Argentina
Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina
Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) was established in 1894 as a Jewish community centre with a mission to strengthen the basic principles of democracy and pluralism. AMIA is a centennial organization whose actions are driven by the notions of inclusion and participation in Argentinean society.
AMIA’s main areas of work include campaign and advocacy, capacity building, programme delivery and service provision. They work on a number of thematic areas including health and care, rights and social protection education programmes, volunteer services, disability, cultural activities, community services, employment services, etc. Older people are one of the key target groups of AMIA. Through a multidisciplinary approach, projects are carried out to ensure seniors citizens a life with dignity.
In 2006, AMIA inaugurated an integral elderly care centre that provides a range of services including: daytime assistance and recreational, cultural, educational and therapeutic activities. Other services include: home delivery of meals, transport, family counselling, social assistance, healthcare, as well as pension and legal advice.
AMIA also got close links with the Argentinean Government and is working with them to develop programmes for older people. AMIA also have close links to other civil society groups, NGOs and Academia. It is working closely, with longstanding HelpAge global network member, ISALUD.
AMIA has led the ADA campaign in Argentina. It became a HelpAge global network member in 2014.
Asociación Mutual de Protección Familiar (AMPF – Family Protection Mutual Association)
AMPF is an Argentinian mutual association established in 1994 by a group of retired post office workers. Nowadays the organisation includes over 80,000 associates of whom around 70 per cent are over 65 years old.
The organisation has been working on encouraging recognition of the rights of older people through the implementation and coordination of different programs; raising awareness and providing information on the reality of older people from a human rights perspective; promoting older people’s participation through support networks and elaborating proposals to promote and encourage healthy and active ageing from an integral perspective.
The Mutual Family Protection Association provides a range of services to their associates including social and health services and micro-credit. It is also actively engaged in national and regional advocacy initiatives as well as forming part of the National Network promoted by ISALUD in Argentina.
AMPF became a HelpAge global network member in October 2019.
Argentinian Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics (ASGG)
ASGG is a non-profit institution, based in Argentina and created in 1951. ASGG objectives are to promote research and the study of the health and disease of older people as well as the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of old-age related diseases. They also strive to address the effects of the aging process in the biological, psychological, functional, legal, ethical, spiritual and sociological aspects of it. ASGG create and foster intellectual and cultural links with other societies, universities and government agencies at national or international level to facilitate scientific and cultural exchange in the matter of ageing.
ASGG is committed to promoting the lives of older people to state Institutions and others and to demonstrate the critical and growing importance of gerontology and geriatrics at a national level by ensuring the recognition of ASGG as a professional adviser.
Fundación ISALUD
The Fundación Instituto de la Salud, Medio Ambiente, Economía y Sociedad (ISALUD Foundation) was established in 1991 in Argentina by Dr. Ginés González García to train professionals and people from the community to plan, evaluate and manage socio-health programs.
ISALUD Foundation provides training in research, development, management, monitoring and assessment of social and environmental policies, and in social policy, health, economics and the environment.
Fundación Navarro Viola
Fundación Navarro Viola was established in Argentina in 1973 by three sisters who wished to use their family inheritance to support progress in education, social medicine and ageing. It seeks to raise awareness and respond to the challenges and potential of ageing through cultural, artistic, and educational activities for older people, responding to their tastes, interests and needs.
Fundación Navarro Viola helps older people access care, promotes health and disease prevention, and generatea strategies and approaches for building protective environments.
Fundación Navarro Viola became a HelpAge global network member in 2017.
Fundación SIDOM
Fundación SIDOM is an NGO established in 2011 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The organisation is committed to improving older people’s quality of lives and care thorough research, teaching, technical assistance and consulting. It focuses on promoting quality services and public policies.
The foundation develops services for the evaluating and monitoring care services and helps in the creation of good practice care protocols. The organisation offers training for gerontology assistants.
Foundation SIDOM is a member of the Global Ageing and Long-Term Care Network (GALnet) and became a HelpAge global network member in 2018.
Fundación Red de Actividad Física para Adultos Mayores (RAFAM – Network of Physical for Older People)
RAFAM is a national NGO established in Argentina in 2008 with the support of the Physical Education Federico Williams Dickens Institute. RAFAM works as a network to promote healthy ageing and active lifestyle habits in older people.
Over the years, the network has grown and now has more than 140 organisations participating including government departments, non-government organisations, academic institutions and private sector members from different countries in the region, all with a common interest in promoting active and healthy ageing through physical activity, sports and recreational activities.
