A non-governmental organisation to cater for elderly people has been launched in Murang’a, raising a beacon of hope for the aged who appear dejected and neglected.

Joyce Mumbi, the founder of the Kumbuka Wazee Initiative, has solely been taking care of hundreds of elderly people in the area for more than 10 years.

Driven by passion, Mumbi has dedicated herself to serving the elderly and putting a smile on their faces. She ensures that those who don’t have food get something to eat, attends to them when they fall sick, and gets decent shelter for them to live in.

She has been mobilising resources and getting donations from well-wishers to sustain the needs of the elderly.

The move to register the initiative as an NGO, she said, will help her mobilise more resources and extend her work of compassion to the aged in other parts of the country.

“Currently, I have about 400 elderly people under my care who rely on me for food and other basic needs, and sometimes it’s difficult to get all their supplies due to financial constraints,” she remarked.

“With a registered entity, I believe I will be able to mobilise more resources and accommodate more elderly people in my programme not only in Murang’a but also in other parts of the country,” added Mumbi.

She says she has lost many friends who see her as a bother because every time she needs help, she runs to them — but this has not dampened her spirit.

“Some stopped picking my calls because they assume every time I call, I am asking for funds or donations,” she remarked.

According to her, society seems to have a negative perception towards the elderly and thus rejects and neglects them.

“Our people no longer appreciate the elderly as it used to be in the olden days, and the value attached to them is long gone,” she said.

She says some see the elderly as a burden, as they require special care, especially if they are sick and need someone to stick by their side.

“Some of the elderly people I have come across have no relatives, and I become their family. We have buried several in the public cemetery because they have nowhere to call home,” she said.

“They know me as their saviour such that even if they fall sick, I have to go pick them up and take them to the hospital, even if it is at night,” she said.

Ultimately, she aims at building care centres for the elderly in every county where they can be taken care of, get companionship and support.

The care centres, she said, will come in handy for elderly people who live in solitude, as this makes them vulnerable to attacks, pointing out that some have reported cases of attempted rape.

“My goal is to ensure we get a safe house for the elderly in each county so that they can get appropriate care,” she remarked.

She is appealing for well-wishers to come in and help her in her mission of taking care of the elderly, saying financial constraints have been the biggest challenge.