Older people neglected in Darfur: survey

An older woman carries water home in Arara camp in Sudan’s Darfur region.

NAIROBI, April 15, 2005 (Xinhua) — Older people are neglected and forgotten in Sudan’s Darfur camps, because they are frequently not included in international humanitarian food and health programs, warns a survey released here Friday.

The Kenya-based Help Age International, a global network which provides care for the aged, conducted a survey in five camps in west Darfur which reveals that older people felt isolated and lonely because of food insecurity.

On average, people over the age of 50 comprise 10 percent of a camp’s population in Darfur.

The HelpAge International has called on all international humanitarian organizations working in Darfur to mainstream aging issues into their ongoing programs and improve aid provision for older people.