We have finally had conformation that our Sponsor a Grandparent projects in both Vietnam and Indonesia have escaped damage in the recent disasters that have hit East Asia.

Our Sponsor a Grandparent partner, the Vietnam Women’s Union, has however been responding to the situation by distributing food and clothing to communities across Vietnam, as well as providing grants to 3,500 of the most vulnerable families.

The Union’s 28,000 staff have also each generously given up a day’s wages to support the relief effort.

Read accounts of the disaster from our Philippine Sponsor a Grandparent partners on our blog

We are working with local Sponsor a Grandparent partners to reach older people and their families with urgently needed food, water, medicines and shelter.

All of our Sponsor a Grandparent partners operating in the Philippines have been affected by tropical storm Ketsana which hit the country on the 26 September.

The storm caused continuous heavy rainfall resulting in devastating flashfloods and landslides which displaced over 4 million people across South East Asia.

Read accounts of the disaster from our Philippine Sponsor a Grandparent partners on our blog

The Sponsor a Grandparent programme does not operate in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). However, Help the Aged and HelpAge International are providing vital health care to older people via our sister agency, Merlin.

For further information on our emergency work, or to make a donation, please visit the Help the Aged website www.helptheaged.org.uk

On 29th of October, the isolated Balochistan province in South West Pakistan was struck by an earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale. It is estimated that up to 200 people were killed and between 20,000 and 30,000 affected.

Having worked in partnership with HelpAge International and Merlin in the aftermath of the earthquake in Pakistan Administered Kashmir in 2005, Help the Aged is monitoring the situation in Pakistan closely. Though the earthquake has not hit any Sponsor a Grandparent projects directly, we are carrying out an assessment because older people have been affected and we support other local partners through the HelpAge International network.

An emergency team is travelling to the worst-affected areas to run a rapid assessment of the situation.

The floods in the Indian province of Bihar, said to be the worst in the area for over 50 years, were caused when the Kosi River breached its banks.

Reports from the field suggest that while the older people in Sponsor a Grandparent projects in India have not been directly affected by the floods, some 250,000 homes in the region have been damaged and 2.5 million people have been displaced. It is estimated that up to 180,000 older people have been affected in Bihar.

Help the Aged is responding directly in the field through its international partner organisations HelpAge International and HelpAge India. We are in regular contact with our partners to ensure that we are able to respond to the changing needs of older people as the emergency situation continues.

Avenash Datta, Country Head of Programmes and Emergencies at HelpAge India, says: 'The most immediate needs are food, shelter from the continuing rain, and healthcare to stop the spread of waterborne diseases. People are rioting over the shortage of food. Diarrhoea and dysentery are also a problem and there is a real shortage of medical support.’

If you’d like to support our emergency relief work, please click here to donate.

Over 67,000 people have died since the earthquake struck Sichuan Province on 12 May and an estimated 15 million have been displaced. Houses, schools, roads, water pipes and electricity lines have been damaged or destroyed and people are without food and shelter.

The Sponsor a Grandparent programme is supporting local Older People's Associations in two townships where the houses of 51 older people have been damaged and 325 older people have no place to live, by providing cash grants to buy essential items.

Peter Morrison, our Programme Manager for China, says: 'Many older people have lost their homes and most of their household items. By delivering cash grants we will be helping older people and their families to meet their immediate needs such as food and shelter.'