GAP (Global Aging Partners)

An umbrella structure linking JFR's international efforts in aging.  GAP activities are currently focused on Nicaragua, the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

What unites GAP partners is the common belief that all persons, regardless of who they are or where they are from, deserve to age in dignity.  And with this belief comes the logical conclusion that all person deserve to age with adequate housing, water, food and care.

Nicaragua Service-Learning Program with Portland State University

For three years, the Jessie F. Richardson Foundation (JFR) and Global Aging Partners (GAP) have worked with Portland State University's Institute on Aging to provide a service-learning course with a multidisciplinary approach.

Students participating in this course, in addition to regular coursework, travel to Nicaragua to work on projects such as health education campaigns, health-related research, micro-enterprise, and projects providing basic goods and services to elder homes.

Course Overview

This course is ideal for any student seeking a meaningful service-learning experience with an interest in developing countries and a desire to work with older adults.  Majors welcome include gerontology, public administration, community health, sociology, science, social work, Spanish and business.

For the last two years, the Institute on Aging has partnered with engineering students from Portland State who work to make structural improvements to elder homes in selected Nicaraguan villages.

 

Renovation and Expansion in Jinotepe, Nicaragua

GAP is making major progress in fundraising and planning for the renovation and expansion of a shelter for homeless elders in Jinotepe, Nicaragua.  The current shelter is in dire need of repairs, and is dangerously overcrowded - there are 36 people living in a space of 480 square meters, with less than 300 square meters of sleeping space.

A capital campaign is underway to build a 567 square meter addition to building, which would expand the shelter's capacity to 50.  GAP is working closely with a Nicaraguan architect, Carlos Brenes Beteta, to complete the plans for this structure, and welcomes domestic partners in the fields of architecture, engineering, and construction.

To help, write to info@jfrfoundation.org with the subject: Help for Jinotepe