Rwanda’s population was 10.5 million people in 2012 and is projected to increase by more than 50% to 17.6 million by 2035 and double to about 22.1 million people by 2050. Life expectancy increased in Rwanda from 48 years before 1994 to 70 in 2023. This represents the triumph of public health, medical advancement, and economic development over disease and injury, which have constrained human life expectancy to be improved.  By 2050, it is estimated that 10 percent of the population will be 60 years or older. The population aged 65 years will significantly increase. This pressure is already there and it will continue to be a challenge to health care and social security systems in the country if we do not adapt. There is a need for reinventing basic assistive actions to face the different challenges of the elders.

Older people are a wonderful resource for their families and communities and in the formal or informal workforce. They are a repository of knowledge. But on the opposite, many older persons are unaware of their rights and wrongly accept age discrimination as part of being old. Older persons are highly vulnerable to being neglected, isolated, and discriminated in accessing social services. They are often unable to maintain an adequate level of housing, sanitation, and clean drinking water, which is closely related to physical and mental well-being, and to the autonomy and dignity of a person.

The Rwandan Minister of Health at the 19th National Dialogue Council said that oral diseases are the main cause of Rwandans seeking medical treatment. They are caused by teeth uncleanness.  According to him brushing his regular teeth will reduce the medical doctor’s work.

The supporting team of elders organized meetings of teaching and sensitization of around 300 old people in different church sites by giving them a message of hope saying that God is able to restore their physical and spiritual energies by standing up and moving for daily work life. The team requested four major actions:

1) Having a health assurance                                                                                                    

After getting health assurance for fighting different diseases, they can be motivated to continue contributing to the development of the community. Health insurance is one of the keys among older people for accessing health care. In Rwanda, it is in the form of Community Based Health Insurance (Mutuelle de santé). It helps older people to face inevitable declines in physical and mental capacity in receiving proper medical treatment for different illnesses. One individual health assurance costs 6US$ per year.

2) Brushing teeth

Oral hygiene and early treatment of dental diseases help to be healthier.

Old people are encouraged to take care of their oral health by brushing their teeth at least twice a day and doing proper cleaning. We distribute Colgate pastes and tooth brushing for fighting bacteria and preventing cavities. A study conducted by Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) in 2021 showed that 67% of Rwandans brush their teeth once a day while only 19% brush their teeth twice a day.

3) Regular bathing

Regular all-body bathing is a necessary part of maintaining proper hygiene. Being clean helps to avoid the onset of illnesses as it keeps germs and unhealthy bacteria at bay.  Individuals who bathe regularly can combat chronic low-grade inflammation. It also found that warm bathing burns calories, allows blood vessels to relax, decreases blood pressure, and promotes better circulation and vascular function throughout the body. Body bathing removes bacteria from the surface of the skin. We offer each of them one body soap for a shower.

4) Homework of planting

After the training, the team recommends to all participants plant at least one tree and follow it for allowing it to grow. That action of planting could be a source of motivation for optimizing opportunities for health, participation, and security in order to enhance the life quality of old people. It is also a way of creating a new hope with planting.  Grandchildren like to visit their grandparents if there are fruit trees in the ground.  

This year 2023, the supporting team of elders met 34 elders at EPR Kabuga parish, 100 elders at EPR Muyumbu, 70 elders at EPR Bibungo, 35 elders at EPR Butare, 48 elders at EAR Kagano parish/Kigeme diocese.

Readings

1) The State of Older People in Africa, <https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/ageing/documents/regional_review/Africa2007.pdf>, July 2023.

2) Population Ageing in Rwanda, <https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5b6c063440f0b640a5370011/Implications_of_Demographic_Change_in_Rwanda_FULL_REPORT.pdf>, July 2023.

3) Ageing in Rwanda: Challenges and opportunities for church, state, and nation < https://res.cloudinary.com/tearfund/image/fetch/https://learn.tearfund.org/-/media/learn/resources/policy-reports/2020-tearfund-consortium-ageing-in-rwanda-compressed.pdf>, July 2023.

4) Introduction to Sociology, Chapter 13. Aging and the Elderly <https://opentextbc.ca/introductiontosociology/chapter/chapter13-aging-and-the-elderly/>, July 2023.

5) Global Population Ageing: Peril or Promise?, <https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GAC_GlobalPopulationAgeing_Report_2012.pdf>, July 2023.

6) Rwanda Vision 2050 <https://www.nirda.gov.rw/uploads/tx_dce/Vision_English_Version_2050_-31_Dec_2020.pdf>, July 2023.

7) National Older Persons Policy <https://www.minaloc.gov.rw/fileadmin/user_upload/Minaloc/Publications/Policies/National_Older_Policy_final.pdf>, July 2023.

8) The State of Older Persons in Uganda Situational analysis report <https://www.developmentpathways.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ESP-OP-Study-Final-12-Oct.pdf>, July 2023.

9) Ageing and the Elderly in Rwanda – The Missing Voice <https://reliefweb.int/report/rwanda/ageing-and-elderly-rwanda-missing-voice>, July 2023.