HelpAge Canada was founded in 1975 under the name Help the Aged (Canada) by a group of volunteers who were concerned that no Canadian charitable organization represented the interests and needs of older persons in Canada and in the developing world.
In 1983 HelpAge Canada and four other organizations in Colombia, Kenya, India and the UK set up HelpAge International to provide a strong network to support older people worldwide.
The HelpAge International network has since grown steadily in size and influence. We now have 80 affiliates and we work with more than 180 other partners in over 70 countries across the world.
In the 1980s, aging was not on the development agenda. The 1982 United Nations (UN) Vienna International Plan of Action on aging did not focus on the developing world.
Now there is growing awareness of aging issues, particularly in countries going through rapid demographic transition in Europe, China and India.
We have formal relations with some of the most influential agencies in the sector, including consultancy status with the UN and World Health Organization.