Affiliates in Latin America
HelpAge Network Affiliates in Latin America are based in the following countries:
Argentina:
Fundación ISALUD
Contact: Silvia Gascón
Email: sgascon@isalud.edu.ar; sgascon@speedy.com.ar
Website: www.isalud-edu.ar
Bolivia:
Fundación Horizontes / Horizons Foundation
Horizons Foundation was created in 1996. The last 15 years, they have been working for the older population of Bolivia. Horizons Foundation has developed many projects in several districts of Bolivia.
Its vision is to achieve a change in the attitudes of the Bolivian society towards older people and develop projects with strategic partners and comprehensive care programmes for vulnerable and poor older persons.
Their work areas are: Human Rights, social protection, income and livelihoods, health and social insurance, influencing public policy, building older people's organisations, research and information, prevention of natural disasters and climate change, cultural integration and gender.
Their main strategic partners are the Older People National Association of Bolivia (ANAMBO). In 2011, Horizons Foundation became an Affiliate of the HelpAge Global Network.
Contact:
Email: direccionejecutivafh@gmail.com and f_horizontes@acelerate.com
Pro Vida Bolivia
Provida Bolivia develops new ideas to protect, conserve and build the country's natural resources. They also work to improve social welfare in rural communities.
Provida Bolivia believes that to preserve the environment for future generations, all use of natural resources must be rational and sustainable. Their work is grounded in the principles of transparency and honesty and the thorough evaluation of their and their partners' work. Their goals, among others, are to design programmes focusing on education, community involvement and health services.
Provida Bolivia also implements and evaluates research projects on topics including the environment and health. They carry out this work by building and supporting capacity and resources in areas such as agriculture, aquaculture and apiculture.
Contact:
Email: providalpz@unete.com
Website: www.providabolivia.org
Chile:
Caritas Chile
Caritas Chile was established in 1956 to raise awareness of older people's issues in local communities in Chile. Their aim was to change the perception of ageing in these communities and among older people themselves.
Caritas Chile promotes social inclusion of older people and advocates for their rights and responsibilities. They work in areas such as health, education and advocacy.
Caritas Chile joined the HelpAge network in 1989 and became an Affiliate in 2004. The two organisations have worked together on several projects, including a programme to support poor older people in the province of San Felipe through citizen participation. Another joint project provided training and support to older women, enabling them to participate more fully as leaders and advisers within their communities.
In March 2010, Caritas Chile provided food aid to the victims of the earthquake in Chañarla province of Copipo.
Contact:
Email: adultomayor@caritaschile.org
Website: www.caritaschile.org
Red de Programas para el Adulto Mayor
Contact:
Email: elvirafierro@yahoo.es; ngarcia@ubiobio.cl
Colombia:
Asociación Red Tiempos de Colombia
Red Tiempos de Colombia was established in 2002. They focus on promoting older people's rights, strengthening organisations working with and for older people and changing attitudes towards ageing and older people in Colombia.
For more than ten years, Red Tiempos has been an active partner of HelpAge in Latin America working on advocacy, policy and legal advice. As a result of this work, issues such as universal social protection are now being discussed in the public arena.
Red Tiempos were very central in the creation of the HelpAge Latin American network, due to their understanding of older people's movement in the region. They have also monitored the Madrid Plan commitments in Latin America.
Finally, Red Tiempos take part in HelpAge's global Age Demands Action campaign. They became a HelpAge Affiliate in 2012.
Contact:
Email: asotiemposdecolombia@yahoo.es
Fundación Centro de Estudios e Investigaciones del Trabajo (CESTRA)
Is an organisation that builds the capacity of community organisations to strengthen their autonomy, rights knowledge and democratic participation.
Contact:
Email: cestrafundacion@gmail.com
Pro Vida Colombia
ProVida Colombia was established in 1974 and works to improve the lives of older people. They play a central role in providing information, advice, training, resources and funding for organisations caring for older people in Columbia.
They develop social welfare programmes to improve the lives of older people by building leadership skills and encouraging participation in community life.
ProVida Colombia also develops programmes in areas such as nutrition and geriatric medicine. In addition, they organise activities to help and enable older people to manage their health. They promote self-care and disease prevention and plan social policies to promote the welfare of older people.
In 1983, ProVida Colombia joined the global HelpAge network and since has collaborated on several projects for older people with HelpAge. They became an Affiliate in 1994.
