In Haiti, the elderly are a demographic that is often overlooked and underappreciated. Nursing homes or assisted living facilities are not common or widely available in Haiti. If family members aren't around or able to care for them, the elderly can easily fall to the wayside.
myLIFEspeaks' Elderly Program, called LIFE 46:4, began in 2015 with 10-15 faithful members. The name LIFE 46:4 comes from the verse Isaiah 46:4: “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”
Since then, LIFE 46:4 has grown immensely and now has 65 participants who gather weekly for Gospel devotionals, prayer time, cognitive activities, health screenings, and community. Members also get the chance to learn and practice writing their letters and numbers; something many of them never had the opportunity to learn. A 2017 USAID study found that only 61% of Haitian adults can read.
myLIFEspeaks' Elderly Program helps ensure that the elderly in our local village community are not forgotten or neglected and they receive basic health care, nutrition, and social programming.
Our Public Health department ensures members of LIFE 46:4 are healthy by checking vitals, such as blood pressure, and providing a sack of rice, a sack of beans, and a container of oil each month to make sure they have adequate food to eat.
Participants and myLIFEspeaks staff alike look forward to the elderly program each week. It is definitely a highlight and brings abundant joy to the elderly who are otherwise often overlooked in Haiti.
Elderly Program has become is its own little community of people gathering together weekly in friendship, community, well-being, and most importantly to learn more about Jesus Christ and the Good News of the Gospel.
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