'What happened is unacceptable. This is a disaster for all human beings. Not only in Lebanon but for the whole world.' Kamal (80) Lebanese man who was in the Al Nahr river area, near the port where the explosion happened.
HelpAge Jordan designed a programme to support and protect older people based on the HRP strategic priority: Protect, Assist, and Advocate. This project was supported by the Basic Needs Cluster and the Ministry of Planning and Jordanian Emergency Response.
The blast destroyed the traditional neighbourhoods of central Beirut which are home to a very high number of older people, many of whom were already living in extreme poverty.
I have been in a state of shock since the massive explosion in Beirut. I did not believe the situation in Lebanon could get any worse after the political turmoil, the economic crisis, and then the COVID-19 pandemic. And then this happened.
The COVID-19 pandemic affects all of us but has the greatest impact on those already experiencing poverty, poor health and discrimination.
According to WHO data published in the latest update, adults aged 60 years account for 15.4 per cent of cases in the countries included in the humanitarian response plan and fatalities rise steadily with age.
Most at risk are the almost 5,000 older migrants living in La Guajira. According to a survey of the region - carried out by HelpAge in January 2020 - 84% of them have no handwashing facilities and 78% have no access to safe drinking water. This has not improved since the outbreak of COVID and creates serious obstacles to protecting a population at risk from the virus.
The Federal Government of Ethiopia ratified the African Union (AU) Protocol on the rights of older people on 9 July 2020, becoming the third country to do so after Lesotho and Benin. The decision is commendable by Ethiopia's government.
About 12 million people in Thailand, almost 1 in 5, are aged 60 or over, more than half of them are women. And according to the 2017 Survey of Older Persons, 32% of those in their 80s indicated that their health was poor or very poor.
COVID-19 made itself known in Rwanda in March of this year. The government was quick to respond, by setting up preventive measures and providing food to people who had informal jobs and using media to disseminate information. But older people's heightened risk to COVID-19 was not clear in these media campaigns. Only general messages were given to communities.
HelpAge International has been tracking discrimination against older people related to COVID-19 restrictions throughout the pandemic and has seen examples of age-based measures in at least 48 countries across the globe.
HelpAge International and the Commonwealth Association for the Ageing - CommonAge - announce a formal strategic partnership.