Contact:
Email: lmonroy@providacolombia.org
Website: www.providacolombia.org
Asociacion Gerontologica Costarricense
Established in 1980, Asociacion Gerontologica Costarricense (AGECO) works to improve the lives of older people and promote active ageing in Costa Rica.
The organisation strives for a Costa Rica without age discrimination, where older people can claim their rights and live in a safe society. AGECO promotes older people's participation in society by encouraging older people, families and communities to integrate.
AGECO offers training to institutions, organisations and community groups on topics related to ageing. The aim is to promote new attitudes towards older people and ageing.
AGECO became a part of the HelpAge network in 1990 and an Affiliate in 2004. Since then it has been an active member of the network and participates in a number of network events including Age Demands Action, regional meetings and the MIPPA +10 review.
Contact:
Email: agecocr@racsa.co.cr
Website: www.ageco.org
Haiti:
Haitian Society for the Blind (SHAA)
Peru:
Centro de Asistencia y Promocion Integral de Salud
Centro de Asistencia y Promoción Integral de Salud (CAPIS) works in poor areas of Villa El Salvador in Lima. The organisation was set up to improve the lives of older people who migrated from rural areas to the capital in hope of a better life.
CAPIS focuses on helping older people who suffer from preventable or chronic diseases which hinder their ability to work and participate in family life. They provide health services, including diagnosis and treatment, at local clinics, community centers and other public spaces where older people meet.
CAPIS also runs health campaigns to detect and treat conditions such as hypertension, intestinal parasites and poor nutrition. In addition, they run courses and workshops on nutrition and food preparation, preventative health care, relaxation, exercise and mental health.
Over the years, CAPIS have worked with HelpAge Interna tional on several projects.
Contact:
Email: elizabethsanchez@speedy.com.ar
Centro Proceso Social
Proceso Social was one of the first Peruvian partners to work with Helpage International in Latin America in the late 1980s. Over the years, they have made a significant contribution to the promotion of rights of older people in Peru.
The organisation has made a name for itself combining practical income generation projects with older people in the poorest districts of Lima; with very effective lobbying with key Ministries of the Peruvian government. They have provided technical assistance in the design of new policies benefiting older people particularly in the fields of rights and discrimination as well as citizen participation in local governance.
Proceso Social has also worked with older women to increase the number of older women leaders in organizations usually dominated by men. More recently they have been very active in providing technical training to older leaders in pensions, training on microentrepreurship, and provision of socio-legal services to older people suffering from a range of abuses.
Contac:
Email: martinyaranga1@yahoo.com and carvie23@yahoo.com.mx
CooperAcción
Established in 1997, CooperAcción is a Peruvian NGO that works in areas including farming, mining and fishing.
Committed to older people, CooperAcción promotes and participates in discussions to influence civil society, business conduct and public policy. Their purpose is to balance environmental, economic and social development with the exploitation of these resources.
In addition, CooperAccion provides research and consultancy work, which involves collaboration with local government, public bodies, social organisations, national and international NGOs and multilateral agencies.
In 1997, CooperAccion became a member of the HelpAge network and in 2004, they became an Affiliate.
The two organisations have worked together on a number of projects. In 2001, they carried out a programme which retrained retired fisherman to care and raise quails and their eggs. The project also trained older people in business administration skills and provided a fund to buy and care for quails.
Contact:
Email: jcuadros@cooperaccion.org.pe
Website: www.cooperaccion.org.pe
Instituto para el Desarrollo de la Pesca y Mineria
Instituto para el Desarrollo de la Pesca y Minería (IPEMIN) and HelpAge International started working together in 1989 to promote older miners' and fishermen's rights to basic social services after retirement.
Since then, IPEMIN has grown to be an active member of the HelpAge network. They focus on business training for older workers and raising awareness of ageing issues in the southern and northern Andes.
These initiatives led to new human rights legislation in Peru for older people, including a Law on Older People passed in 2005. IPEMIN has also worked with local older people's associations in over a hundred municipalities to secure funding for projects for older people.
IPEMIN also helped to set up the National Association of Older People (ANAMPER), which represents older people's interests in Peru. IPEMIN has trained the leaders of ANAMPER to advocate for social pensions. In 2011, the government of Peru finally introduced a social pension for the first time.
Contact:
Email: alarconcarlos@speedy.com.pe
Peru Coordinating Group for Older People (Mesa de Trabajo)
Pro Vida Peru
Contact:
Email: bdeacon@gmail.com