For Momina, chair of Hilkas Milk Cooperative in Moyale, Ethiopia, participating in the camel milk value chain has meant more than earning an income. It has brought structure, trust and dignity. ‘The most important change is dignity. I moved from dependence to leadership,’ she says.
Momina’s story reflects a wider lesson from Dorcas’ recent publication, Building Reliable Value Chains: Lessons from Dorcas’ multi-country experience. Based on an independent evaluation of five value chains in Eastern Africa, the report shows that producers benefit most when the systems around them are reliable: when payments are timely, governance is trusted, quality systems function and market linkages are secure. In Moyale, near Ethiopia’s border with Kenya, these principles are reflected in the daily work of Hilkas Milk Cooperative.
Momina lives in an area affected by drought, conflict and border insecurity. Before the cooperative became a source of stability, her family’s livelihood depended almost entirely on her husband’s income. ‘If my husband earned money, we survived. If he didn’t, we struggled,’ she says. Food, school fees and medicine all depended on one person, leaving her with a constant fear that she would not be able to protect her children if something happened.
When demand is not enough
Before joining the cooperative, Momina’s life was centred on her household. She prepared food, fetched water, cared for her children and supported her husband, but she had no personal income and limited opportunities beyond the home. Camel milk had value, but the way it was sold made benefits uncertain. Milk was sold individually, without coordination or knowledge of quality standards and prices. Sometimes it spoiled. Sometimes buyers took advantage of the women. ‘We did not know our rights,’ Momina says.
This reflects one of the central findings in Dorcas’ value chain report: demand is rarely the only challenge. Long-term results often depend on whether supply systems, transaction processes and governance arrangements work consistently. For Momina and other women in Moyale, working together through Hilkas Milk Cooperative offered a different path. But during a period of violent border conflict, the cooperative’s equipment, including refrigerators and related tools, was destroyed by fire. ‘Everything burned. We lost what we had built over years,’ Momina recalls. The loss left many women discouraged, and Momina feared that her children’s future would never improve.
Rebuilding reliability through structure and trust
Dorcas supported the cooperative after the destruction. According to Momina, the organisation came not only with equipment, but also with encouragement to rebuild. The women received refrigerators, lactometers, protective equipment and training in cooperation, financial management, recordkeeping and transparent decision-making. In practice, this meant better quality control, clearer records and stronger governance. Momina also travelled to Addis Ababa, Nairobi and Uganda for training, her first time leaving her area, where she learned more about leadership and how strong cooperatives function.
Today, Momina is the chair of Hilkas Milk Cooperative, which has 35 members. Every Saturday, the members meet to review records, save money and deposit funds at the bank. The cooperative also coordinates with ten milk collection centres. ‘Before, there was no structure. Now there is discipline, planning and trust,’ Momina says. This way of working mirrors one of the report’s key lessons: transparent leadership, clear rules and trusted systems do not only improve commercial performance; they also influence who benefits.
For Momina personally, that shift has been profound. She has learned to speak without fear, contribute to decisions and lead with confidence. Her experience also shows why inclusion in value chains needs to be built into the way systems work. Formal cooperative structures, transparent decision-making and direct participation have enabled women like Momina to gain income, influence and recognition.
A stronger future built on dependable systems
The impact reaches beyond the cooperative. Momina’s income now supports her family. She has built her own house, bought basic household items and, most importantly, is able to send her children to school. The regular income and savings have also brought greater security. ‘Even when challenges come, we plan together. We save. We do not panic like before,’ she says.
Looking ahead, Momina hopes the cooperative will grow into a larger production centre that can support more families and contribute to the wider district. Her story brings Dorcas’ value chain findings to life: value chains work best when producers can depend on the systems around them. For Momina, that reliability has meant dignity, stability and leadership. ‘Before Dorcas, I waited for life to happen to me. Now I lead my life and others follow.’
