The Times of Zambia 

24 December 2007 

That an estimated 500,000 Zambian elderly people face potential destitution by 2010 should ring warning bells about a disaster looming. 

What is most worrying is that with the ravages of AIDS having the greatest toll on the youth, many of these 500,000 people are today taking care orphans. 

So even though Community Development and Social Welfare minister, Catherine Namugala only alludes to those above the age of 60, the real impact will spread down to children needing parental care. 

The broader picture of the problem is that apart from the elderly destitute, Zambia faces a potential rise in the number of orphans and vulnerable kids who may end up as street kids. 

This is neither good for the welfare of these children nor the country's fight against HIV/AIDS - the cause of this vicious cycle from HIV/AIDS to poverty and back to HIV/AIDS. 

Zambia needs to blend traditional and modern methods of preventing HIV/AIDS to reverse the infection levels among the productive age-group to avoid a catastrophe. 

It is obvious that the solution to this looming multi-faceted crisis partly lies in breaking the vicious cycle above. The country should put in place deliberate polices guaranteeing social security for the majority. 

The Government could support the elderly guardians through policies that will lighten their burden, like the provision of free education as well as health services to the orphaned children they are caring for. 

But members of the community should also realize that they have a responsibility to take care of young orphans and the aged and come in with support in whatever way they can. 

Now is the time to sit down with senior citizens and ask them how they used to take care of the vulnerable among them in the old days of the extended family system. 

The country needs to put its best minds to work and break the vicious cycle because the problem will be too big to resolve if left unattended. 

Hopefully, these are some of the guidelines that the Government is working on to ensure that the community and all stakeholders know what they should do to support the old people. 

What people do or fail to do today will determine what is to come. 

More Information on World Elder Rights Issues