HelpAge International was created by five organizations in Canada, Colombia, Kenya, India and the United Kingdom in 1983 to provide a strong network to support older adults around the world.
early days
The idea for a global network of organizations for seniors arose from a consulting firm commissioned by Sir Leslie Kirkley, chair of the Overseas Aged Assistance Committee, in 1980.
“It was a time of the Ethiopia and Somalia wars,” says Chris Beer, who conducted the consulting and later became CEO of HelpAge International.
“It became clear that the older refugees were not being looked after by other agencies. The idea was to become a lobby for the elderly and develop programs like eye care and community care.”
steady growth
In November 1983, five organizations – Help the Aged (now Age UK), HelpAge India, HelpAge Kenya, Help the Aged Canada, and Pro-Vida Colombia – came together to form the HelpAge International Network.
Soon the idea of the World Wide Web took root. In 1988, Mark Gorman, strategic development advisor to HelpAge International, took on the task of developing the network.
“I was very interested in helping to expand the group of organizations, which later numbered about 20,” he says. “We’ve produced flyers, we’ve offered fundraising and skills training. And people have appreciated the idea of being part of a global movement.”
Global Impact
The HelpAge International network has since grown steadily in size and influence. We now have more than 130 network members and many partners in 80 countries around the world.
In the 1980s, aging was not on the development agenda. The 1982 United Nations Vienna International Plan of Action on Aging did not focus on the developing world.
There is now a growing awareness of aging issues, particularly in countries undergoing rapid demographic transition in Europe, China and India.
We have official relationships with some of the most influential agencies in the sector, including in consultative status with the United Nations and the World Health Organization.
Activist demanding work from Ethiopia. Activist demanding work from Ethiopia. Photo: HelpAge International
Main Achievements
1993 HelpAge Kenya undertakes the first participatory research with the elderly, to ensure their experience is properly understood.
1999 HelpAge International published guidelines on how to respond to older adults in emergencies, based on research and experience.
2002 HelpAge International arranged consultations with older people in 32 countries. This helped shape the United Nations’ Madrid International Plan of Action on Aging – a marked improvement on the Vienna Plan, in which it committed governments to include aging in all social and economic development policies. HelpAge also arranged for 60 seniors and their representatives to speak at the Global NGO Forum on Aging.
2002 Our partner organizations in five countries launched our first Older Citizens Surveillance Projects, where groups of older people learned about their entitlement to social pensions and health care and put pressure on the authorities to improve access.
2007 Organizations of older people in 27 countries participated in Age Demands Action, the first coordinated global campaign in which older people bring their issues to governments. The campaign continues to grow, with organizations participating in 59 countries in 2011.
2012 HelpAge International was awarded the prestigious Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Award for 2012. This award is the world’s largest humanitarian award, and is given each year to an organization that does exceptional work to alleviate human suffering.
2012 HelpAge International supported the founding of Age International, a charity of Age UK, part of the Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) and a member of the global HelpAge network.
HelpAge International is the secretariat to a global network of organisations promoting the right of all older people to lead dignified, healthy and secure lives.
Values
Our values are shown in the graphic below. Please roll over each of the four statements to see more detail.
Vision
Our vision is a world in which all older people can lead dignified, healthy and secure lives.
Mission
Our mission is to promote the wellbeing and inclusion of older women and men, and reduce poverty and discrimination in later life.
We work with older women and men in low and middle-income countries for better services and policies, and for changes in the behaviours and attitudes of individuals and societies towards old age.
CONTACTS
HelpAge International
PO Box 70156
London
WC1A 9GB
+44 20 7278 7778
info@helpage.org
For all press enquiries, please contact Vitaliy Konovalov.
Vitaliy.konovalov@helpage.org