Read the report: building reliable value chains
Yemen has been facing one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises for many years. Long-running conflict, economic instability, and the deterioration of essential services have left millions struggling to meet their basic needs. For many families, daily life is filled with uncertainty, repeated displacement, and limited access to food, clean water, shelter, and protection.
Now, renewed violence and escalating tensions are further exacerbating an already fragile situation. Since early September 2026, fighting along Yemen’s western coast and southern frontlines has forced more than 200,000 people to flee. According to data released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on 7 October, the number of displaced people increased from 76,000 in mid-September to 201,217 in just a few weeks. Nearly all of these people had fled since 1 September, emphasising the speed and severity of this latest escalation. For many families, this is not the first time they have been forced to start again from scratch. This latest wave of displacement is part of a wider crisis that has been disrupting lives for years.
Urgent support for families displaced by renewed violence
In response to the current escalation of violence, Dorcas is preparing a three-month rapid response programme to support families who have recently been displaced. Building on our existing presence in the country, we will support 500 households in Zinjibar, Abyan, representing 2,811 people.
These households will receive multipurpose cash assistance, enabling them to address their most urgent needs with dignity and flexibility. Around 100 households will also receive essential non-food items (NFIs). Dorcas will prioritise families facing the greatest protection risks, female-headed households, families with older people or infants, pregnant or lactating women, and people with disabilities. All urgent protection needs that arise during the delivery process will be referred to the relevant service providers. This timely support will be invaluable to families who are already under immense pressure and are now experiencing even greater hardship.
Dorcas’ ongoing commitment in Yemen
Dorcas has been present in Yemen since 2019, officially opening our country office in Aden in 2021. Since then, we have collaborated with local partner organisations to support communities affected by conflict and instability. Our work focuses on crisis response, livelihoods and food security, water, and climate adaptation.
By working with local partners, we can ensure that our response is grounded in the realities of Yemeni communities. In such a complex and rapidly changing situation, this enables Dorcas Yemen to act with care and accountability, prioritising those in need.
Piroska has been part of the Community Safety Nets (CSN) programme in Romania since 2012. After losing parts of both legs in a train accident, everyday life became a significant challenge. Living on a small pension, she struggled to meet her needs and manage daily tasks. Alongside practical support, she needed something just as important: people she could rely on.
Over the years, the CSN programme of Dorcas Romania has supported Piroska in making her home more accessible and meeting essential needs. She has received monthly food packages, medication and hygiene products, as well as support with utility bills and minor repairs. Her bathroom door was widened so she could use it with her wheelchair, and cleaning assistance was arranged through local authority services.
Mobility has also been an important part of maintaining her independence. Prosthetic legs gave her greater freedom of movement for a period, and a small electric mobility vehicle made it easier for her to get around.
More than practical support
Today, complications related to diabetes mean Piroska can no longer use her prosthetic legs, and moving around has become difficult again. Yet after more than a decade in the programme, she knows there are people she can turn to. When she has a problem, feels unwell or is admitted to hospital, she calls the people she has come to trust through the Dorcas team.
This sense of connection is strengthened through having regular contact. Volunteers make visits to Piroska and also come to see her on her birthday. These visits have become an important part of her life.
A community that stays close
Community-based support is about more than responding to practical needs. Through Community Safety Nets, Dorcas works with local actors to strengthen the support around older people and connect them with the assistance and relationships they need to remain part of their communities.
For Piroska, that support has made life safer and more dignified. It has also given her something that cannot be measured in material terms: the reassurance that she is seen, heard and valued.
Her story shows why the rights and dignity of older people are closely connected to community life. Accessible living conditions and support with essential needs matter, but so do relationships, trust and the reassurance that someone will be there when needed. When communities stay connected to older people, they can ensure that no one has to face life’s challenges alone.
As part of Dorcas’ 2026 International Day of Older Persons campaign, ‘Seen and valued – rights and dignity of older people’, we are highlighting the rights, dignity and contributions of older people and the value they bring to their communities.
