Elderly Partnership

The “Adopt a Granny” scheme begun by the Quicken Trust in 2006 is giving dignity and hope to older people trapped by extreme poverty in the Uganda village of Kabubbu. (Elderly welfare)

In Uganda there’s no pension or state benefit to rely on. For most elderly people in Uganda, their family is their pension, supporting them in their old age.

But AIDS and malaria have meant many of the elderly in Kabubbu don’t have that assurance – disease has killed their children leaving the grandparents to bring up their grandchildren. We even know of some grannies that have lost 11 of their 12 children from AIDS, malaria and wars. Quicken’s work now provides a safety net.

Around 80 elderly people are supported through “Adopt a Granny”. Partnership costs less than a cup of tea a day – just £22.50 per month. But for the grandma or granddad in Uganda it means:

  • Regular food such as eggs, milk, meat, sugar and salt
  • Water from a borehole taken to their homes
  • Free primary healthcare
  • Paraffin to light their homes
  • Many Partners also send gifts or provide necessities such as beds, mattresses, mosquito nets and bed linen (shop)

In return, you will receive a photograph of the elderly person you are partnered with and – if they are able to write – occasional letters from the granny or granddad.

Click here to find out how you can Partner with an Elderly Person.

A Partner’s Story

Adrian Butcher and his family began partnering with two grandparents in 2008: Zaliya – an 84-year-old widow who lives with her sister; and Mathias – a widower in his 70s who has lived alone since his wife and son died nearly 40 years ago.

“It’s very humbling to receive a letter from a man from my father’s generation telling me that our partnership has changed his life,” says Adrian. “It costs us less than £1 a day – half the price of a cup of coffee. But for Mathias and Zaliya, it has changed their world.”

Adrian and his 17-year-old son, Matt, travelled to Kabubbu in 2012 and visited Mathias at his house.

“It was wonderful to see him,” says Adrian. “He was beaming with delight the whole time and kept on shaking our hands as if he couldn’t believe we were really there. It was a very special moment.”

Click here to find out how you can Partner with an Elderly Person.