Hesperian Health Guides
Working for Change
Older women are more likely than men to live alone. They usually live longer and often marry older men. In some places, women whose partners have died have lower status than married women. When an older woman lives in a community that does not value elders, she—as well as her family, or even her health worker—may feel that her health problems are not worthy of treatment. Services to treat her problems may not exist.
When older women are also very poor, the problems they face are much worse. They may not have the money to pay for health care and medicines, to buy healthy foods, or to pay for a safe place to live.
|
Income earning projects. Older people can improve their situation by finding ways to earn money to support themselves and each other by:
- raising animals, such as chickens, goats, or cows, and then selling the eggs, milk, cheese, or meat.
- making bread or other food to sell.
- making traditional crafts or sewing things to sell.
Six widows living in a small community in El Salvador decided they wanted to earn some money by raising chickens to sell for meat. None of them had ever raised chickens before, but they asked a group that supports cooperatives to help show them how.
After a local community association loaned them money, the group started to work. At night the women took turns sleeping in the chicken coop to keep animals and people from stealing the chickens. At dawn the women rose to kill and clean chickens. Every day the women walked for miles to other communities to sell the chickens, carrying them in baskets on their heads.
Men from their community—and even a specialist who worked with an agency— all told them their project would not be successful. But the women earned enough money to cover their costs, buy new chickens, and pay themselves each about $45 a month. Although it was not much money, it was more than any of them had ever earned before. And they gained respect in their community because they had a successful business. As one of them said, “We never imagined that we could run our own business. Now look at us. We are the bosses!”
Older women have much wisdom and experience. Working together can make them very powerful.
Community services. By working together, older people can encourage their communities to:
- create less costly housing for older women or form groups that live together to cut down on living expenses.
- include older people in nutrition programs.
- train health workers in the health needs of older women.
Older women can teach others. Older women are often the main keepers of traditional healing practices. To preserve these practices and remind others that older women have important skills, they can teach these practices to their children and grandchildren. They can also help health workers learn traditional healing practices, so that health workers can use the best methods of both traditional and modern medicine.
Changing government policies and laws. Many governments provide monthly income (pensions), housing, and health care to older people. If your government does not, or neglects women, work together with others to change these laws. This kind of change takes time. But even if you do not see the changes yourself, you will know you have worked toward a better life for your community.