Written by: Agnes Kroese, CEO of Dorcas
When we meet someone new, what do we see?
We can form quick judgements based on first impressions. Are they young or old? Successful or struggling? Confident or insecure? In just a few moments, we have started to put them into a box.
And yet, no one actually wants to be reduced to a label. We want to be seen and valued for who we are, and to know that we belong.
For many older people living in poverty and isolation, feeling truly seen and valued is far from their daily reality. Changes in income, health or independence can affect their sense of security and their ability to participate in community life. Every person has the right to social protection, safety and participation. Yet these rights are not always accessible, and older people are often excluded from decisions that affect them.
But rights do not diminish with age. Older people are not only people who may need care or support – they are rights-holders and valued members of their communities, with knowledge and experience to share.
A moment of mutual respect
I saw this in a simple but powerful way during a visit to Ethiopia a few years ago. Outside a meeting room, older people were sitting with their feet in buckets of water while young people gently washed them. As they did, the older generation shared stories, memories and lessons from their lives. What stayed with me was not the act of care itself, but the mutual respect it expressed. Care was offered, while experience was honoured and shared across generations.
For me, that moment showed what it means to truly recognise someone. It is more than noticing their needs. It means listening to their voice and recognising the experience they bring to their communities.
Rights and belonging
That is why, for this year’s International Day of Older Persons, Dorcas uses the theme ‘Seen and valued – rights and dignity of older people’. It reflects a principle at the heart of our work: older people should not be defined by their needs or vulnerabilities, but recognised as people with a voice, value and a place in their communities.
At Dorcas, we work with older people living in poverty through Community Safety Nets in Moldova, Ukraine, Romania, Albania, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Egypt. Together with communities, we strengthen social connections and improve access to vital support, so that older people can continue to participate actively in community life.
On 1 October, we take a moment to celebrate older people and reflect on what their rights and dignity mean in practice. Every older person has the right to access the care and support they need, to be safe and to be heard.
A person’s worth is not something we earn through age, productivity or independence. It belongs to every person, at every stage of life.
As part of Dorcas’ 2026 International Day of Older Persons campaign, ‘Seen and valued – rights and dignity of older people’, we are highlighting the rights, dignity and contributions of older people and the value they bring to their communities.
Growing older should never mean being left behind. Yet many older people face barriers that make it difficult to live with dignity, stay connected to their communities and meet their everyday needs.
When access to social protection, healthcare and other essential services is limited, and family support is not available, older people can be left with few options. But dignity is about more than material support. It is also about being seen and valued, remaining connected to others and having opportunities to contribute to their own wellbeing.
In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Mulu Ayal has experienced these challenges herself. Without adequate support, she struggled to meet her household’s basic needs. The Woreda Women, Children and Social Affairs Office recognised her situation and referred her to Dorcas Ethiopia, where she joined a programme for older people facing poverty and exclusion.
Essential support
Through the project, Mulu Ayal has received food, hygiene products and medical care, support her to manage everyday life and maintain her health and wellbeing over the past three years.
The project also enabled Mulu Ayal to build a more secure livelihood. After receiving basic business and entrepreneurship training, she was given start-up capital to launch a small home-based business selling traditional spices and dried food products.
The income she earns now helps cover household expenses and has brought greater stability to her life.
As part of Dorcas’ 2026 International Day of Older Persons campaign, ‘Seen and valued – rights and dignity of older people’, we are highlighting the rights, dignity and contributions of older people and the value they bring to their communities.
Photo above: Arendje visits a CSN partner in Ukraine, where volunteers help run a greenhouse that generates income for CSN, provides vegetables to older people and supplies a community kitchen.
Being part of a community matters. However, for older people living in poverty, experiencing isolation, or with limited access to support, maintaining connections with others and accessing services is an ongoing challenge.
