Older people are among the most vulnerable in society. Not only are they hit hardest by poverty and disaster, but their voices are often ignored.

Without a voice, more older people may die, suffer hardship and pain, be left lonely and isolated, and be excluded from projects and initiatives that could help them.

We help to set up Older People's Associations and Elders’ Self-Help Groups around the world. These groups empower older people to voice their needs, claim their rights, and gain recognition and dignity. They provide a space where older people can find company and share their experiences.

Older men in Sarajevo

Case study

Over the past fifteen years, older people in Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Serbia have experienced dramatic changes arising from political trauma, economic and social transition, conflict and forced migration.

Many older people have lost the social security they enjoyed under previous state systems. They feel disillusioned, neglected and  discriminated against.

Help the Aged supports organisations working to ensure that these countries' governments take older people's voices into account. By training active older volunteers to visit more isolated older people in their communities, they will:

• gather evidence to present to government officials;
• promote volunteering amongst older people; and
• contribute to the increased visibility of older people in their communities as well as at a national level.