Something About Company
HelpAge International is the secretariat to a global network of organisations promoting the right of all older people to lead dignified, healthy and secure lives.
Our values
Our values are shown in the graphic below. Please roll over each of the four statements to see more detail.
Our vision
Our vision is a world in which all older people can lead dignified, healthy and secure lives.
Our mission is to promote the wellbeing and inclusion of older women and men, and reduce poverty and discrimination in later life.
We work with older women and men in low and middle-income countries for better services and policies, and for changes in the behaviours and attitudes of individuals and societies towards old age.
The world we want is one where every older woman and man, everywhere, can say:
- “I have the income I need”
- “I enjoy the best possible health and quality of life”
- “I am safe and secure, free from discrimination and abuse”
- “My voice is heard”
Why we work in Kenya
Kenya is a fast-growing country, with the largest economy in east and central Africa. Yet it is highly unequal and millions live in poverty, struggling to access basic services such as healthcare or generate an adequate income.
Older people are typically among the poorest and most neglected. The pull of urban centres like Nairobi means many older people are left alone in rural areas, often feeding and raising their grandchildren and trying to eke out a living farming their land. Only four in 100 people in Kenya have paid into a pension scheme in formal employment. This leaves the vast majority without a sufficient and reliable income in their later years.
We strive to help these older women and men overcome poverty and lead healthy, secure and dignified lives.
Helping older people have a secure income
We at HelpAge International are providing money to older people who are at risk of going hungry across four counties in northern Kenya so that they can afford to feed themselves and their families.
For years we campaigned tirelessly for the Kenya Government to introduce a universal pension for older people. Due to launch in 2018, we are now supporting the state in its effective implementation.
Improving older people’s health
Through outreach clinics we aim to boost older people’s access to medical services and we strive to reduce diseases and illnesses common in older age through education and prevention campaigns. We advocate for HIV and AIDS policies and programmes to be responsive to the needs of older people.
Our network members
- District Pastoralist Association
- Horn of Africa Women Empowerment Network Kenya Agency
- KARIKA
- Kenya Society of People with AIDs
- Pastoralist Integrated Support Programme
- Rural Agency for Community Development and Assistance
