NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 28 – The weathermen’s recent forecast showing that the dreaded El Nino rains will start in October has sent the country into panic mode with the Government and other non-state actors moving to put in place emergency measures to forestall a possible humanitarian crisis.
But one category of people that is often ignored by any such interventions is the older people in Kenya, most of whom have been abandoned in their homes as their children migrate to towns to find jobs.
With the Kenya Housing and Population Census 2019 showing that the number of the country’s elderly population has risen to nearly three million, fears are that the aging crisis could be causing pressure on families that have to dig deeper to take care of the elderly.
But for 40 elderly women living in St. Mary’s Village for the Aged Women Kirinyaga County’s Home for the Elderly, their preparedness to face the onset of the El Nino rains have been boosted after charity organisation, Suqoon, volunteered to donate to them blankets, seaters and socks to weather the anticipated cold weather.
More good news for the elderly is that Suqoon will now refurbish the home to make it more habitable in the face of the expected heavy rains in a two-year memorandum of understanding with the home
“Older persons need peace, they need love, food, health, shelter, safety, kindness, patience, laughter, company, care among other things,” said Suqoon Founder and Philanthropist Ms Shakira Khawaja.
She added: “By fostering a culture of respect and care for the older persons now, we lay the groundwork for a compassionate society that will be there for us when we, too, become seniors”.
Suqoon, Ms Khawaja said, decided to partner with the home to help it improve its facilities to better manage the needs of the older persons here.
The two-year agreement is aimed at marshalling adequate resources to support provision of better care and services for the 39 women hosted at the nursing home.
Speaking during the signing ceremony at the Kirinyaga-based facility on September 26, 2023, Ms Khawaja emphasized the importance of improving the quality of life of the elderly people.
Khawaja said the elderly persons have often been neglected despite them forming an important part of the family ecosystem.
Kenya has 2.7 million million elderly people, according to the 2019 Population and Housing Census.
During the signing of the agreement, Suqoon also donated food items, besides clothes and blankets, to the elderly to cushion them ahead of the cold weather expected to come from the forecast El Nino rains.
She added: “We are here to applaud the fantastic work St. Mary’s is doing. Honouring older persons is preserving our history.”
The facility, which was established in 1974, managed by Consolata Missionaries, provides refuge to elderly women, many of whom have been abandoned by their families.
More than 500 women have passed through the facility since its establishment, with many cases being of women suffering from physical, mental and psychological challenges.
St. Mary’s Village Board Chairman Joseph Muhoro commended Suqoon for stepping in to offer assistance, calling for the need to care of the elderly.
Muhoro said the issue of inadequate resources has impeded them from enrolling more women, revealing that they have yet to approve applications from 25 elderly women for two years now.
“Many times people neglect the aged. We should have the pride and strength to support mothers. We have been able to sustain the home for over 39 years, but the challenges are big,” he said during the occasion.
St. Mary’s Village Director Michael Mutinda said the partnership will enable them renovate and build more living quarters to accommodate other needy women.
