By Foday Moriba Conteh
The Dorwontony Organization for the Aged (DoFA) will today 3rd October, 2022 clock two years since the organization was launched on Saturday 3rd October, 2020 with the aim of utilizing advocacy and revenue mobilization to promote the welfare of the Aged in the country.
Speaking to this medium, the Chief Executive Officer of the Dorwontony Organization for the Aged (DoFA), Doreen Barrie revealed that old people usually suffer neglect and abandonment because of the cost of caring for them, both in physical human efforts and resources.
She pointed out that caring for them sometimes is very challenging and that it takes a lot of patience, tolerance and resilience to accommodate them.
According to her, old people are still part of society and therefore caring for them should be a priority that individuals, organizations and Governments around the world should treat seriously.
“In Sierra Leone, there are 301,095 persons above the age of 64. We have 133, 000 (male and 167,871 female – representing 2.5% of our population, according to a 2022 demographic survey. Not every one of these vulnerable people has someone to care for him or her,” she disclosed.
Doreen Barrie further dilated on some of the challenges old people face every day ranging from health problems, lack of sufficient and nutritious food, lack of appropriate shelter among others.
She said it is for those and many other reasons that the Dorwontony Organization for the Aged, commonly referred to as DOFA, was formed and since inception the organization has stepped up its effort to identify, engage and to provide care for old people, adding that over the last two, DOFA with the help of its membership as well as support from few individuals and organizations has been able to open its first centre for the aged in Sierra Leone, adding that the organization is facilitating the conduct of free medical tests on the aged every first Wednesday of
the month.
The Founder continued that they are currently operating in Freetown, Kono, Bo, Makeni and Kenema and that they are championing the cause of providing special preferential treatment to the aged during the ongoing Voter Registration exercise as they are part of the Electoral Commission Disability Group (ECDG) established to ensure that older persons are not disenfranchised
She further added that the organization has been organizing beauty contests for the aged to showcase their God-given beauty regardless of their ages.
“We have constructed and rehabilitated over three houses for the aged at Kroobay and Grafton communities and we have provided foodstuffs to the aged across various communities. We also undertook visitations and distribution of diapers to elderly patients in hospitals and their various homes and we have also signed an MOU with Legal Aid Board to ensure free legal services for the Aged,” the Founder also revealed.
She also highlighted that the organization organized recreational trips for the aged to places like the 4-Star Radisson Blue Hotel in Freetown, and Roy Restaurant at the beachside to give them an opportunity to experience the dynamics of life in a modern world.
Commenting on the challenges of the organization over the past two years, she said that even as they try to fulfill their moral obligation to that category of people they are faced with many challenges, for which they need individuals, organizations, and the Government of Sierra Leone to step in and support their endeavours.
Dorren Barrie added that finance and fundraising, getting key institutions like NASSIT to support DoFA, fuel, medication, food, and access to legal professionals are some of their biggest challenges as an organization.
“As the organization clocks two years today, I want to reaffirm our commitment towards utilizing our advocacy and revenue mobilization to promote the welfare of the Aged in the country. I want to express our warmest appreciation to individuals and organizations that have been supporting our work over the years. I want to also call on other individuals and organizations to support the organization,” she concluded.
Many old people whom this medium contacted to comment on the two years anniversary of the Dorwontony Organization for the Aged (DOFA) commended the work of the organization.
Yusuf Bangura, seventy years old, applauded the Dorwontony Organization for the Aged (DOFA) for their continuous support towards the development of old people in the country.
He called on other organization to emulate the footprints of the Dorwontony Organization for the Aged (DOFA) in order to promote the welfare of the Aged in the country.
