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Elderly Neglected by Aid Response in Darfur
Reuters, London
August 11, 2004
A British aid agency has launched an appeal to help the elderly in Sudan's blighted Darfur region, saying older people in need of aid might be passed over by traditional humanitarian missions.
Help the Aged said the elderly might be unable to reach food distribution points and were not considered a key vulnerable group by larger aid agencies.
"Poor physical mobility makes them invisible and isolated," the charity said in a statement on Wednesday. "Poor shelter, lack of access to health, sanitation and food exacerbates older people's vulnerability to health problems and survival."
The United Nations says conflict in Darfur has claimed about 50,000 lives and uprooted 1.2 million African villagers who have fled from a campaign of killing and looting by Arab militias. Aid agencies are mobilising a massive relief effort.
Help the Aged said relief work targeted at older people would help children, since grandparents are often primary caregivers.
The agency said it planned to fund programmes that would provide donkey ambulances to help older people, and supply fuel for cooking. Older people are often sent out to gather firewood, making them vulnerable to attack.
"By embarking on advocacy work with other aid agencies we can ensure older people's rights are met and they are included," said Help the Aged international consultant Fergus Boyle.
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