Old Is Gold (OIG) Care For The Elderly

Old Is Gold (OIG) is a compassionate outreach programme dedicated to caring for vulnerable elderly persons living in rural and underserved communities. The initiative focuses on meeting the basic needs of the aged by providing food support, healthcare assistance, emotional care, and regular companionship restoring dignity, hope, and a sense of belonging to elders who are often forgotten.

Through the commitment of students, volunteers, and community support groups, Old Is Gold reaches elderly individuals who have little or no family support. Beyond material assistance, the programme brings joy and human connection into their lives through visits, conversations, and acts of love.

Currently, the Old Is Gold programme supports 157 elderly persons. From January 2026, food rations will be distributed on a monthly basis, transitioning from the former quarterly distribution model. This shift ensures more consistent nourishment, improved well-being, and greater stability for the elders in our care.

From January 2026, Old Is Gold transitions to monthly food support because dignity and nourishment should never be occasional.

OUR STORY

On Monday, April 6, 2020, the Spiritan Self Awareness Initiative (SSAI) began distributing food items to poor and vulnerable families across Enugu State in response to the hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. During one such outreach, the team visited Josephat Ude, an elderly man living in Ameke Ngwo, Udi Local Government Area.

Josephat, then 88 years old, was partially blind and struggling with several age-related health challenges. He lived alone in a borrowed room, having been separated decades earlier from his wife and only child. With no steady source of care, he depended entirely on the occasional kindness of others for food, often going days without a meal.

When the team visited him with food supplies, Josephat was deeply moved, not only by the assistance, but by the simple act of being remembered. He expressed a strong desire to personally thank Rev. Fr. Charles Ogada, who had initiated the outreach.

Josephat’s visit of gratitude profoundly touched Rev. Fr. Charles Ogada and the children of the Heart of Love Children’s Home. Inspired by his story and the realities faced by many elderly people like him, the children resolved to take action. From that moment, the Old Is Gold – Care for the Elderly (OIG) programme was born to ensure that no elderly person is left to suffer in silence.