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Rural Aging: World
Archives 2004
Kyrgyzstan: Landslide Villagers Reluctant to
Resettle (December 29, 2004)
Landslides, avalanches and floods are common in this rural area of
Kyrgyzstan. The government decided to resettle the population living in
the most dangerous areas of the mountains. But the villagers say that the
government does not give the inhabitants the financial means to build or
buy a new house somewhere else. At present about 73 percent of the
villagers live under the poverty line. Besides, these rural inhabitants
are very attached to their land where their families have lived for
centuries. "Most of those who do not want to move are elderly. We ask
the public prosecutor to deal with those families who do not want to
resettle," said Sultanbek Abdiev, the governor of Alai district.
Saudi Arabia: Municipality Election in Saudi Arabia (December 3, 2004)
Older Saudi Arabian citizens came to vote in recent municipal elections held in the Dawaser and Dawadmi Valleys. Motiviated to encourage development and growth in their country, these elderly persons made extraordinary efforts to reach the election centers.
Ivory Coast : “I Would Never Think About Leaving
Ivory Coast, Never” (November 23, 2004)
(Article in French)
Claude, 62-years-old, and her son Gerard, 30-year-old, were farmers in a
little quiet area in Ivory Coast. As minority whites who stayed in the
Ivory Coast after the French yielded independence, they carried out their
livelihood in this predominantly black African country. After French
soldiers destroyed the Ivory Coast Air Force, black African Ivory Coast
citizens occupied their farm. Claude and Gerard ran away for three days in
the wilderness and then were repatriated to France. They say they will
never go back.
Chile: The Poverty of Politics (November 22, 2004)
There is a need to adjust rural poverty policies creatively to take into
account an increasingly senior population that has very meager pension
coverage. According to one survey, only 45,5% of rural inhabitants
contribute to any pension system, which generates a bigger gap between
those that the State can take care of and those who cannot be reached. To
remedy this situation, the State must begin to devise of an effective
pension plan for the rural elderly. It is estimated that if such a plan
existed, rural retirees would transfer their land to the younger, more
productive generation. Moreover, it might serve to decrease migration of a
young, capable workforce to the cities
China: In Rural China, River Turns Bitter and People
Die (September 13, 2004)
Before the 1980’s and 90’s, the river was clean and the area had about
10 cancer cases a year. Since the recent industrialization, the water
cannot be drunk, fish are dead, irrigation poisons the agricultural fields
and the number of cancer cases is up to 400 a year. Rural young people
abandon rural life for city jobs and leave behind the older persons to
continue to produce food. The pollution of the Huai River embarrasses the
Communist Party but the main polluter is Lianhua Gourmet Powder, the
China's largest producer of monosodium glutamate and the area’s largest
employer too. It seems that a Chinese city hold the majority of stock in
the company. Can the society rein in the “economic miracle” that is
literally killing Chinese poor rural people? What would Chairman Mao say?
China: China to Send Modern-Day "Barefoot Doctors" to Boost
Rural Healthcare (August 2, 2004)
The National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Health
in China have used 230 million yuan (27.7 million dollars) to provide a
mobile health service to rural residents reached by vehicles. Currently,
rural residents enjoy only 30% of China’s health resources. The vehicles
will bring medical personnel to central and western China, to help where
access to hospitals is limited, to diagnose common diseases and to perform
minor operations and health check-ups.
China: More than 400,000 elders in FuJian Province attend College for the
Elders (May 27, 2004)
(Article in Chinese)
FuJian Province - YongLin did not drive to work. However he drives to
school after his retirement. YongLin worked for Xi'Men Air Company and got
his driver's license. After his retirement, he bought a car. Now driving
to the College for the Elders with his wife has been an indispensable part
of his life. In FuJian Province, there are few elders who have their own
cars. But there are many elders who are going to College for the Elders.
India: Medical Education to Be Revamped (May
25, 2004)
The new Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has ambitious plans to
improve access to quality health care for persons living in rural areas.
Majority of the population live in rural areas and have service delivery
issues. In spite of this, the current medical education system is geared
towards the urban population and must be revamped to focus on the rural
population. Doctors in the new system will need to concentrate on issues
affecting the rural population and senior citizens.
China: The Chinese saying - if Parents are
Still Alive, the Next Generations Should not Live far from Parents.
However the Farmer Labors who are Going to Work in the City Break the
Traditional Family Structure. (March 22, 2004)
(Article in Chinese)
In China, there are about 100,000,000 farmers who left the countryside
they grew up and went to the cities to work. Sociologists stated that
farmers get better paid through going to the cities to work, however that
their old parents in the countryside feel lonely and there are the
decrease of labors in the farms. The Chinese saying - "if parents are
still alive, the next generations should not live far from parents",
depicts the rather stable family structure, which has been formed
thousands years ago. However the traditional family structure is going
through change.
France: Le Massif Central Tente de Résister
au Vieillissement de sa Population (February 26, 2004)
(Article in French)
If the youth migration to urban centers continues, 38% of the population
in the Massif Central Mountains could be over 60 by 2030. Cities and
developed areas still look attractive to young people but rural areas
don't. To limit this phenomenon, local authorities are finding ways to
encourage young people to settle in the region. Taking care of older
people at home in rural areas could be one opportunity for them.
China: The Fire in HaiNing Exposed a Blind Area
in Caring for the Mental Health of Rural Elders (February 19, 2004)
(Article in Chinese)
The fire in WuFeng Village, Huang Wan Town, HaiNing, ZheJiang Province
killed 40 persons. The fire, known as the Feb 15th fire, occurred in a
grass (straw) temple. According to the article, older women often think
that they have completed their main task in life when their children have
grown up. They devote the remainder of their life praying for repentance
for past mistakes, crowding in large numbers into grass temples at least
seven times per year. The People's Daily News said, "the middle-aged
and elder women in the rural areas are supporters of the grass temple,
which brings up a question: who will take care of the mental health of
rural elders?" The writer urges the government to come up with
programs that engage older women in their present life and its
possibilities for the future rather than think only of the past.
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