On World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD), we are very much looking forward to formally launching four CommonAge Chapters and introducing our Train the Trainer programme currently running in Durban South Africa, and we invite you to join us at 8.00 SAST on Saturday, 15 June 2024.
Commonwealth countries are a diverse group of countries: they are among the world’s biggest, smallest, richest and poorest countries; there are 21 Commonwealth countries in Africa, 8 in Asia, 13 in Caribbean and Americas, 3 in Europe, 11 in Pacific.
As our Ageing the Commonwealth report revealed, despite the enormous diversity in population dynamics across the countries of the Commonwealth, they share one important common trend: the older population is set to grow more quickly than the total population. The only exceptions to this are Lesotho and Mozambique, two of the countries in Sub-Saharan Africa that have been most severely affected by HIV/AIDS.
In the majority of Commonwealth countries, the absolute size of older population will increase by at least 100% over the next 25 years. These are mostly low- and middle- income countries.
And Governments across the Commonwealth need to recognise and plan for these ageing populations; Governments should see population ageing as an opportunity to improve services for older people while also transforming health and other systems more broadly.
While some countries in the Commonwealth are advanced with their planning for an ageing population, there are many which are not; quite simply there are many competing priorities for the limited available resources, particularly for developing countries.
Bringing age care leaders across the Commonwealth together
We created our Africa Chapter at the inaugural Elders Forum in 2018; the aim of this group was to and learn from each other best and share how limited resources could be used to have maximum impact.
Since then, our networks have grown, and we quickly recognised there is a need for a country-localised Chapter. Having identified leaders, volunteers, and Associations within Commonwealth member countries, we are delighted to announce the formation of four CommonAge country Chapters in:
- Botswana, headed up by Magen Mtepfa, associate professor and Chair and co-founder of the NGO Ageless Inspirations,
- Kenya, headed up by Richard Waindi, Founder and CEO of AgeWatch Africa Foundation
- South Africa headed up by Femada Shamam, CEO of Tafta
- India headed up by Dr Renu Varughese, Associate Professor, Mercy College
All the Chapter leads are doing this in a voluntary capacity and are working and collaborating to instigate initiatives and lobby their governments to ensure elders receive the care they deserve and are not left behind in policy making decisions.
Commenting on the launch of our Chapters our Vice Chair and Chapter Lead, and CEO of Tafta Femada Shamam says: ‘This is coming together for a group of people who believe in the same vision; that is of an all age-inclusive Commonwealth.
‘Initiatives and programmes which may work in one country, may not be appropriate in another because they face different challenges, such as limited resources, language barriers, varied living conditions, wars, and cultural beliefs. Our aim is to find the points of synergy and create links for interactions and for people to promote ideas and activities, and support each other to create positive change for the ageing agenda.’
‘For instance, with the limited resources available, the Africa Chapter supported Megan to run a brain health programme as a preventable measure in Botswana.
‘This week we have welcomed sector leaders to Durban for our Train the Trainer programme. With a focus on Africa, the aims of this programme are for enhanced elder care outcomes through international collaboration, emphasising knowledge sharing and capacity building.
‘By creating these Chapters, and offering training opportunities for leaders, we are contributing greatly towards making positive changes to older people’s lives in many Commonwealth countries.’
Our Chair, Mansur Dalal says: ‘This year’s WEAAD calls on Governments, international donors, organisations, and communities to prioritise the safety and well-being of older persons in their emergency preparedness and response strategies; we are also calling on these people to recognise older people planning and strategies.
‘Across the Commonwealth, elder abuse comes in many forms but by coming together to run education programmes, and giving opportunities for sector organisations and leaders to connect, we working together to irradicate elder abuse by creating mutual respect across the generations.’
Please join us on Saturday, 15 June, for the launch of our Chapters and to learn about our Train the Trainer programme.
8.00 am SAST: Programme Launch link: Train the Trainer
10.25 am SAST: Chapter Launch link: Chapter Launch
Use the World Clock time converter to find out the time SAST is in your own country.
Join us to ensure that older people are thoroughly recognised and sustained to live well in an age-inclusive Commonwealth.
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