COVID-19 made itself known in Rwanda in March of this year. The government was quick to respond, by setting up preventive measures and providing food to people who had informal jobs and using media to disseminate information. But older people's heightened risk to COVID-19 was not clear in these media campaigns. Only general messages were given to communities.
This week, older activists involved in HelpAge's Age Demands Action campaign are standing up for older people's rights at the United Nations Open Ended Working Group on Ageing session (OEWG in New York.
HelpAge International has been tracking discrimination against older people related to COVID-19 restrictions throughout the pandemic and has seen examples of age-based measures in at least 48 countries across the globe.
This week, (14-16 July), older people around the world are calling for a convention on the rights of older people, as their governments convene at the UN.
Today, 15 June, the EU Delegation to Tanzania and the EAC, together with HelpAge International and the Magu Poverty Eradication and Rehabilitation Center (MAPERECE), launch a project to Promote and Protect Older Women's Rights in Tanzania.
HelpAge International has ranked fourth out of a group of 73 not-for-profit organisations in the FAIR SHARE Index which measures the number of women in leadership roles across the sector.
On Wednesday, 27 May 2015 HelpAge International and its partner Islamic Relief launch a three year programme in Juba, South Sudan to support badly malnourished older people in Warrap State.
Reports of older people facing:
rising abuse in some countries during coronavirus crisis, robberies, kidnapping and domestic violence and being left to die when suffering from COVID-19.