Dorcas works with older people and their communities through Community Safety Nets in Moldova, Ukraine, Romania, Albania, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Egypt. These locally anchored networks bring together people, organisations and services around older people, strengthening the support available within their own communities.
We asked Arendje Menkveld, CSN Expert at Dorcas, how these networks work in practice and what it means for older people to feel seen and valued in their own community.
Why is community support so important for older people?
‘Older people face different challenges: social isolation and loneliness, exclusion from community participation, limited access to services and support, and weak support networks. For some, loneliness and social isolation are linked to age-related factors, reduced mobility, disability, trauma or the loss of social connections. Some older people do not have anyone they can talk to about daily life and the issues they face, or anyone who can help with practical things. Others have no family, or no family members who are able to support them.
Poverty adds another challenge. Some older people have to make difficult choices about how to spend the little money they have. Do they buy medicines, pay for utilities or buy food?
Community-based support can take many forms. A volunteer might visit an older person regularly, or a neighbour might help them go to the shop or get food. There might be weekly or monthly gatherings where older people are expected and known. There, they can talk to others and take part in preparing food or other activities. Sometimes there is a warm meal at a community centre, or volunteers deliver a food parcel during the winter.’
Community-based support is important because the community includes you and the community sees you.’
That is where Community Safety Nets come in.
What is a Community Safety Net, and how does it work?
‘A Community Safety Net (CSN) is a locally anchored, community-driven support system that ensures older people in vulnerable circumstances can rely on sustained and dignified support within their own communities. A CSN is not a single service or organisation, but a network of actors who work together to prevent people from “falling through the cracks” by offering social, practical, psychosocial and sometimes material support. It complements, rather than replaces, government social protection and grows stronger as communities take ownership over time.
A CSN starts with an entry point in a community, usually a main actor who is motivated to make a difference for people living in vulnerable circumstances. This actor involves other community actors and members. Where possible, older people actively contribute their time and skills to the CSN project or community activities. This can give them a sense of purpose and responsibility, and help them feel part of the community again.
CSNs differ by country and context. A municipality might offer a meeting space, for example. Volunteers might raise funds or collect food. Schools might participate in food collection, with parents and others donating. Together, these community contributions shape the CSN. It becomes a structure that older people can rely on for support, attention and advice.’
In practice, this can look different from place to place.
What helps a Community Safety Net last?
‘Ideally, the implementing partner or main actor coordinates the support from other actors and the wider community. The different actors should meet regularly, agree on who does what and what the next steps are, and ensure that commitments are followed up. It is also important to involve authorities or a local authority representative in the coordination.
CSNs can look different depending on the context and the strengths of the actors involved.
If an organisation has a health background, health may be strongly represented. If there is a collaboration with a food bank, food collection may become part of the support. If there are strong connections with churches, volunteers may be involved in home visits. CSNs adapt to local strengths and assets.’
That local ownership also influences whether older people feel seen and valued within their communities.
What does it mean for older people to be seen and valued?
This year, Dorcas is marking the International Day of Older Persons with local celebrations and online awareness raising around the theme ‘Seen and valued – rights and dignity of older people’. The theme connects closely to the way Community Safety Nets aim to strengthen older people’s place in their own communities.
Arendje explains what this can look like in practice: ‘For me, being seen and valued means that older people are recognised in both big and small ways. An awareness campaign with flyers and presentations can help make their lives and experiences more visible, and remind others that they should be included, not ignored. Older people do not have to do something in order to be valued. At the same time, having a role and feeling useful can be meaningful.
For example, an older person might organise an activity, serve coffee, prepare the room, bake a cake or call someone who missed the activity. Being seen and valued is also expressed in how we speak with older people. Are we genuinely interested in them?
We should not decide what is good for them without listening to them first. We can also gently encourage some older people to share their experiences and skills with others, for example by talking to the younger generation in an intergenerational activity. That is what we want to convey in all community work.’