RAFAM promotes their cause through capacity building of organisations and institutions that are involved in working with and for older people and for disabled people. The members of the network collaborate to provide professional accredited diplomas and training courses across Argentina and in the region.
Fundacion Red de Actividad Física para Adultos Mayores became a HelpAge global network member in October 2019.
www.rafaminternacional.simplesite.com
Surcos Asociación Civil
Surcos is a non-profit Civil Association, founded in 1999, committed to improving health in Argentina, from a community perspective, regardless of age, gender or socioeconomic status.
Surcos has been working on a training project for people over 60 years old to become community promoters of healthy ageing. These trainings are on older people’s health and rights, as well as networking to encourage older people to increase their role in the community. The association aims to help reduce health inequities in communities at risk in Argentina.
Surcos became a HelpAge network member in 2022.
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 a HelpAge global network member.
Sumaj Punchay
Sumaj Punchay is a Bolivian NGO that was founded in 2001. HelpAge International’s office in Bolivia has worked with the organisation since 2009 and they have contributed greatly to the Latin American network.
Sumaj Punchay has great influence on research and adaptation of alternative methods to the effects of climate change in Bolivia. They have produced several papers and videos highlighting the contributions and challenges of older people in these situations. Other thematic areas they are working on include livelihoods, food security, access to water, income generation, health and rights.
Among other activities include training and capacity building, programmes and service delivery, fundraising and campaigning and advocacy.
Sumaj Punchay became a HelpAge global network member in 2014.
Brazil
Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC)
The Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) is a university located in Florianópolis, Brazil. Established in 1960, UFSC provides free and public education, focusing on teaching, research, and outreach. It is recognised as one of the top universities in Brazil and Latin America. UFSC’s mission is to produce, systematise, and share knowledge in various fields, promoting students’ education for professional practice, critical thinking, and national and international solidarity. The university aims to build a just and democratic society while ensuring a high quality of life. With additional campuses in Araranguá, Blumenau, Curitibanos, and Joinville, UFSC has a community of around 50,000 people, including faculty and staff. The university offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, with numerous partnerships with educational institutions worldwide. UFSC’s achievements serve as a benchmark in Brazil and abroad, reflecting its commitment to internationalisation and cooperation.
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 global network in 1989. 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.
Centro Gerópolis – Universidad de Valparaíso
Gerópolis seeks to contribute to the health and quality of life of the elderly through a series of links, training, intervention, and research actions, articulated under the aging approach in place. Ageing in the place where most of the active life has been carried out is considered a factor that contributes to the well-being of people: it benefits the maintenance of identity, physical functionality, skills, and social ties.
The actions promoted by Gerópolis seek to create suitable conditions that increase the possibilities of the elderly to live autonomously and independently, without being forced to leave their neighborhoods and houses due to difficulties in accessing basic services or problems of conditioning the environment.
Colombia
AFACOL – Fundación Acción Familiar Alzheimer Colombia
AFACOL is a non-profit social benefit entity that was born in 2002 with the purpose of providing information, training, guidance, and support for those taking care of people affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
The foundation seeks to make caregivers feel welcomed and understood. It is also a place where they can acquire the basic tools to help them take better care of themselves and the people they care for, turning care into an easier and more rewarding task.
Asociación Cultural Casa del Niño
Asociación Cultural Casa del Niño (ACCN) is an NGO established in the North Cauca region of Colombia in 1989. It aims to promote the social, economic, political, cultural and environmental wellbeing of communities within Northern Cauca through strengthening processes at community level and promoting citizen-led models. Working with different individuals and groups in these communities, including older people, ACCN adopts an intergenerational approach to sustainable development in implementing its programmes.
ACCN helps older people understand and claim their rights. It strengthens the autonomy of older person’s groups and their ability to interact with and be recognised by other community groups and local authorities, as well as through the implementation of intergenerational projects for older people and their families.
The organisation has increasingly worked with municipalities in the region to influence and support the delivery of services such as the provision of food and health services. ACCN has also been involved in developing livelihood programmes and the Sponsor a Grandparent scheme between 2007 to 2010.
ACCN became a HelpAge global network member in 2018.
Consejo Distrital de Sabios y Sabias
Consejo Distrital de Sabios y Sabias is a community-based organisation for older people based in Bogotá, Colombia, established in 2015. It was created as an oversight committee and advisory board to the Bogota Mayor’s Office in relation to the development and implementation of public policies that affect older people.
The organisation is a participatory entity that represents civil society and older citizens and has been an important platform for promoting dialogues and advocacy. It aims to promote older people’s participation as an important cohort for civil society inclusion.
