We share the concerns raised by senior citizen Lillian Njobvu on the plight of our old people.

Older people in our country today continue to face many challenges. There have been increasing reports of older people being neglected and abused. Poverty remains a fundamental problem and older people have been hard-hit by the effects of HIV/AIDS. There doesn't seem to be enough policies on the aged in our country, which means that measures to support older people as they face these challenges have still to be put in place. Older women and men are increasingly being forced into the role of primary carers for their HIV positive adult children and their orphaned grandchildren. They are obliged to take on more - sometimes unfamiliar - roles in their families and they face financial challenges as our country's economic system continues to change.

Clearly, there is need for the government to provide policy actions that would effectively address the critical issues of ageing in our development process. Protection of the elderly and consolidation of their rights and preservation of their dignity should be of central concern to us as a nation. There are clear indications that to address the issue of ageing, poverty must be squarely addressed as well, along with the attitudes that exclude older persons from the mainstream. There is need for a new vision of ageing that addresses both lifestyle and factors influencing health and well-being that are under the control of individuals, as well as big picture issues, including concerted efforts for the eradication of poverty.

There is also need to counter the disintegration of traditional values, which ensured family care for the elderly and respect for older persons. It is clear to us that while the proportion of older people is growing, the number of caregivers within families is declining. The impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic needs to be looked at critically. As more productive people die, the older people are left to provide support to orphans. The death of young productive people also means less economic transfers to older persons.

Another factor that deserves serious examination is the effect of poverty on the aged. Older persons find themselves more vulnerable to the shock created by the changing socio-economic environment. In order to fully realise the welfare of older persons, family and community based care should be encouraged because such an arrangement provides an opportunity to reweave the social fabric and promote inter-generational inter-dependency.

There is need to raise awareness for the caring of older persons, who are the depositories of wisdom, knowledge and experience. Elderly people generally make up the poorest segment of our country. There is no doubt poverty and malnutrition have led to premature ageing.

We also need to pay a lot of attention to this new and strange phenomenon in our culture that has led to the expulsion of older persons from family units. This is particularly disturbing because our cultural heritage is to revere the elderly and respect their place in the community. We must unite to preserve the great wealth that older persons can provide their communities and families.

We therefore need to extend protection to older persons, categorising them as a vulnerable group. There is also need for us to reform our social security system to provide the requisite social assistance. Our government must take the initiatives that may lead to the drawing up of a national plan on social assistance.

There is need also to realise that although it has always been important to add years to life, the main emphasis should be to add life to years, improving senior citizens' quality of life. There is need for us as a nation to start promoting a culture for the aged so that our people achieve a satisfactory old age; that quarter of life from 60 to 80 should be accompanied by a considerable degree of functionality, autonomy and health. It should never be forgotten that when a person grows old, his or her lifestyle has a very important influence. Everything possible should be done to increase our old citizens' love of life, greater joy and happiness. There is need for the government to offer welfare assistance to meet the needs of senior citizens whose incomes are low or who have nothing. Old people require special attention. Let us give it to them because we owe it to them and it is our duty to give it to them.

And it is for these reasons that the recommendations of the Constitution Review Commission (CRC) on older members of our country deserve the most favourable considerations. The CRC in its draft constitution of the Republic of Zambia in Article 43 states that "older members of society are entitled to enjoy all the rights and freedoms set out in this Bill of Rights, including the right to - participate fully in the affair of society; pursue their personal development and retain their autonomy; freedom from all forms of discrimination, exploitation or abuse; live in dignity and respect; and receive care and assistance from the family and the government. Parliament shall enact legislation to provide for a sustainable social security system for the older members of society."

We have no doubt that if these recommendations become part of our country's constitution, Lillian Njobvu's concerns will stand a better chance of being addressed. And this is why more and more attention should be paid by our people - young and old - to the ongoing constitution review process. As we have stated before, a constitution is of great importance for promoting justice in any nation. The plight of our old people is a constitutional issue.

These are the social and economic rights Emily Sikazwe and her comrades in civil society have been campaigning for, have been championing and want to see in our next constitution. What is impossible about taking care of the plight of our senior citizens in our country's constitution? What is political about this? What is criminal about campaigning for such a thing?

We therefore urge old Lillian and her colleagues to use whatever energy is still in them to join the fight and ensure that our country, our nation, our people, at the end of the day, give themselves a constitution that addresses their concerns, aspirations, desires, wishes and indeed their fears and worries.



The following is another article referencing Lillian Njobvu:

Senior citizen Lillian Njobvu yesterday said it was unfortunate that young people do not want to look after the old nowadays. And Inspector General of Police Ephraim Mateyo has said that socio-economic growth can only occur when the country is devoid of crime.

In an interview at the opening of a police house meant for officers' accommodation at Chawama Cheshire Homes Society yesterday, 76-year-old Njobvu said it was sad that society has neglected the old.

She said she went to Cheshire Homes six months ago because all her children were dead.

"Relatives don't want us so we end up staying in the streets. I came to the home six months ago because I didn't have anybody to keep me and the rest of the relatives say they cannot afford to look after us the aged," she said.

Njobvu advised young people to look after themselves well if they were to grow old and reach her age.

"You will die if you do not take care of yourselves! We have reached this far because we take care of ourselves. But it is very unfortunate that young people have neglected the old," she said. And Mateyo called on the police and the community to work together in a bid to reduce crime to negligible levels.

She said the Cheshire Homes Society though mostly it looks after the welfare of the vulnerable in society such as the aged and orphans, it decided to invest in security.

"Their logic in doing so, I guess, was that crime knows no boundary and that where crime is on the rise, nothing tangible can be done. Cheshire Homes Society of Zambia needs to be emulated for the good works it has done as an institution," he said.

Mateyo challenged other institutions to do the same because security was an ingredient of socio economic growth.

"This explains why I will always want to work with all well-meaning individuals and institutions in the fight against crime. Thus I am convinced that socio-economic growth can only occur when the country is devoid of crime," he said.

And Chawama Cheshire Homes Society sister in-charge Judith Bozek said Zambia was slowly following the Western culture of coming up with homes for the aged, which should not be the case. Chawama Cheshire Homes Society chairperson Joseph Ngoma said criminals had started targeting churches and places like Cheshire Homes and it was with this in mind that it was decided that the society gets ready for them.