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In Malawi, after the International Conference "Ageing in Africa", developments in the Community's presence alongside the elderly After the First International Conference sponsored by the Community of Sant'Egidio "Ageing in Africa: Sensitizing the Nations", held in Lilongwe in early June, the commitment to the elderly in Malawi has experienced an important development. Several initiatives have been undertaken both at the cultural level and in the field of direct intervention to improve the lives of older people and to encourage integration between the generations. The prejudice against older people is resulting in violent behavior (there are reports not only of discrimination and exclusion, but also frequent incidents of physical violence, even murder). For contrasting it, the Community is displaying an intense educational action towards children and adolescents through the Schools of Peace and activities of the Rainbow Country.
On 12 September, in Blantyre, a major city in the south, there was an event called "Years do not separate us: young and elderly together" in the district of Soche, which was attended by about 150 people of different generations.
The elderly are the poorest and weakest age group of Malawian society, which completely lacks a pension system. those who were living as young men and women by working in fields or in small businesses are today facing great economic difficulties. Many can't eat enough. This is why the Community organizes regular lunches for them: a response to hunger, but also to solitude. Recently in Mzuzu, a northern city, the Community has collected hundreds of elderly poor, to whom we regularly pay visit, for a great lunch. |
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