Community Alliance is building a counseling center for the elderly in Shifang, one the cities worst hit during the Sichuan earthquake. Is there a strong need for counseling services for the elderly earthquake survivors? For these farmers, most of them depended on their land for work and money. Now that the land has been destroyed they have nothing to do. We visited in March and conducted a survey of 500 people, looking at their mental and emotional health. Sixty percent had psycological problems and 29 percent had severe depression. In rural areas, there are rarely professional counselers. We want to create a center, train volunteer leaders and provide activities for the community.

And why elderly people? The elderly in rural areas usually don’t have pension plans and they depend on their relatives or children to support them. But because no one can work the land, those relatives can’t support them. The Chinese government has started paying attention to the elderly population since 2002, but there are few groups that focus on this part of the population. China’s aging population is expanding fast. Something like 11 percent of the population is above 60.

You have some events coming up to remember the earthquake. What are those? In Beijing, we’re holding a photo exhibition of some of the people we met in Sichuan as a fundraiser with the Beligum Embassy on May 15.

What: Voices of the Elderly

When: Friday, May 15 Where: The Belgium Embassy Web: www. communityalliance.org.cn