GrandConnect

GrandConnect (formerly Sponsor a Grandparent) is HelpAge Canada’s flagship global program. For more than 40 years, we have connected Canadians with older adults and their communities around the world, creating meaningful relationships while supporting lasting, community-driven change.

At the heart of GrandConnect is a simple belief: older people are essential to strong, resilient communities. That’s why we invest in local organizations and grassroots movements that understand their communities best and are creating sustainable solutions that improve the lives of older adults now and create a better future for everyone.

Together with our partners, we’re advancing change across seven key areas:

Kenya

Kenya is a developing country in East Africa that sits directly on the Equator. It’s home to over three million older people, many of whom live in rural communities with limited infrastructure like health and home care, economic opportunities, and spaces for older people to connect.

Elder abuse is a major and under-reported issue, manifesting in forms ranging from neglect in informal urban settlements to violence against older women in rural areas, often based on false witchcraft accusations linked to land disputes. Climate emergencies like prolonged droughts put older people at special risk from the health-related effects of heat and the economic implications of poor harvest seasons. For those who do not have family to care for them in later life, many older people slip into poverty once they are no longer able to work.

Our Local Partners in Kenya

• HelpAge Kenya
• Ageing Concern Foundation
• AgeWatch Africa Foundation
• Kenya Pro-Ageing Organization
• Senior Women Citizens for Change
• Pamoja Community-Based Organization

Sponsor Kenya

When you sponsor Kenya with GrandConnect, your gift goes directly to trusted, community-driven organizations who are reaching older people across Kenya. Your sponsorship ensures they can keep doing their vital work on the ground, supporting and empowering older people today and building a better future for older people in Kenya tomorrow.

You’ll receive updates about the work we’re doing in Kenya – from national advocacy wins to transformative community projects, along with stories from the older people your gift has helped. Sponsor Kenya today to create lasting change for older people and their communities.

Jamaica

Jamaica’s population is aging rapidly, with over 400,000 people – nearly 15% of the total population – now over the age of 60. While life expectancy has improved, older adults face critical challenges, including high rates of chronic non-communicable diseases like hypertension and diabetes, social and economic inequalities, limited enrolment in pension programs, and a lack of specialized geriatric healthcare, particularly in rural areas.

HelpAge is expanding to identify and partner with local partners in Jamaica to reach even more older people in communities across Jamaica.

Our Local Partners in Jamaica

• St. Catherine Community Development Agency
• HelpAge International

Sponsor Jamaica

When you sponsor Jamaica with GrandConnect, you’re getting in on the ground floor of our outreach to older adults in the country. Your donation will help us to partner with even more local organizations, supporting projects that reach older Jamaicans in the heart of their communities.

You’ll receive updates about the work we’re doing in Jamaica – from new local partnerships to transformative advocacy work, along with stories from the older people your gift has helped. Sponsor Jamaica today to create lasting change for older people and their communities.

India

India’s older population is growing rapidly, but not everyone is ageing with the support and resources they need. Many older people face challenges such as financial insecurity, health concerns, social isolation, and limited access to appropriate care and support. These challenges can be even greater for older people living in poverty, particularly in rural and underserved communities, where access to healthcare, social protection, livelihoods, and other essential services can be limited.

Some older people face greater risks than others. Older women, people living alone, people with disabilities, and those without strong family or social networks may be especially vulnerable. As younger family members move away for work, traditional family support systems can also become weaker, leaving some older people more isolated.

Our Local Partners in India

• HelpAge India

• Gramin Vikas Vigyan Samiti (GRAVIS)

Sponsor India

When you sponsor India with GrandConnect, your gift goes directly to trusted, community-driven organizations who are reaching older people across India. Your sponsorship ensures they can keep doing their vital work on the ground, supporting and empowering older people today and building a better future for older people in India tomorrow.

You’ll receive updates about the work we’re doing in India – from national advocacy wins to transformative community projects, along with stories from the older people your gift has helped. Sponsor India today to create lasting change for older people and their communities.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is facing a severe economic crisis, with rising prices making it harder for many people to afford food, clean water, healthcare, and other basic necessities.

Older people are among those hit the hardest. Many can no longer afford essential medications, while others have lost the support of family members who are struggling to make ends meet themselves. With only about half of older people in Sri Lanka receiving formal benefits, many are being forced to make impossible choices between putting food on the table and getting the healthcare they need. At the same time, falling household incomes are leaving many older people — particularly older women — increasingly vulnerable to neglect, financial hardship, and even homelessness.