The work done by Consejo Distrital de Sabios y Sabias includes holding annual district assemblies; representing older people in the National Pact on Old Age coordinated by the Government; and participating on behalf of older people in the preparation of the National System of Care.
Consejo Distrital de Sabios y Sabias became a HelpAge global network member in January 2020.
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 HelpAge global network.
Paraguay
Central Association of the Retired Public Official and Teachers of Paraguay (Asociación Central de Funcionarios Públicos y Docentes Jubilados)
Asociación Central de Funcionarios Públicos y Docentes Jubilados is a non-profit organisation established in 1946 in Paraguay with the aim of securing the health and wellbeing of it associates. The association brings public service pensioners and retired teachers together across the country, with more than 90 member organisations and almost 20,000 associated members.
The organisation facilitates and promotes mechanisms for making savings among its members’ families; it provides accommodation support for members referred for treatment in the capital; and promotes active ageing. It also offers financial support for urgent cases.
Asociación Central de Funcionarios Públicos y Docentes Jubilados also aids members with health problems, including emotional support. The organisation promotes activities to encourage socialisation and recreation amongst its members.
Asociación Central de Funcionarios Públicos y Docentes Jubilados became a HelpAge global network member in January 2020.
Peru
Peru Coordinating Group for Older People (Mesa de Trabajo de ONG’S y Afines sobre Personas Mayores -Mesa Perú-)
Mesa Perú was founded in 1992 and as a group of organisations working to improve the quality of life of older people in the country. It has become an important point of reference on the rights of older people and the issues affecting them, and works to empower older people to take a lead role in raising awareness and influencing political decision-making.
Pro Vida Peru
Pro Vida Peru (PVP) is an NGO founded in 1990 to help improve the quality of life for older people in the country. Much of PVP’s work is centred around working with older people and other adults to design and run programmes that promote a change in the social welfare culture towards a more participative one. This includes providing seminars and workshops related to topics that promote positive ageing.
Suriname
The National Foundation for Blind Care in Suriname
The National Foundation for Blind Care in Suriname/Nationale Stichting Blindenzorg Suriname (NSBS) is an institute that supports the development of people with visual disabilities and enables them to develop into independent citizens in society.
The organisation was established in 1967 and employs 25 people and 15 volunteers. Their work include provision of education, running care centres, facilitating recreational activities and training in family support.
The day centres are open once a week and focus particularly on older people with visual impairment
NSBS supports older people’s access to government services, health care centers and improved transport. They also provide education in computer skills, mobility and orientation, cooking and Braille; a method used by people who are visually impaired to read and write
NSBS is part of the ‘Mira Nos’ Network; a network of organisations that are related to the Netherlands and work with visually impaired people. They are also members of Royal Visio of Netherlands, Curaçao (Pro Bista), Aruba (FAVI), Bonaire (FKBO) and Suriname.
NSBS became a HelpAge global network member in 2012.
Uruguay
Uruguayan Association of Animators and Gerontological Assistants (AUDAAG)
The Uruguayan Association of Animators and Gerontological Assistants (AUDAAG) was established in Uruguay in 2004 and is focused on promoting active ageing. It provides recreation and training opportunities for older people, improves their social inclusion and builds their awareness of their rights.
AUDAAG tries to stimulate older people’s creativity through choir classes, cultural workshops and other courses. It runs seminars, conferences and other training events to strengthen knowledge and awareness of older people’s rights through providing advice, and carrying out advocacy and campaigns.
AUDAAG frequently works in coordination with the National Institute for Older People of the Ministery of Social Development and is part of the National Network of Older People of Uruguay. Uruguayan Association of Animators and Gerontological Assistants became a HelpAge global network member in 2018.
Venezuela
Convite Asociación Civil
Convite was created in 2016 to guarantee and promote social, economic and cultural rights in Venezuela. Since its beginning, this organisation is recognised for the initiatives they carry out to protect and monitor the human rights of the Venezuelan civilians.
Convite has been instrumental in raising the international awareness about specific needs and protection challenges faced by older Venezuelans affected by the humanitarian crisis including the lack of medications and assistance for older people. Furthermore, the organisation has been deploying a humanitarian action program for distributing medicines.
The organisation has a human rights observatory and participates in relevant advocacy spaces at national and regional level. At the national level, Convite has been part of the National Network “Sinergia”, which gathers more than 50 local organisations. At the regional level, is member of the Sub- Regional Andean Network.
Convite Asociación Civil became a HelpAge global network member in October 2019.