During the launch of the “Aging with Dignity” program, the president of the organization, Dr. Polina Araujo, appealed to the sensitivity of society to join efforts to improve the quality of life for the elderly.
San Cristóbal. – The Hermanos Jáquez Foundation launched the social program “Aging with Dignity,” an initiative aimed at improving the living conditions of senior citizens residing in the community of Jamey, in this province.
While leading the event, the organization’s president, Dr. Polina Araujo, called on President Luis Abinader, other authorities, business leaders, institutions, and all of Dominican society to join efforts to provide support to this segment of the population, “which dedicated its life to agricultural work and today faces conditions of vulnerability.”
In that sense, he explained that the initiative began with a pilot plan for 15 senior citizens, “men and women who dedicated their lives to agriculture and honest work, but never had access to a pension.” He pointed out that each beneficiary will receive a symbolic pension of RD$2,000 per month, “which constitutes, for many of them, the first fixed income they have received in their entire lives.”
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The doctor specified that, of that amount, RD$1,000 will be allocated to the purchase of food and RD$1,000 to medication, “in order to alleviate the most urgent needs of those who gave everything for the development of these communities.” “A pension is a right that every elderly person should have,” she considered. “Unfortunately, many do not have one and the State must act as a guarantor to enforce that right,” expressed Dr. Araujo.
He detailed that “Aging with Dignity” seeks to offer comprehensive accompaniment that contributes to improving the quality of life for the elderly through food assistance, support for the acquisition of medicines, health workshops, recreational activities, emotional support, and pension management.
He added that the initiative includes carrying out operations, delivering canes and other support devices for people with disabilities or reduced mobility. In addition, activities aimed at promoting the physical and emotional well-being of the elderly.
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Araujo also detailed that, although the project began by benefiting 15 older adults, the organization identified more than 60 in vulnerable conditions who require permanent assistance.
He specified that the economic resources that sustain the program come from a small family business (SME) dedicated to the commercialization of agricultural products. At the same time, he highlighted that maintaining this aid and extending it to more older adults exceeds the organization’s economic capacity.
“We are giving back a little of what the community has given us,” he continued. “We are doing our bit because we believe that every person should enjoy a dignified old age,” he stated.
In that order, he urged entrepreneurs, professionals, artists, public officials, and citizens to support the program through contributions that allow for increasing the number of beneficiaries and extending the initiative to other rural communities in the country.
“We seek a more dignified life for the most vulnerable. We appeal to everyone’s sensitivity so that this effort can grow and reach those who truly need it,” he/she expressed.
For his part, councilman Vladimir Corporán praised the initiative of the Hermanos Jáquez Foundation. He considered that the Dominican State must assume a more active role in the protection of the elderly who dedicated their lives to agricultural work and do not have a pension or sufficient resources to live with dignity.
The activity was attended by the mayor of the district, Valito Geraldo Puello; the general manager of the foundation, Diógenes Salutiano; the director of the Juan Pablo Duarte y Díez Educational Center, Arelis Feliz; Pastor César Rodríguez Rosario, among other personalities.
About the program
“Aging with Dignity” is an initiative of the Hermanos Jáquez Foundation aimed at providing support to elderly people in rural areas who, after a lifetime of work, live without a pension, without a fixed income, and in conditions of extreme vulnerability.
To learn more about the project or to collaborate with this initiative, interested individuals can visit the website https://fundacionhermanosjaquez.org/ or call (829) 768-0232.
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