By Foday Moriba Conteh
In their quest to support the less privileged in society, especially the Aged , Dorwontony Organization for the Aged ,a charitable and non-Governmental Organization that advocates for the needs and rights of the aged, has on Thursday 1st October, 2020 donated food items to the Aged during a ceremony that was held at the Church of The Holy Trinity compound on Kissy Road in Freetown.
Speaking during the event, Founder of Dorwontony Organization for the Aged, Dorren Barrie, stated that the organization was founded in order to serve as the voice for the needs and rights of the aged across the country, adding that on the 14th December, 1990 the United Nations General Assembly voted to establish October 1st each year as the International Day of Older Persons to serve as an opportunity to highlight the important contributions that older people are making to society and raise awareness of the opportunities and challenges of ageing in today’s world.
She added that it was first observed on October 1st, 1991 and since then this day have been observed globally.
Doreen furthered that as an organization that is working in the interest of the aged they thought it fit to celebrate the day with the aged and considering the fact that many of these aged, living on the streets of Freetown, still find it difficult to access food on a daily basis that is why they decided to provide them with food.
She noted that there are a good number of old people on the streets of Freetown who live by begging arms from people ,that most of them do not have homes to sleep and that the country only has one home for old people which is King Georges Home for the Aged saying it cannot even host many old people.
It against this backdrop she noted that they are working tirelessly to have another home for the Aged where they can host those on the streets in order to give them a better standard of living.
She called on the Government, private sector, non-governmental organizations to support them in order to secure a Home for them saying they are very important people in society and they should not be neglected.
Abigail George, Member of the Board of Dorwontony Organization, said that even in the mist of COVID-19 they decided to commemorate with the old people, which is a clear manifestation that as an organization they care for the Aged and they are determined to stand by their side during good and bad times.
Mariama Kallon, a beneficiary expressed gratitude to Dorwontony Organization for the Aged for the gesture which she described as not only important to them but very timely adding that some of them only live by begging and that during this period of COVID-19 in the country they are finding it difficult to survive.
She called on other organizations to follow the footprint of the Dorwontony Organization by supporting the aged with food and other basis necessities in order to upkeep themselves.
