|
Age Demands Action: Impact 2010
By HelpAge International
March 31, 2011
World
Older people took action in more than 50 countries as part of the HelpAge
Network's Age Demands Action campaign on 1
October 2010.
Activists called on their national
governments to take action on issues which affect older people, such
as pensions, healthcare, housing or access to work.
ADA
2010: Success stories
Here
are just a few examples of the impact older Age Demands Action
activists made this year:
More
pensions in Kenya
Older
activists take part in Age Demands Action in Kenya
Over
300 older people marched through Uhuru Park in Nairobi flagged off by
Kenyan football legend, Joe Kadenge. A delegation of older
people then met the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance.
They asked to increase the amount and expand the coverage of cash
transfers for older people.
RESULT:
To
the delight of activists, the Ministry of Finance pledged to increase
the amount of cash transfers for all older people. They also agreed to
ensure that all 47 counties in Kenya receive cash transfers by June
2011.
Rhoda,
a
delegate
from Kenya said: "I have learnt that even in old age I am
able to do something worthwhile and constructive for my country."
New National Ageing Policy in Ghana
An older
activist joins an ADA march in Ghana
Hundreds of older people joined brass
band processions in Ghana. They called for the registration of
older people for the LEAP (Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty) cash
transfer programme to be speeded up.
A delegation also met the Minister of
Employment and Social Welfare to call on
the government to accelerate implementation of the National Ageing
Policy.
RESULT: Just four weeks
after meeting with the Minister, the Cabinet approved the National
Ageing Policy. At the meeting with delegates, the Minister agreed to
speed up registration of the poorest older people over 65 for the cash
transfer programme.
One older delegate said: "I feel good that I have been consulted
on the key issues for advocacy for the Age Demands Action campaign. The
issues are very real to us."
New older people's allowance in Sri
Lanka
1,000 older people marched in Sri Lanka.
A delegation of activists also met the Minister of Social Services and
other senior officials to call for a pension for all older people over
70.
RESULT: The Minister
promised to implement a new senior citizens allowance of 2,000 Rupees
per month for everyone over 75. This will improve the lives of
thousands of older people and their families.
Increased pensions in Bangladesh
Hundreds of older people formed a human
chain in the city's main square to call for an increase to the old age
allowance.
RESULT: The Social Welfare Minister promised to increase this
allowance in the next year's budget. This will make life easier for
thousands of older people.
More success stories
An Age Demands Action activist takes to the
streets in Latin America
-The Prime Minister of Nepal signed
the Age Demands Action petition and expressed his commitment to older
people's rights.
-In Cambodia, the government is
introducing a health equity fund to provide free healthcare for the
poorest older people.
-The Minister of Labour, Social Protection and Family
in Moldova pledged to ensure the pension reaches the
minimum subsistence level for older people in the country.
-In Mozambique, the government
agreed to increase the amount of food subsidy for older people by 27%
from January 2011.
-A programme for more age-friendly cities has been
introduced in Argentina
-HelpAge's partner in the Philippines,
COSE,
has
been pushing for a pension for the poorest older people for
years and in 2010 they tasted success. For Age Demands Action in 2008,
they organised 1500 older people to march to Congress all dressed in
white and timed to coincide with a speech being made in favour of a
pension by a Senator in the Congress hall.
Since then COSE has used its network of
older people's groups to keep the pressure up on the government. And in
2010 the Senior Citizen's Act was passed which gave a pension of US$11
a month to the poorest older people in the Philippines.
Past
success
Government starts to listen in Fiji
In 2009, HelpAge partner FCOSS held
consultation meetings with older people in more than 12 older people's
homes around the island. They used the information gathered to draw up
a manifesto for change and a delegation of older people were met by a
minister for the first time on October 1 to discuss it.
Shortly after the meeting, the Fijian
cabinet agreed to draft a national policy on ageing, and invited FCOSS
to help.
More pensions in Kenya
In 2008 HelpAge Kenya held meetings with
older people and drew up a manifest for change. One call for action was
the expanion of a pension pilot to more older people in the country.
More than 200 older people and
supporters joined the delegation in a march to parliament where they
met ministers, including the Financial Secretary and Director of
Pensions.
The government then pledged 200million
Kenyan Shillings ($2.6m) for a non-contributory pension fund for older
people. A pension has now been introduced to over 30,000 older people
in Kenya.
More
Information on US Social Security Issues
More Information on US
Private Pension Issues
More Information on Trade
Unions and Pension Issues
Copyright © Global Action on Aging
Terms of Use
|
Privacy Policy
|
Contact Us
|
