SOTRAN- Nepal(Socio – development Transformation-Nepal)is a non profit, politically non-aligned NGO which was established in 2011 AD. It focuses on helping the poor and backward communities, especially senior citizens healthy ageing.
We believe that older adults deserve a life of dignity and access to appropriate care suited to their needs for healthy ageing. Although care and well-being of its seniors should be a core priority of a civilized nation-state, Nepal remains an unfortunate exception. Nepal as a nation-state has an extremely weak health and social welfare system in general, and the well-being of the elderly in particular remains largely neglected. Senior citizens have however contributed greatly to the social and economic development and cultural fabric of their societies and the nation as a whole, and it becomes the current generation’s ethical responsibility to respond to their needs.
In Nepal, government-funded social safety nets for the elderly are virtually non-existent, and most traditional community-funded old age homes are in immense disrepair and suffer from lack of basic geriatric health and sanitation services. Due to a lack of employment opportunities in Nepal, a majority of the younger population is forced to migrate to countries in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe, United States or Australia in search of jobs. As a result, the traditional support and care received by older adults from their younger family members has quickly declined, and in many cases, older adults are dangerously living by themselves despite major illnesses and disabilities. In addition, there are increasing cases of older adults suffering from curable illnesses and manageable conditions due to lack of access to basic health maintenance and preventive care needed for healthy aging.