HelpAge International is an international

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

that helps older people claim their rights, challenge

discrimination Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of race, gender, age, relig ...

, and overcome

poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...

, so that they can lead dignified, secure, active and healthy lives. Five organisations from Canada, Colombia, Kenya, India and the United Kingdom set up HelpAge International in 1983 to provide a global network to support older people worldwide. HelpAge International now has 158 members and works in 86 countries. HelpAge works for and with older people by: lobbying governments to achieve policy change, undertaking research programmes, and via community projects on the ground. The organisation focuses on issues that affect older people worldwide, such as

disaster risk reduction Disaster risk reduction (DRR) sometimes called disaster risk management (DRM) is a systematic approach to identifying, assessing and reducing the risks of disaster. It aims to reduce socio-economic vulnerabilities to disaster as well as dealing w ...

and

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

rights Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical the ...

health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...

social protection Social protection, as defined by the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, is concerned with preventing, managing, and overcoming situations that adversely affect people's well-being. Social protection consists of policies and ...

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

and

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

, and work. HelpAge also works in

emergency response Emergency services and rescue services are organizations that ensure public safety and health by addressing and resolving different emergencies. Some of these agencies exist solely for addressing certain types of emergencies, while others deal wi ...

s, such as

Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda, was one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. On making landfall, Haiyan devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines. It is one of the ...

in the Philippines, and the Earthquake in Nepal. HelpAge also campaigns around the

sustainable development goals The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future".United Nations (2017) R ...

. HelpAge's main campaign, Age Demands Action, is a grassroots movement of older and younger activists across the world, who fight for a better and fairer world for older people. HelpAge is a part of other campaigning coalitions, most recently the Action/2015 campaign. Action/2015 All Ages has seen direct support from Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and Bolivian Actress

Erika Andia Erika Noemí Andia Balcázar (b. 6 March 1972) is a Bolivian theatre actress and director and journalist. Biography Erika Andia was born in La Paz, Bolivia on 6 March 1972, and completed her basic education in the city of her birth. She began st ...

. Kenyan singer,

Avril Avril means April in French and other languages. It may also refer to: Places * Mont Avril, a mountain on the Swiss-Italian border * Avril, Meurthe-et-Moselle, a commune of the Meurthe-et-Moselle département, France People * Avril (name) * ...

, together with John Katana (

Them Mushrooms Them Mushrooms is a musical band from Kenya, playing mostly Chakacha, some Benga and also some reggae. They are most famous for the Swahili 1982 song ''Jambo Bwana''. The band is composed of Teddy Kalanda, Henry Ndenge Saha and Ben Mutwiwa. T ...

John Nzenze John Nzenze (194030 May 2020) was a musician from Kenya. He had performed the twist dance style.Daily Nation, 14 June 2009At 70, Nzenze still holds on to his guitar/ref> Some of his most popular songs were "Angelike" (released in 1961), "Julieta ...

, Teddy Kalanda Harrison, Dar Mjomba, Judith Bwire, and the Afro-Simba Band, recorded Hoja Zetu especially for the campaign. HelpAge International has offices in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

plus nine regional centres coordinating their work in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

, and

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

Global AgeWatch Index

HelpAge's flagship product is the Global AgeWatch Index, launched in 2013, which ranks countries by how well their aging populations are faring. It is based on four domains that are key enablers of older people's wellbeing: income, health, capabilities, and enabling environments.

Measuring criteria

There are four domains measuring the index. Each domain has more detailed indicators. #Income security ##Pension income coverage ##Poverty rate in old age ##Relative welfare of older people ##GNI per capita #Health status ##Life expectancy at 60 ##Healthy life expectancy at 60 ##Psychological wellbeing #Capability ##Employment of older people ##Educational status of older people #Enabling environment ##Social connections ##Physical safety ##Civic freedom ##Access to public transport

Top 25 Global AgeWatch Index 2015

References

External links

HelpAge InternationalGlobal AgeWatch Index
{{Authority control Charities for the elderly based in the United Kingdom Development charities based in the United Kingdom Elder rights activists International charities International organisations based in London Poverty-related organizations