Woman Crying for Help:

By: Miatta G. Jallah

MONROVIA – Governments and Nonprofit organizations around the world undertake projects to care for the aging community to improve their quality of life, healthcare, and aged care.
Sadly, in Liberia, old age is a crime to the extent that nobody wants to associate with older people. In some communities, they’re abandoned by their own relatives and children. They’re often accused of being witches, and in response to those unproven accusations, they’re stripped naked and flogged publicly.
A case in point is Madam Annie Jay, who is believed to be in her late 60s in the New Georgia community, and is forsaken by children and relatives. For this reason, she’s living in an unfinished building.
She doesn’t have access to basic necessities such as food, proper shelter, healthcare, and financial support. Due to her age and physical condition, she is unable to engage in regular income activities to provide for herself. She told the Appealing Lens that in her daily struggles, it’s sometimes impossible to obtain bread; she weeps, calling for help.