Skip Navigation

Vice President Visits Grandparents

Vice-President of Methodist Conference, Ruby Beech,
travels to Cameroon today to visit some special grandparents whose lives have been transformed by MRDF.
 
You can follow along on her blog.

Elderly people in rural Cameroon face great hardship in their old age. HIV/AIDS, urban migration and poverty have left many elderly people responsible for bringing up as many as ten grandchildren, when they would struggle just to look after themselves in this harsh mountain area.
 
Many older people end up isolated and unable to cope as they become frailer. But thanks to the support of UK Methodists, through MRDF, local partner Community Development for Technical Assistance (CDTVA) is bringing joy back into old age for these Grandmas and Grandpas.

 

 
By establishing clubs in each village where the elderly people can meet for solidarity and practical support, MRDF is enabling small changes to make a big difference to the quality of life they enjoy.
 
Club members are given bush lamps and blankets, which immediately improve their comfort and safety. ‘Light is like hope for us,' Mr Bochong Mah declared.
 
The clubs also help these grandparents to start up shared ventures like vegetable plots or running a small shop; by working together they are able to do things that they couldn't in isolation and so have the chance to supplement their diets and their income.
 
While in Cameroon, Ruby Beech will also make field visits to see MRDF's work with poor farmers. She will see first hand how a micro-credit scheme and training in sustainable agriculture, group organisation and HIV/AIDS awareness are making a huge difference to the lives of families in the area.