Our Local Partners in Sri Lanka

• HelpAge Sri Lanka
• HelpAge International

Sponsor Sri Lanka

When you sponsor Sri Lanka with GrandConnect, your gift goes directly to trusted, community-driven organizations who are reaching older people across Sri Lanka. Your sponsorship ensures they can keep doing their vital work on the ground, supporting and empowering older people today and building a better future for older people in Sri Lanka tomorrow.

You’ll receive updates about the work we’re doing in Sri Lanka – from new community projects to emerging crisis responses, along with stories from the older people your gift has helped. Sponsor Sri Lanka today to create lasting change for older people and their communities.

Pakistan

Pakistan is a country in South Asia that is home to more than 16 million older people. Despite ongoing natural disasters and climate emergencies, a fragile healthcare system, and a largely rural population, life expectancy is rising in Pakistan – meaning more people are getting older and requiring increasing care and support.

A fundamental issue facing older Pakistanis is the near-total absence of a formal social safety net. Only 2.3% of the population outside the public sector has access to a pension — one of the lowest rates in the world. This means that the vast majority of older people, especially those who worked in agriculture or took informal jobs, are left without any secure, regular income in their later years. This failure of state support places an enormous and unsustainable burden on families and communities, who often face their own challenges and cannot provide for older family or community members.  

Our Local Partners in Pakistan

• Foundation for Ageing and Inclusive Development
• HelpAge International

Sponsor Pakistan

Your support helps these community partners continue their vital work — providing support and creating opportunities, protecting the rights of older people, and helping them live healthier and more secure lives. Together, we’re creating lasting change for older Pakistanis today while building a stronger future for generations to come.

You’ll receive regular updates about the impact of your sponsorship, from inspiring stories of older people whose lives have changed to national advocacy successes and community projects made possible by your support.

Sponsor Pakistan today and help older people and their communities thrive.

The Philippines

The Philippines is a country in Southeast Asia that is home to more than 11 million people aged 60 and over. According to the latest census, older people made up 10.2% of the country’s household population in 2024, up from 8.5% in 2020, reflecting the Philippines’ rapidly ageing population. At the same time, the country is highly exposed to typhoons, floods, earthquakes and other natural hazards, while poverty, geographical inequalities, and gaps in access to healthcare continue to affect many communities. Older people can be particularly vulnerable during disasters and emergencies, especially when they have limited income, mobility, or access to essential services.

Financial security is a major concern for many older Filipinos, particularly those who have spent their working lives in informal employment and have not been able to contribute to a private pension. The Philippines does have a government social pension, but it is targeted specifically at indigent older people who are frail, sickly, have a disability, or lack a permanent source of income and family support. Because this income support is not available to all older people, many older Filipinos become vulnerable without a secure and adequate income in later life. As the older population continues to grow, strengthening social protection, healthcare, and community-based support will be increasingly important to help older Filipinos live with security and dignity.

Our Local Partners in The Philippines

• Coalition of Services of the Elderly

• HelpAge International

Sponsor The Philippines

Your support helps our community partners create a safer, more secure future for older people in the Philippines — strengthening access to financial support, helping communities prepare for disasters and climate-related emergencies, and ensuring older adults are included in the decisions that affect their lives. Together, we can help older people stay independent, resilient, and connected to their communities, while creating lasting change that benefits generations to come.

As a sponsor, you’ll receive regular updates showing how your support is making a difference — from stories of older people gaining greater financial security to communities becoming better prepared for disasters and local initiatives helping older adults build more resilient futures.

Sponsor the Philippines today and help older people and their communities thrive.

Give Where the Need is Greatest

When you choose to give where the need is greatest through GrandConnect, your monthly gift provides flexible support to communities that need it most. Your generosity helps us respond quickly to emerging emergencies, expand our reach into new regions, and ensure communities have the resources they need to connect older adults with life-changing programs and services. By giving where the need is greatest, you help make sure your support can have the greatest possible impact — wherever and whenever it is needed most.

As a GrandConnect sponsor, you’ll still see the difference your generosity makes. Each year, you’ll receive an update sharing the impact of your gift, including inspiring stories from the communities your support has reached and the older adults whose lives have been touched by these programs and services. Your gift may go where the need is greatest, but you’ll always be connected to the impact you’re making.

Please consider choosing Give Where the Need Is Greatest to help ensure your support can reach the communities that need it most.