What can other organisations learn from Dorcas’s experience with Community Safety Nets?
‘Firstly, volunteers are a very relevant and important resource. They play a key role in Community Safety Nets because they help make support personal, practical and close to people’s daily lives. At the same time, when starting a CSN, it is important to take time to listen to older people and other community members, and ask how they can contribute. CSNs are not a quick fix. They need time to grow through relationships, trust and shared responsibility.
The Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) approach can help with this. It encourages communities to identify the people, skills, relationships and local resources that are already present, and to build on those strengths instead of starting with what is missing. This makes a CSN more rooted in the community and increases the chance that it will continue beyond the initial project.’
As part of Dorcas’ 2026 International Day of Older Persons campaign, ‘Seen and valued – rights and dignity of older people’, we are highlighting the rights, dignity and contributions of older people and the value they bring to their communities.
In Moldova, many older people are living on limited pensions, with reduced mobility and few opportunities to stay connected. For those living alone or with little family support, daily life can become quiet and isolated.
Elena, an older woman living alone in Moldova, knew this reality well. But through Dorcas’ Community Safety Nets (CSNs), her story began to change, showing how regular contact, community life and practical support can support older people to feel seen, valued and connected again.
A life with limited support
Elena, a pensioner in Moldova, knows what it means to have limited support around her. Living on a modest income, she lives alone and has no children. Relatives, including several nieces and nephews, visit only occasionally. A neighbour has become an important source of companionship, but before Elena joined the project, much of her daily life was marked by solitude.
Finding friendship and hope
Joining the CSN-project of Dorcas Moldova gave Elena new opportunities to connect with others. Alongside practical support, she received visits from project staff and took part in community celebrations and activities with other participants.
She remembers the moments that brought particular joy: Christmas gifts, financial support that helped her buy firewood for the winter, visits from project staff and community gatherings where she could spend time with others. For Elena, these moments were about more than practical support. They gave her a sense of connection and reminded her that she was not forgotten.
Through spending time with other participants, Elena formed new friendships. They shared experiences, spent time together and supported one another. Over almost 20 years of implementation in the community, the project has helped strengthen social connections among older people who might otherwise experience isolation.
Elena: ‘For me, this project does not only mean I support. It means that I am not forgotten. It means that someone, somewhere, thinks of me and reaches out a hand. The gifts, the visits, the kind words – they have all brought light into my soul. They made me feel joy and hope again.’
Growing older with dignity
Elena hopes to see wider change for pensioners in Moldova, including fairer pensions, decent living conditions and the opportunity to grow older in peace and dignity.
Elena’s story highlights that protecting the rights and dignity of older people also means ensuring they can participate in community life and maintain meaningful connections with others. Practical support matters, but so do regular visits, a sense of belonging and opportunities to stay connected. Being seen and valued means knowing that you still have a place in your community.
As part of Dorcas’ 2026 International Day of Older Persons campaign, ‘Seen and valued – rights and dignity of older people’, we are highlighting the rights, dignity and contributions of older people and the value they bring to their communities.
Today, the Dutch government led by Prime Minister Rob Jetten presented its budget for 2027. The budget contains good news for people around the world affected by extreme poverty, exclusion and violence. Over the next three years, the government will invest an additional €1.1 billion in international cooperation, on top of the extra funding set out in the coalition agreement. At a time of growing global inequality, this is a valuable step in the right direction.
Dorcas’ CEO Agnes Kroese comments: ‘Thanks to this additional investment, a quarter of the previous government’s budgetary cuts have been reversed. We very much welcome this decision, since funding for international cooperation and humanitarian assistance is being cut globally. Against this backdrop, every extra euro counts. However, the Netherlands is still far from achieving the international norm of allocating 0.7 per cent of gross national income to international cooperation. We therefore call on the government to set out a credible pathway towards reaching this norm. Investing in international cooperation is crucial, not only for reasons of compassion and solidarity, but also because our future is closely intertwined with that of people living elsewhere.
