In Africa, millions of elderly people face overwhelming challenges brought on by the orphan crisis. With an estimated 2.43 million orphans in Uganda, 45.6 per cent of these orphans are affected by HIV/AIDS. Many of these orphans are primary school-age children (6-12 years old) and are living in elderly headed households. Under the pressure of caring for up to 10 or more children, these elderly people struggle to continue working in their traditional capacities to support themselves and their dependents. They are faced with greater responsibilities and burdens, particularly basic needs and educational costs. Many elderly people are dying due to the lack of hygiene and starvation, and the orphan crisis is escalating very quickly.

Whilst volunteering with Abaana Community Outreach (ACO) Africa, I founded the Golden Age Program in 2014 because I felt distressed by the situation and lack of attention to elderly people in Uganda. Being raised by my grandparents, I am dedicated to do as much I can for elderly people because they represent a huge part of my life. We are fortunate enough to watch our grandparents grow old gracefully in the comfort of their family and know that they have a relatively better quality of life compared to people in other parts of the world.

In Uganda, many elderly people have no choice but to continue working and living in harsh conditions to provide basic needs, security and a decent standard of living for themselves and their grandchildren, in this case, orphans. I urge everyone to not only respect and treat your grandparents with love and care, but to extend your care, and support this campaign to help other elderly people and family in need.

We hope you can contribute and join ACO Africa in tackling this crisis by providing these elderly people and their dependents with basic supplies including mattresses, hygiene products and emergency food supplies to meet their basic needs and to improve their current living standards.