NGO says associations for elderly ‘frozen’ out
Of commune funding
THE NGO HelpAge Cambodia said that a large number of associations for the elderly were not receiving funding from communes because of a lack of clear guidelines from the national-level authorities.
Tum Vira, executive director of HelpAge Cambodia, said that this year, 24 associations for the elderly were supported by money from commune funds in Battambang, Kampong Thom, Siem Reap and Banteay Meanchey provinces.
He noted that when compared to last year, the number of associations for the elderly receiving funding from communes was on the decline.
“In 2020, there were 52 associations receiving funding from communes, while in 2021 the number of associations receiving the money sharply declined and only 28 associations received money from the commune funds,” he continued.
He said a lack of funds for the elderly associations this year was likely due to communes spending on other priorities during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“So, the main reason was that the commune investment and development programmes remained limited.
“Communes see mechanisms of associations for the elderly and their participation as unnecessary, especially where there is a change in commune structure, and there are no concrete guidelines from the national level to encourage communes to contribute money to associations for the elderly in their localities,” he added.
Tum Vira continued that in addition to the commune funds, elderly people at associations which his organization has worked with sometimes also received IDPoor cards, but while some received the cards, some others have not yet received them because of problems with the registration process for elderly people.
He said it seems as if the number of elderly people is too high for the funding to cover them all, making the Ministry of Planning and the departments, communes and villages reluctant to make cards for them.
Touch Channy, head of the General Department of Technical Affairs at the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation, said he could not provide any details about the decreasing number as he needed to research and identify the problem first.
“So far, associations for the elderly in more than 4,000 communes have received assistance and support from commune funds, according to our records,” he added.
Back on September 13, representatives for nearly 200 associations of elderly people from the capital and provinces gathered at the second national forum for senior citizens in Battambang province to ask for three things from the government: Provide assistance for all elderly people, grant them all IDPoor cards and provide commune funds to support associations of elderly people in their localities.