Fair dues
Pushing for pensions in Latin America
Agustin, 77
77-year-old Agustin, from Peru, worked hard all his life in a shoe factory but his employer did not always pay his contributions.
The time came when he should have been able to retire on a modest pension. But when he was suddenly sacked, he fell overnight into near-destitution because he could not access his pension.
To make ends meet, he was forced to risk his health by selling odds and ends on the street from morning until night.
For Agustin - a dignified and self-reliant man - the stress and humiliation of life on the edge was unbearable.
For ten years years - Agustin fought for his right to a pension but he was not heard.
Respected at last
One day, he heard about an advice centre in Lima, set up with support from HelpAge International, to help older people like him claim social protection.
As soon as he walked through the door, he realised something was different about the place: he was greeted with respect and treated as an equal.
At the centre, Agustin was able to share his problems and discuss potential solutions with another older man, trained by a HelpAge partner to provide expert advice on social benefits. It was a huge relief. He left knowing he was entitled to a pension and confident he could go about claiming it.
That advice centre changed Agustin's life. Not only did it help him claim his pension - it brought back his confidence and self-respect.
Agustin is one of thousands of older people who have found life-changing advice and support at our socio-legal centres, which number four in Bolivia as well as the one he attended in Peru. Advisors at the centres work day in, day out, to help older people access benefits, fight abuse and learn about their rights.
Empowerment where it is needed most
We are delighted to report that 52% of the people coming to the centres are from remote rural regions, while 63% are of indigenous origin.
It means we are reaching out to the most vulnerable older people in these countries - helping them claim their rights, and in the process, come out of the shadows to play an active, confident part in community life.
But the work we are doing in Latin America reaches even further than helping individuals resolve their cases.
Friends in high places
As part of a three-year project funded by the UK's Big Lottery Fund, we are deep into some hugely productive conversations with Latin American governments on how pensions for older people can accelerate social progress in their countries. And, faced with our powerful evidence, politicians of every stripe are sitting up and taking note.
We are also building and supporting older people's groups and networks - to make sure older people themselves are at the frontline of calls for change.
Their needs, expressed in their own voices, must be heard by governments. Not just heard, but acted upon: integrated into social policy as a matter of course.
It is vital we get governments and public opinion on board if we are going to create lasting change. And, thanks to our efforts, that is exactly what is happening.
In July, Peru's President Alan Garcia announced the launch of a monthly non-contributory pension for older people over 75 living in extreme poverty.
He acknowledged that these pensions will "raise the morale of the country and enable older people who are abandoned and forgotten to have greater economic independence".
After all, it is not just morally unacceptable to abandon older people to poverty and social exclusion - it makes no sense from a development perspective.
Empowered and financially secure, older people are uniquely skilled at looking after themselves and their communities. It is a message that our work in Latin America is finally getting out there.
