'Eden' breaks the shackles of solitude

It was a journey of hope and compassion, but above all a journey that revealed a fundamental truth: even if rampant materialism has become the epitome of modern society, the younger generation is still motivated by an altruistic drive to reach out for the elderly.

It was a journey of hope and compassion, but above all a journey that revealed a fundamental truth: even if rampant materialism has become the epitome of modern society, the younger generation is still motivated by an altruistic drive to reach out for the elderly.

Eden to the rescue

Eden is a society of physicians and youngsters from all walks of life. Part of Morocco's fast-growing civil society, Eden endeavours to bring comfort and the human touch to a very vulnerable social stratum: old people.

"Even if these people have a safe haven where they are taken in and provided for, they suffer from an emotional void since family visits they receive are few and far between," Vice president of the Eden association, Maryam Lboukili told me.

For quite sometimes now, Eden is scheduling visits to retirement homes located in Rabat and neighbouring regions. Today, the group is heading for the Kénitra Garden of the Aged (40 km north of Rabat).

INDH, the hope of old age

The Home that was established by the Kénitra Charity Organization years ago has recently been revamped as part of the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH), a very ambitious and ingenious initiative launched in 2005 by the Moroccan King Mohammed VI. The emergency program provides for the integration of marginalized people such as the elderly and has made miracles in refurbishing the Home.

According to figures published by the High Planning Commission (HCP), the number of the aged has soared to 2.4 million people in 2008. And as this senior population comprises tens of homeless grand-parents, the government is setting up more and more retirement homes in cities across the country, such as Safi, Khénifra, Mèknes, Kénitra and Rabat.

Home, sweet ‘retirement’ home

At the entrance, it is the beauty of the orange and blue painted facility that is looking onto a green leafy garden that startles you. A reception lounge, a large kitchen and an open space for recreation make the whole building quite a homely and welcoming one.

The building is made up of a ground floor for men and an upper floor for women. And the cleanness of the freshly-smelling rooms was just striking as I mingled with the members who were loaded with gifts and meals made at the request of the residents. The large sunny and well-ventilated room contained five beds, each with a medium, private cupboard and a table, and a bathroom with hot water, which shows that these people are well cared for.

Left to tell a tale

I was drawn towards a man in his golden years who was displaying his pictures when he was abroad. “This is me in Mexico with my elder son,” he said, pointing to the album. It was not long before he started telling his story.

“Elhaj”, as his friends nickname him, is a former expatriate and a father of ten. He worked for 20 years in the wood industry in France and was compelled to come back to Morocco alone due to an industrial accident. The return to his homeland was marked by a series of misfortunes that left him high and dry.

Refusing to become a homeless roaming the streets, Elhaj chose to stay in the Home. I ventured into asking him why he is not living with one of his children. “I would rather live here with my pride and dignity and go visit them from time to time than live with them and be a burden,” he said…smiling. I understood that the man who spent years in Europe was influenced by the European way of life, where the aged opt for retirement homes in search of the peace of mind.

Modern vs traditional society

The concept of retirement homes is somehow alien to the Moroccan society, which used to be made up of extended families. Though heterogeneous, the Moroccan household known as “Dar Lkbira” (the bigger home) was supposed to care for every family member, especially the grand-parents until they are laid to rest.

This was the case until globalization came knocking at the door. The merciless speedy rhythm of everyday life has had a tremendous impact on society as we know it. The Moroccan family has mutated into the western model known as the “nucleus family” which gathers only the parents and the kids.

Chairman of Eden, Nawfel Chana, who just joined us said “the fact is that poor families do exist and they can’t provide for their own progeny, let alone their parents or grand-parents” he said. “I agree that we should instil the respect for the aged in the younger generation, but on the short-term these homes are a must”, he added.

The nanny Khadouj

At the women section, everyone was tickled pink to see us.
I approached a lady who did not seem that old. “I am eighty-year old,” she said, “may be I am ageing well because I did not have any offspring,” she added. Her name is Khadouj.

“My husband divorced me because I was sterile and I was obliged to work as a nanny for a French family to earn a living,” she said.

Khadouj explained to me how the upbringing of the French children were her only concern for many years until one day the family decided to return to France. She then raised her two nieces until they got married and adopted afterwards a girl who is now a young woman.

“They never come to visit,” she sighed. “I have everything here, people are nice to us but I wish my girls remember what I went through for them and come to visit.”

New grandchildren

As the day drew to its end, I noticed that fulfilling the emotional void of the elderly was not a duty but a source of joy for these young people who chose to spend the day here instead of “hanging out.”

“We have established a grandpa-grandchild relationship with the residents. A relationship where respect and compassion prevail, we come to visit as often as we can,” Maryam Lboukili said.    

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