Silver lining in their golden years

How do you age gracefully when you do not have enough to eat two meals a day? How do you age gracefully when you neither have the means nor the health to earn your living? How do you age gracefully when you can’t even see clearly?

In our country, there are 104 million elders with half that number, i.e, 50+ million, living below the poverty line. HelpAge has envisioned and implemented multiple interventions to address basic needs of these elders.

We, at GiveIndia, have partnered with HelpAge to ensure access to much needed health care for the poorest. A donor can now sign up to donate to help a grandma or grandpa get cataract surgery every month! The uncomplicated cataract surgery prolongs the earning capacity of elders by a few more years and reduces anxiety.

HelpAge works across 21 states in the country with regional offices in key states. They operate under two models — one where they directly implement programs and other where they enter into a partnership with other non-profits with who they sign agreements for specific projects.

Health is a key focus area for HelpAge and apart from cataract surgeries, they also run Mobile Health Care units along with free clinics offering physiotherapy in rural and urban areas.

They also run model old age homes in five locations to understand the daily needs of elders. Through their network partners, they also provide monthly rations to the elders across the country.

Click here to visit our monthly platform and begin your giving journey with HelpAge India.

About the writer: Archana Hari leads the non-profit Relationships and due diligence at GiveIndia. Her primary role is to ensure that all partners on the platform are credible and adhere to requirements of the marketplace.