Democratic Republic of Congo
Since 2009 HelpAge International has been supporting older people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in hard to reach and underdeveloped territories of Beni, Walikale, Nyiragongo and Massisi in North Kivu Province.
We work in Goma with local partner CAEPA and in the internally displaced persons camp of Mugunga III on the outskirts of the city with AFDI to provide literacy and numeracy classes to both young and old at our social centre.
Our aim is to help vulnerable internally displaced older people and older returning refugees and their families who have experienced repeated conflict. Many live in temporary camps and with host families. In 2012 our emergency response and recovery programme has helped 12,316 people.
Life story
We have helped Biziman, 72, to earn a living again by giving him a sewing machine.
(c) Frederic Courbet/HelpAge International
He says: “I don’t know how it started because we are just farmers. We just found ourselves in the middle of a war; the bullets were flying all around us.
"Everyone panicked and we started running, we left our possessions behind and when we looked back our houses were on fire. Now we are refugees.
"I didn’t come to this camp with my wife. I don’t know where she went because I was also running. People told me that my wife ran to hide, but I haven’t seen her since. I do not know if she is alive. Nowadays I survive on donations and the job HelpAge has given me.
"I thank you for this gift of a sewing machine and listening to me as I talk about my problems. Our lives had come to a halt because of the war. You came to help us and thank you for that.”
Supporting older people in DRC
Over the last year, we have supported older people in a variety of ways:
Emergency support
- In 2011, we provided 750 displaced older people with emergency non-food items such as shelters, blankets, buckets, plates and hygiene kits.
- We provided 110 extremely vulnerable older people in Mugunga III camp with blankets, flour, sugar, soap, torches, clothes and nail cutters.
Older people's associations
- We provide guidance and support in the creation of older people's associations and train members on roles and responsibilities, human rights, social protection and grieviance mechanisms, as well as in home-based care and how to identify and support of vulnerable individuals.
- We organised intergenerational and recreational activities for 500 older people and 100 of their grandchildren to encourage peace building and community building. These included traditional dance and song, theatre and literacy and numeracy classes.
Livelihood support
- We set up bank accounts and gave cash transfers of £32 to 300 older people so they can set up or restart their livelihoods.
- 15 groups averaging 20 members were provided with training in business management and other skills. This included training 533 older people in agricultural techniques and livestock farming.
HIV and AIDS support and healthcare
- We enabled 4,072 older people to gain free healthcare and medical treatment at state hospitals.
- We provided health equipment to eight health centres and two community health posts together with essential drugs for mental healthcare and chronic illnesses.
- Home visits are now being made to 1,553 older people. Training included home assistance procedures and how to provide psychosocial support.
- HelpAge along with a national geriatric expert trained 42 nurses and eight doctors in older people’s specific health needs.
- We trained 70 people to become peer educators on HIV and AIDS. The peer educators reached out to 60,000 community members.
Advocacy and rights
- We held training sessions for older people on protection and older people’s rights, including subjects like witchcraft, inheritance and domestic abuse.
- We also trained 83 older people's association members in monitoring, communications and advocacy to promote older people’s rights locally.
- As a result of our work, ten development agencies are now including older people’s needs in their programmes.
- 25 staff from international NGOs were trained in including older people in emergencies through the HOPE (Helping Older People in Emergencies) capacity building programme.
What next?
- We will continue to provide humanitarian support to the older people and their families affected by the conflict in North Kivu.
- We will continue to ensure that vulnerable older people get free access to healthcare by supporting home-based care services and working in partnership with government run facilities, NGOs and UN agencies.
- We will continue to help poor older people increase their financial security by offering employment, skills training and funding.
- We will continue to train partner staff, government workers and humanitarian health personnel on ageing issues to ensure older people are included in all humanitarian work. We will continue to set up more older people's associations across North Kivu enabling older people to advocate for their inclusion in national laws, relief efforts and partner organisations’ community development plans.
Our partners
AFDI (Association des facilitateurs pour le développement intégré), CAEPA (Collectif des Associations pour l’encadrement des personnes du troisième âge)