Swaziland

There is no rest for the elderly in Swaziland. Mostly over 60, invariably retired, poor and vulnerable having survived their own children lost to HIV, many elderly people now find themselves the carers of last resort.

It’s a responsibility they can’t avoid. The HIV epidemic hits hardest the economically active age group 18-49, most of whom are bread winners and parents, who are usually resident in the urban areas. But when they contract HIV, the health system that is no longer able to cope, refers AIDS to home based care. This invariably means they return to their ancestral family homes in the rural areas, where they become the responsibility of their elderly parents. Conditions in the rural areas where 70% of the population live are usually harsh, and service delivery is still low. Typically, home based care patients soon succumb to death, leaving their bereaved parents to automatically assume responsibility for their orphaned children.

The numbers of orphaned and vulnerable children (OVCs) is growing exponentially. Just a year ago, there were an estimated 70,000 OVS. New figures released after the national census showed that the number had doubled to 130,000, and more than 10% of the population.

Elderly people do not immediately come to mind as a national priority. After many years, the government only recently started providing a small quarterly grant of E300 ($42) for elderly people. However the plight of the BVE is one that has gone unnoticed for some time. In an effort to focus public attention and inspire policy reform to address the needs of the elderly, UNDP donated comfort hampers to the association of elderly people, Philani Maswati. The hampers containing blankets, some food and other essential items, was received by Her Majesty the Queen Mother who is patron of the elderly.

In a gesture that is expected to strengthen the advocacy for the issues of the elderly, the Queen Mother directed that the hampers be handed over for distribution by Members of Parliament. The intended beneficiaries of the donation are the poorest in the communities.

UNDP Resident Representative Chinwe Dike also alerted the Queen Mother of concerns that elderly people even contract HIV while caring for their children and grand children.

“It is important that we reach out and start paying more attention to this group of people of over 50 years old. They need information on how to take care of their children with HIV as many may continue to handle blood and other body fluids without protection. If we are to protect elderly people from risk of contracting the disease, we need to review our policies so that they also address the interests of older people,” she said.