By investing in international cooperation, we contribute to global stability and security, economic opportunities for young people, resilient communities and a livable planet.’
The documents presented on Prinsjesdag (the Dutch government’s annual budget day) also show that €300 million is being allocated for humanitarian assistance and reconstruction support for Ukraine. Our colleagues in Ukraine witness the consequences of the conflict every day, particularly for people in vulnerable situations, such as older persons and children. We therefore support the additional funding for non-military assistance to Ukraine, especially with another cold winter approaching.
For Dorcas, it is essential that the additional funding reaches those living in vulnerable circumstances. We will therefore continue to closely monitor how these additional resources are allocated and spent.
Dorcas Romania has formalised a new collaboration with the Faculty of Orthodox Theology, Social Work Department, in Cluj-Napoca, strengthening cooperation between social work education and community-based practice.
During a recent visit by representatives of Dorcas International and Dorcas Romania, a formal collaboration protocol was signed in the context of the Bridge Between Generations initiative. The agreement creates opportunities for cooperation between academia and practice, including opportunities for future social workers to learn about community-based approaches.
A key part of the collaboration is the recognition of Dorcas Romania’s Community Safety Net (CSN) approach as a learning model for social work education. The CSN methodology will be introduced as part of the educational experience of Social Work students, who will also have the opportunity to choose CSN initiatives for practical studies and field placements.
This is an important milestone for Dorcas Romania. For the first time, the CSN approach will be systematically shared with future social work professionals through a university programme. Students will gain insight into the role of community ownership, social inclusion, volunteer engagement and local support networks in community-based social work.
The partnership also reflects Dorcas Romania’s commitment to building connections between communities, educational institutions and social service actors. By combining academic knowledge with practical experience, the collaboration aims to strengthen the quality and impact of social work in Romania while fostering greater solidarity between generations and within local communities.
Dorcas Romania looks forward to continuing its collaboration with the Faculty of Orthodox Theology and its students, and to further exploring community-based approaches to social work.
Ecaterina has been part of a Dorcas programme in Moldova since 2018. She lives with her husband, one of her daughters and her granddaughter. Her daughter moved in with them after her husband passed away, while her other daughter lives with her own family.
Ecaterina manages household expenses on a pension, which is not always easy. Her husband continued to work occasionally after retirement, while Ecaterina worked as a cleaner at the church.
Starting something of their own
In 2018, Ecaterina became involved in a Dorcas income-generating activity (IGA) project.
‘We decided to start this small activity so that we could grow vegetables and herbs for our family, and sometimes sell some of what we produce,’ Ecaterina explains.
The project has become part of Ecaterina’s everyday life, alongside other activities she takes part in. She also receives food and hygiene products through the project.
‘I have felt a lot of support through this project. I take part in different activities, and I have wonderful opportunities to be useful to others. The greenhouse provides products for our family and gives us an opportunity to stay involved.’
The experience encouraged Ecaterina and her family to take the next step themselves.
‘We liked this activity so much that afterwards we decided to buy another greenhouse with the money we had saved,’ she says.
More than material support
For Ecaterina, the project is also a place where people come together. She has seen changes in how participants relate to one another.
‘People who are part of this project feel more encouraged, safer and socialise more.’
Looking ahead, Ecaterina hopes to stay healthy and continue caring for her family and their garden.
‘I pray that God will give us health, so that we can continue to work and take care of ourselves, our family and our garden.’
Ecaterina’s experience is one example of Dorcas’ wider work with older people. Through Community Safety Nets, Dorcas works with older people and their communities to strengthen social connections, improve access to support and create opportunities for older people to remain active and participate in community life.
As part of Dorcas’ 2026 International Day of Older Persons campaign, ‘Seen and valued – rights and dignity of older people’, we are highlighting the rights, dignity and contributions of older people and the value they bring to their communities.