22 May 2012
HelpAge International announce Diamond Jubilee partnership to mark a lifetime of giving
The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust: HelpAge International Statement
LONDON – The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust was established to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s unrivalled 60 year contribution to the Commonwealth. The Trust gives governments and citizens across the Commonwealth the opportunity to create a lasting tribute to Her Majesty The Queen.
The Trust today announced it will invest in six areas that reflect the six decades of The Queen’s reign.
- Care with Dignity; to dignify older people with care that enables them to lead active lives to the full extent of their abilities; and provide compassionate care to the chronically ill.
- Young Diamonds; to use sport to enable young people to improve their lives and the lives of their communities with a strong focus on the values of leadership, responsibility and teamwork.
- Urban Food; to help communities establish food gardens in confined urban spaces to enable them to feed themselves, earn income and improve nutrition.
- Disability to Capability; to give people with disabilities the skills and support to take control of their own lives; and help them to be active members of their communities
- Heritage and Culture; to help people connect with and safeguard their irreplaceable cultural heritage both contemporary and historical.
- Exceptional Leaders; to recognise the duty and dedication of 60 exceptional community leaders and provide support to develop projects to improve the well-being of their communities
HelpAge International have been invited to work in partnership across the Care with Dignity theme. The six themes have been designed to reflect the values that we respect in Her Majesty the Queen: dedication, leadership, compassion and duty – with each focusing on an area where the Trust will genuinely be able to make a difference and add real value.
Silvia Stefanoni, Deputy CEO at HelpAge International said today: “HelpAge International is delighted to be asked by the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust to join them in developing a programme which addresses the challenges and opportunities of global ageing.”
“The most rapid growth in the numbers of older people across the world is in some of the Commonwealth countries; often four times faster than the UK. We must harness the wisdom, expertise and contribution of older people to help their families and communities plan for the future.”
“Our challenge is to provide support and care in later life so that older people can have a dignified old age. The number of older people over 80 in need of care in less developed regions will double from 50 million to 100 million by 2030. Currently, most older people in low to middle income countries are looked after by other older people – usually spouses. This informal network is the only way to receive care in countries where government and other care services are weak or non-existent.”
“We must urgently offer more support to the many thousands of caregivers helping the very old and frail stay in their homes and communities. HelpAge works with 4,000 community based older people’s groups, to organise delivery of home-based care and health services, to ensure the promise of a dignified old age is not broken.”
“We see working with the Trust as a real opportunity to shine a spotlight on the critical importance of the role older people play in our families and communities and to get Governments and people thinking about the policy implications of these varied roles.”
“We share the Trust ambitions to give older people the support that dignifies them and values their contribution. For us it is an obvious partnership and allows us to honour and thank the worlds most renowned and active elder leader – Her Majesty The Queen.”
Sir John Major, Chairman of the board of Trustees said: “The six themes chosen will enable the Trust to identify projects that are, and have been, of particular significance to the Her Majesty throughout her reign. We are delighted that we have secured such a wide range of partners to work with. As projects develop we will be adding international partners to our consortium. With these partners, The Trust will fund innovative and compelling initiatives that will make a very real difference to people throughout the Commonwealth.”
The Trust aims to reflect the qualities that citizens respect and value in Her Majesty. It will identify investments in legacy projects which will have a transforming impact on the life of Commonwealth citizens. The aim is to invest in projects which encourage generations to work together for the benefit of communities, and activities that bring Commonwealth citizens together across geographical boundaries.
More details about the Trust, including a way to contribute, can be found at the Trust’s website.
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Enquiries:
HelpAge International: “>Ros Tendler, 0207 259 903
Brunswick Group: Richard Meredith / Catherine Colloms / Ben Fry, 020 7404 5959
Notes to Editors:
- The Queen is Head of the Commonwealth which has 54 states and 2 billion people. She is The Queen of 16 of these Commonwealth countries, known as Commonwealth Realms.
- The Trust will be run and administered to ensure that every donation is used to the maximum benefit of commonwealth citizens and delivers results that make a real difference to people’s lives. It will not establish a major new institution. It will work with established partner charities and organisations across the Commonwealth, both in the UK and elsewhere, to deliver iconic projects that are a fitting tribute to The Queen.
- As announced at CHOGM this may include tackling curable diseases, promoting all forms of education and culture and other Commonwealth priorities.
- The trustees are: The Rt Hon Sir John Major (Chairman), The Commonwealth Secretary General, The Rt Hon Lord Robertson, Professor Sir Mervyn King, The Rt Rev and Rt Hon Richard Chartres, Bishop of London, The Rt Hon Sir Christopher Geidt ,and Alan Parker.
- Projects will be chosen by the Trustees, who will consult widely before reaching decisions
- HelpAge International, the only global organization with a singular focus on providing assistance to and advocating for disadvantaged older people. HelpAge International helps older people claim their rights, challenge discrimination and overcome poverty, so that they can lead dignified, secure, active and healthy lives.
- HelpAge International encompasses 94 HelpAge Affiliates in 60 countries and more than 3,000 independent partner groups and older people’s organizations. HelpAge has trained 25,000 professionals and 16,000 community members-including older people themselves-to provide health care, legal advice and financial support for older people.