Humanitarian Response
Older persons are among the most vulnerable during emergencies, often losing their livelihoods, homes, and access to essential services. At Ethel Foundation, we recognize that crises such as drought, floods, epidemics, and conflicts disproportionately affect older persons, exacerbating their already precarious living conditions and deepening their isolation and poverty.
Why We Respond
We mobilize because we understand that older persons face heightened vulnerability during emergencies, when their limited mobility, chronic health conditions, and social isolation compound the challenges of surviving and recovering from disasters. Our response is driven by the recognition that older persons often cannot evacuate quickly, may lack resources for emergency supplies, and frequently become separated from family support systems during crises.
We respond because we know that the inability of older persons to recover quickly from such shocks further deepens their poverty, isolation, and despair. Our humanitarian commitment extends beyond immediate relief to building long-term resilience and ensuring that older persons are not forgotten or left behind when communities face their darkest hours.
Emergency Interventions
Emergency Shelter & Infrastructure Support
We provide immediate shelter solutions for displaced older persons who have lost their homes to natural disasters or conflicts. Our emergency shelter program includes constructing temporary and transitional housing that meets the specific needs of older persons, including accessibility features and proximity to essential services. We work rapidly to ensure that older persons have safe, dignified spaces to stay during displacement, recognizing that crowded emergency shelters often fail to accommodate their unique needs for privacy, medical care access, and mobility assistance.
Emergency Food Aid & Nutrition Support
We deliver critical food assistance and nutritional support to older persons affected by emergencies, ensuring they have access to age-appropriate nutrition during crises. Our emergency food programs prioritize easily digestible foods and consider the dietary restrictions and health conditions common among older persons. We supply both food and non-food items to affected communities, with special attention to the specific needs of older persons including medications, mobility aids, and personal care items that are often overlooked in general emergency responses.
Emergency Medical Response & Health Services
We organize emergency medical camps and health services specifically designed to address the immediate health needs of older persons during crises. Our emergency medical response recognizes that older persons often have pre-existing conditions that become life-threatening during emergencies, requiring specialized attention and continuity of care. We ensure that emergency medical services include geriatric care, mental health support for trauma recovery, and access to essential medications that older persons depend on for survival.
Intergenerational Crisis Support & Family Reunification
We provide specialized support for older persons who become caregivers during emergencies, particularly those caring for children who have been separated from their parents during crises. Our programs recognize that many older persons become primary caregivers during emergencies, requiring additional support to meet both their own needs and those of the children in their care. We work to strengthen intergenerational support systems and facilitate family reunification while ensuring that older caregivers receive the resources they need to provide stable care during unstable times.
Our Response Framework
We believe in rapid, dignified, and inclusive emergency response. Our methodology includes:
Rapid needs assessment and age-inclusive emergency planning
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Community-based emergency response and local leadership mobilization
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Multi-sector coordination and partnership activation for comprehensive relief
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Recovery planning and resilience building for long-term community stability
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Lives Transformed
Emergency Relief & Immediate Response
Providing life-saving assistance to older persons during acute emergencies while ensuring their dignity and specific needs are prioritized in all relief efforts.
Our emergency response programs have provided critical support to hundreds of older persons across Kenya during various crises. Through rapid deployment of shelter, food, and medical assistance, we have ensured that older persons receive immediate relief that acknowledges their specific vulnerabilities and needs during emergencies.
Intergenerational Resilience Building
We have successfully supported older persons who become emergency caregivers while building systems that strengthen intergenerational bonds and community resilience during crises.
The Redes Esperanza Humanitarian Response has provided critical school support for children in flood-prone Mai Mahiu who are under the care of their grandparents. By ensuring access to education for these children, our program not only fosters resilience among older caregivers but also strengthens intergenerational support systems within vulnerable communities, demonstrating how emergency response can build rather than break family bonds.
Community Emergency Preparedness
We actively work to build community capacity for emergency preparedness that specifically includes and protects older persons during future crises.
Our humanitarian interventions include training communities on emergency preparedness that prioritizes older persons, ensuring that evacuation plans, emergency supplies, and response protocols account for the needs of older community members. This approach builds sustainable resilience that protects older persons long after immediate emergencies have passed.
Long-term Recovery & Rehabilitation
We support comprehensive recovery processes that help older persons rebuild their lives with greater resilience and security following emergencies.
Our post-emergency support includes helping older persons rebuild their livelihoods, access ongoing healthcare, and reconnect with family and community support systems. We recognize that recovery for older persons often takes longer and requires different support than for younger populations, and our programs are designed to provide sustained assistance until full recovery is achieved.