In these difficult and complex times the elderlies are the most vulnerable population. We need your help TODAY to protect them. Hogar de Cristo welcomes more than 4,100 older adults in hostels, residences and home support programs and a significant part of the 15,000 people served by us who live on the streets are also elderlies. We are facing the 9th month of pandemic and your help is more needed than ever. Solidarity and empathy have proven to be the solution to get better out of these times.
Chile has been one of the worst hit countries by COVID-19. Our costs have skyrocketed due to the needs of equipment, extra measures and new employees. At the same time, our income has been compromised due to the economic crisis provoked by the pandemic and that we cannot do face-to-face fundraising. Despite all the calls and contributions we have received, our income will decrease by almost US 1.8 million compared to what we expected this year and we were forced to close 28 of our 278 programes.
The elderlies we welcome have health difficulties and different pathologies associated with poverty and social exclusion. All of them need medical support and protection to fight the pandemic that affects Chile and the entire world. We will allocate resources to the purchase of masks, alcohol gel, digital thermometers, a specially prepared feeding pouch, isolation suits, concentrators, oxygen kits and also to maintain the daily expenses of our programs.
Hogar de Cristo's network of services encourages the development and maintenance of the functionalities of elderlies, favoring their individual, family and community capacities, to improve their level of social inclusion and quality of life. Our programs, are aimed at those who are in a situation of poverty and exclusion, and who also have some level of dependency. Our main concern at the moment is to protect them from COVID-19 and to increase their life expectancy.
