Retired Professional ladies in Meru County have officially launched a Community Based Organisation (CBO) that will act as a vehicle to address some teething challenges women face after exiting their careers.
Speaking during the launch at Gitoro Pastoral Centre in North Imenti, the CBO Chairperson, Ms Jeniffer Makena, said the urge to form the organisation emanated from the need to unite and help each other, the community and other vulnerable members of the society.
“We came up with this idea after realizing that some of us were getting lost out there with no one to cling on to in terms of resources or even mere advice. Our target is to empower each other economically and socially,” said Ms Makena.
She underlined that many retirees in the county and the country at large, were suffering silently and it is the high time to speak about it for the appropriate interventions to be done.
She added, “Some of us retired very long ago when the cost of living was not as high as now and the few coins we were getting then, is the same today and they are expected to cope with life with the same respect we commanded from the society while we were working.”
Ms Nelly Iruri, the organisation’s vision carrier said loneliness is a critical factor that made them initiate the idea of bringing all retired ladies together.
She reminisced that during their days in active service, they lived in social groups with their colleagues, formed merry-go-rounds, and being surrounded by many colleagues which gave them sense of belonging and emotional comfort then.
She claimed that going back home after service, made them appear like strangers noting before a retiree becomes assimilated into the new social life, you lose contact with many friends and colleagues, remaining only with your family who sometimes don’t understand what you will be doing at home.
“We thought that by coming together we will share the challenges we are facing and seek ways of empowering ourselves especially on critical issues like medical cover which is one of the greatest challenges facing retirees,” said Ms Iruri.
She added that they were also seeking to empower retirees who had not planned for their retirement benefits so that they don’t misuse them becoming more vulnerable and miserable.
She called on the government and the general society to treat retirees with dignity just like those in active service, owing to their contribution to national developments during their time of active service.
Mr Joel Murerwa, from the office of the Woman representative, Ms Elizabeth Kailemia called on the organisation to rethink the issue of bringing retired men on board so they could move together.
He encouraged them to identify a viable project adding that their office will finance them so they can generate more income for improved livelihoods.
By Dickson Mwiti
