“Family Gathering” is an integrated humanitarian project that reflects Kuwait’s commitment to the social solidarity approach

• The ‘Family Gathering’ initiative will aim to achieve deeper humanitarian communication between the elderly and orphans and revive the spirit of giving and communication between two generations.

• This will also allow mutual meetings between the elderly and orphans, where they can build better human relationships that will contribute towards improving their psychological state.

Dr. Amthal Al-Huwaila, Minister of Social Affairs, Family and Childhood Affairs, said on Tuesday that the ‘Family Gathering’ initiative, which was recently launched by ‘Al-Shawon’ with the aim of bringing together the elderly covered by care in shelters, with orphaned children in the social welfare sector, represents an integrated humanitarian project that reflects the commitment of the State of Kuwait to the social solidarity approach and contribute in building strong social ties between different generations.

Al-Huwaila explained in a statement that the initiative comes within the framework of efforts to promote the values of Takaful in the Kuwaiti society with close cooperation between the Departments of Elderly Care and Family Nursery in the Ministry.

Moreover, this is being done specifically in order to achieve deep humanitarian communication between the elderly and orphans and revive the spirit of giving and communication between generations.

Dr. Amthal Al-Huwaila stated that the initiative seeks to achieve several central objectives; including strengthening human ties between generations through mutual meetings, between the elderly and orphans, where the two parties can build human relationships that contribute in improving their psychological state.

She further mentioned that this will also create an opportunity for the elderly to transfer their life’s experiences to children, and at the same time the children can find emotional support in the elderly, which will enhance their psychological balance.

Moreover, Dr. Al-Huwaila also pointed out that providing a positive interactive environment among different age groups enhances feelings of familiarity and love, and will also allow the elderly to feel the importance of their role in society by guiding the rising future generation.

She added further that the initiative establishes the values of giving and social responsibility by encouraging participants to exchange feelings of giving. This will contribute in promoting the concept of social solidarity and appreciate the importance of communication between generations.

Regarding the strategy for implementing the initiative, Minister Al-Huwaila said that it will be carried out in considered stages to ensure maximum benefit for all participants.

To begin with, the first phase commenced with coordinating efforts between the Department of Elderly Care and the Department of Family Nursery to identify participants from both categories while ensuring psychosocial rehabilitation to achieve positive interaction.

About the second phase, Al-Huwaila pointed towards the start of work, which includes organizing interactive activities between the two parties. This will include dialogue sessions and recreational activities, as the elderly will be encouraged to transfer their experiences to orphaned children, contributing to building a strong relationship based on mutual appreciation.

In regards about following up on the psychological impact on those involved after the implementation of the initiative, Al-Huwaila stressed that the third phase will include periodic follow-up and evaluation of the psychological and social impact of these meetings. This will be done with the aim of enhancing the quality of life of both the elderly and the orphans thereby ensuring the continuity of positive interaction.

Furthermore, she pointed to similar experiences that have shown their success and positive role, such as; ‘The Generations Communication’ initiative, which was implemented by the UAE.

This step contributed in achieving great benefits, most notably in improving the mental health of the elderly and reducing the feeling of isolation. As well as enhancing awareness among young people about the importance of heritage and experiences held by the elderly, and reducing the gap between generations through organizing meetings and events that enhance interaction and communication between them.

Al-Huwaila specifically pointed to a British study on the ‘Adopted Grandparents’ initiative, which concluded that such initiatives contribute significantly in reducing the feeling of loneliness and isolation among the elderly and strengthening links between generations.

Similarly, studies in Japan indicated on the ‘Learning from Adults’ program, which showed that continuous interaction between young people and the elderly enhances mutual understanding and reduces the cultural gap between generations.

Whereas, the German studies emphasized about the ‘Multigenerational Homes’ initiative and its role in improving the mental and physical health of the elderly and strengthening social ties among the inclusive.

Summarizing about all these measures, Al-Huwaila stressed that these initiatives contribute in reducing the sense of isolation among older groups, improving children’s and young people’s understanding of the concept of aging. And furthermore, its challenges and promoting the values of compassion and community integration, which reflects positively on the whole society.

On a concluding note, Dr. Amthal Al-Huwaila specifically stressed the importance of community partnership in building a cohesive society that works for the well-being of all its members.