278 neglected elderly people on the brink of starvation in Tharaka
More than Two hundred and seventy-eight aging people are at risk of “withering away” as a result of hunger and other basic needs-Marimanti based community-based organization taking care of the elderly has confirmed.
The elderly people, who include the vulnerable and those completely abandoned by their family members, have been receiving care from St. Theresa Haven for the Aged, an organization located in Marimanti town, Tharaka South, and well known for taking care of seniors.
However, according to the organization director Monica Mukami, the organization has been currently facing challenges in feeding, clothing, providing medical care, and shelter for the elders due to the current high cost of living crisis.
“We are facing a lot of challenges in transporting, clothing, and even feeding them. We need a lot of funding to continue taking care of them,” Ms. Mukami told County Focus.
According to Mukami the organization has been spending about Sh 4500 per head on daily basis on medical care, feeding, and other miscellaneous expenses in a bid to take care of the elderly.
Being a young organization, Mukami says they rely on volunteers and well-wishers to raise funds to take care of the aging people.
Mukami called for a quick intervention from the government and well-wishers noting that the affected aging people are at risk of dying of hunger.
For proper care and dispense of the services, the organization is also seeking allocation of a building field by the government at Ruau where they can admit the most vulnerable elderly in the community, and help the CBO vacate government premises at Marimanti where they are operating from.
Mukami said her vision is to see the elderly living better lives even when she will not be in a position to help them with such an initiative for a better society.
“The main mission of St. Theresa’s Haven for the Aged is to ensure a total change in the lives of the elderly through physical, social, psychological, health, and spiritual intervention. So, my dream in one year is to establish a well-constructed, well-managed Nursing home for the elderly at Marimanti,” Mukami said.
The organization however called on well-wishers to support it through funds and other materials that can help them to continue taking care of the suffering elderly people.
St. Theresa Haven for the Aged was started in 2019 to improve the lives of the aged and the vulnerable in the community by providing them with shelter, clothing, and healthcare so as to ensure that the aged are living in desirable and hygienic places.
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