Caring for the elderly honors God’s commands to “look after widows in their distress” (James 1:27) and “show respect for the elderly” (Leviticus 19:32).
The needs of the elderly in Tanzania
Tanzanian culture traditionally has great respect and care for the elderly. However, the African family system does not extend into the bigger cities.
As the commercial capital of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam draws many people away from their ancestral villages in search of work. When they become too old for manual labor, they have no family to rely on to meet their needs.
Income Insecurity
A study by Helpage in 2011 showed that 96 percent of elderly Tanzanians lack secure income. This forces them to continue to work in physically demanding jobs such as farming just to survive. When their strength goes, so does their livelihood.
Lack of Insurance
Furthermore, fewer than 20% of Tanzanians have a bank account and less than 25% have insurance. There is also no social security or Medicare programs to provide for them. So, there are limited resources to draw on in difficult times.
Not Enough Room
In Dar es Salaam, a city of 6.4 million people, there are only two homes for the elderly. Jointly, these centers accommodate about 50 people, barely scratching the surface of the need.
Our feeding program
Sister Columba’s church has small groups that visit the sick and elderly. We provide bags of food for them to take on their visits. There are 20 people enrolled in this program and a waitlist of many more. It costs $40 to feed an elderly Tanzanian for a month.
How the center will run
Our goal is to have an environmentally friendly facility that is self-sustaining within 15 years. We will achieve that by adding a retreat center and conference facilities to generate income. In Dar es Salaam, we know that there is a great need for these kinds of facilities.
Our commitment to the environment will be seen through our large farm, rainwater catchment facility, and use of solar panels.
