brings me something to eat. Other times we just talk, she is very close to my heart.

"I can't go to the village and if I need something Maria does it for me. She pays the electricity bill for me.

"Sometimes Maria gathers a group of older volunteers in my home. We sing and remember the old times. It's very nice."

Since this interview was conducted, Tecla has died. But her story illustrates the isolation many older people feel when living alone and how HelpAge and their partners are working to alleviate their loneliness.