Caribbean
In partnership with local organizations and older people themselves, we work to overcome challenges such as:
Rights: We make sure older people know their rights and how to claim them
Benefits: We work with governments to ensure older people get basic healthcare, education and income
Incomes: Our Sponsor A Grandparent (SAG) progra provides additional financial help
HIV and AIDS: We give older people information to protect themselves and their families from HIV and AIDS
Emergencies: We ensure older people's needs are recognised when disaster strikes - and that their contribution to recovery efforts is fully supported.
Where we work in the Caribbean
We work in the following countries:
The difference we made in recent years
- HelpAge joined Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency's civil society sub-committee, which prepares a workplan for the region that now addresses older people. We trained five of our partners from Belize and Jamaica to produce organizational disaster plans, including first-aid kits, logistics, and managing distributions. Local disaster risk-management plans are now in place in our partners' project communities.
- Our Sponsor a Grandparent program has improved the lives of over 1,290 older people and 2,400 grandchildren.
- In 2009, we have helped 300 older people set up their own businesses, including farming and shop-keeping.
- 360 older people have learned about staying healthy through our HIV and AIDS workshops.
What next?
- We will go on supporting older people affected by the Haiti earthquake.
- We will train older people to share life-saving information with others as HIV and AIDS community councillors.
- We will lobby governments to bring in pensions for all older people.