Day 9

1 day of care for a senior citizen in Tanzania

More than just a pension More than just a pension

1 day of care for a senior citizen in Tanzania
Day 9
With targeted support for a self-determined life in old age

The new month is finally beginning. This means that in Kagera, a region in northwestern Tanzania, the monthly pensions are being paid out again. Grandmother Aurelia, like many other elderly people from the village, makes her way to the payment point. Even though the pension that Aurelia receives in a month is relatively small, it is enough for the bare necessities: food, soap or paraffin for the lamp at night. If there is some money left over, many grandmothers use part of their pension to pay their grandchildren's school fees. And even beyond their pension, the elderly in Kagera receive a variety of support, such as seeds or new cooking stoves. Aurelia is one of those who received her own water tank. "The tank has made my life a lot easier. Before, I had to walk two hours to the nearest spring and back again," says the 76-year-old. She shares the water from the tank with her neighbors - this is a matter of course for Aurelia.

With targeted support for a self-determined life in old age
Annika Ernst presents her favorite project
need
Social protection for older people, especially older women, in Tanzania
activity
Payment of monthly pensions and other support offers for the senior citizens
Measurable performance
Number of senior women supported by the program
Result
More older women are more financially independent, have better health and can provide their grandchildren with an education
Systemically relevant impact
The social security of older women in Tanzania and the future prospects of their grandchildren have improved
background

In Tanzania there is no statutory pension system like in Germany. Therefore, many older people are dependent on working even in old age. If they are unable to do so, for example due to physical impairments, they are dependent on their families or even have to beg. Older women in particular often have no security in old age. They are usually responsible for household chores and caring for family members - a grandmother who looks after and raises her grandchildren every day has, in a sense, an unpaid full-time job. There is hardly enough time to work for pay on top of that. According to studies, older women even do twice as much unpaid care work as older men (HelpAge, 2018). In Germany, too, women are more likely to be affected by poverty in old age. Here, too, this is often related to the family situation, but is also due to the professional salary differences between women and men (BMFSFJ 2021). In Tanzania, the double burden of work often brings with it negative consequences such as physical and mental exhaustion for women. And this in turn also affects those around them, i.e. the grandchildren and the other family members. It is the grandmothers who are usually responsible for keeping the family together (HelpAge, 2018). For many grandmothers, a secure income, financial independence and support through various additional services, such as Aurelia's water tank, are not only an economic help, but they also increase the women's self-esteem, their reputation in the community and their independence from others. In order to convince the national government in Tanzania of the benefits of a pension system, the pension program in Kagera is even considered a political pilot project.

Kagera region
Day 9 Day 9
The good deed

Today's good deed enables senior citizens to receive exactly the support they need in their everyday lives. They receive a monthly pension that they can use as they wish: to buy food, medicine or their grandchildren's school fees. In addition, water tanks and cooking stoves are set up in selected households to make everyday life easier for the elderly. Self-help groups and savings funds create additional benefits: loneliness is counteracted, tips for healthy eating in old age are exchanged, eye operations are made possible, self-defense courses and training in agricultural cultivation methods are offered, seeds and goats are distributed and privately organized savings funds are used to create reserves for acute emergencies, e.g. for repairing a house. There is also the option of receiving legal assistance with legal questions. In this way, you help senior citizens in Tanzania to live more independently and self-determined.

AboutTanzania
Dodoma
Dodoma
Capital city
65,497,748
65,497,748
Population
1,192.4
1,192.4
Gross domestic product per capita per year
0.549
0.549
Human Development Index (Human Development Index)

About 125 different languages are spoken in Tanzania. In Kagera, a dialect of the official language Swahili is spoken - “thank you” is called “Wakola” here.