LEBANON: New Centre for Elderly Palestinians Has 35 Residents

BEIRUT, Lebanon (The Daily Star), June 9, 2006: Thanks to the establishment of the Active Ageing Center mid-April this year, Ghfran Salleh Attiah has met many new friends whom she can talk to. Wiping tears from her eyes, Attiah quietly recounts the long, painful journey she's been through in the past 11 years since moving to the Palestinian refugee camp of Bourj al-Barajneh. In this journey, she has lost her two sons, her husband and her home. Attiah was living in Kuwait with her family when Iraq invaded the country in 1990. She says her two sons were killed during the invasion, and she and her husband were forced to leave Kuwait and settle in Bourj al-Barajneh in Beirut's southern suburbs. Her husband died a few years ago, but she cannot remember exactly when. "I have lost everything," the homeless 54-year-old Palestinian says bitterly. "I am alone now. I have nobody, no family." However, thanks to the establishment of the new center for the elderly, Attiah now has many new friends. The Active Ageing Center currently caters to 35 elderly residents and is managed by an elected committee of residents, with help from the camp's Women's Program Center, a UNRWA-sponsored program. The center boasts two dining rooms, a kitchen and even a recreational room equipped with a television set and a DVD player. Next week, an air conditioner is scheduled to be installed. Open seven days a week the Centre is run by two full-time employees, with additional voluntary help from camp residents. Each day, the center provides a hot meal for these elderly residents. The center operates on a budget of about $1,500 a month and relies on the goodwill of private donors. A full monthly program for the elderly, including activities like picnics and exercises, will be implemented starting mid-June. "Most of the aged residents were feeling depressed and had lost the will to do anything," says center employee Nawal al-Jamal. "This is what we wanted to change." Feedback from the residents has been encouraging. "I used to have a lot of difficulty getting food for my daughter and myself," says Fatmeh Iad Badawe with a smile. "My mind is more relaxed now that I know that there is someone looking after us." "The food here is excellent, and I love all the dishes, especially the fresh salad," adds Badawe, who has been living at the Bourj al-Barajneh camp for the past 50 years. "This is like my home, and all the other ladies are like my family," says Khatif Dighem. "Even the two girls working here are like my daughters." By Ian Lye http://www.dailystar.com.lb Copyright © 2004, The Daily Star.