Irene Aoko
COUNTRY: Kenya
Irene is a married woman who is 53 years old. Of their six children, three sons and one daughter are still living. Irene lives with her husband, who is bedridden due to diabetes, and three of her orphaned grandchildren. They live in a small, congested home consisting of a single room with an iron sheet roof and soil walls.
To support her family, Irene works as a peasant farmer. Despite the devastating effect that pests can have on the crop, Irene always hopes for a good yield. She also maintains a tidy kitchen garden, where she raises vegetables for her family’s consumption.
Although Irene has ulcers and occasionally experiences other pain, overall she is in fairly good health.
In her younger days Irene helped her parents maintain their garden and look after their cattle and, when she had time, revelled in the chance to play. She has enjoyed singing ever since she was a child and to this day enjoys participating joyfully in the singing at church.
Sponsorship for Irene will assist in the provision of regular food, medication, and clothing for her. Climate change and extremely long droughts have made farming unreliable and food more expensive to buy. Just as importantly, your assistance will let Irene know that someone cares.
OUR PARTNER CARING ORGANIZATION – St. Elizabeth Joot Services, Ahero, Kisumu County, Kenya
Inflation in the countries where we work and the eroding purchasing power of sponsorship dollars make it hard to deliver a consistent level of assistance to grandparents around the world. An increase of a few dollars in your monthly contribution will help us keep benefits strong for all our seniors in the sponsorship program, including your sponsored grandparent, regardless of variations in local economies. With your support, sponsored Grandparents in HelpAge Canada programs can meet their daily needs and live secure healthy lives with dignity.