NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug, 18 – Carrefour supermarket, owned and operated by Majid Al Futtaim in Kenya, has handed foodstuff and other items to an elderly home in Nairobi’s Komarocks suburb.
The donations were handed to County Tracker Elderly Home as part of the supermarket chain’s corporate social responsibility.
The donation targeting over 100 elderly people was handed on Friday, ahead of the National Senior Citizens Day which is annually globally on August 21.
It was spearheaded by staff from the Thika Road Mall store through the ‘Round Up your Bill Program’ which involves customers’ contributions.
The beneficiaries were handed eight tonnes of foodstuff including cereals, sugar, cooking oil, flour and household items and sanitation with the aim of supporting the vulnerable groups in neighbouring communities.
Lucy Njoki the co-founder and Secretary General of the County Tracker Elderly Home in Komarock lauded Careffour for the donations saying it will a long way in supporting the elderly.
The home was started with 20 aged people in 2017 and had grown to 560 by 2020.
”We would like to ask the government to help us have a formal settlement that is rent free for these elderly people so that they can have peace of mind at their age,” she said.
Violet Karani, the Komarock North Senior Assistant Chief, urged the government and other well-wishers to make frequent visits to the elderly people since they need basic assistance and care from the community.
“We need more people to come in and support these elderly persons that have been majorly neglected and they need love and food on their tables,” said Karani.
As the home plans to launch the second phase of registration for the elderly who are not on any pension scheme, Karani urged all the elderly people from the age of 70 years to turn up from September 1, 2023 when the registration will commence.
One of the elderly people, Pauline Muthoni Kuria, 81, equally lauded Careffour for the initiative, and urged the government to do more to assist the elderly, most of who are neglected in the community due to the high cost of living.
