THE PART WE PLAY
Strengthening locally led care for older adults
By 2030, 1 in 6 people worldwide will be aged 60 or older — 1.4 billion people, up from 1 billion in 2020. At the same time, the World Health Organization projects a global shortfall of 11 million health and care workers. People are living longer, care systems are under increasing pressure, and changing family structures mean that more older adults are entering later life without dependable support around them.
No single organisation can address this challenge alone. BAPU Foundation contributes by strengthening the support available to vulnerable and often overlooked older adults — particularly those with limited family, financial or institutional support.
Our role is to strengthen the people and partnerships already closest to older adults. Through trusted, locally rooted organisations, we fund essential support, strengthen community-based care, and invest in research, learning and innovation that can improve how older adults are supported over time.
In doing so, we help create environments in which older adults can live with greater security, connection, purpose and dignity.
The hands that once held us…
are the hands we now hold.
A Shared Responsibility
We believe ageing well is a shared responsibility. Families, communities, local organisations and different generations all have a part to play in ensuring that older adults remain included, heard and connected to the people and places around them.
Intergenerational relationships are central to this approach. When younger and older generations share time, knowledge and experience, they strengthen understanding, belonging and mutual care. Older adults are not simply recipients of support, but valued members of their families and communities.
The Circle of Connection
Families, communities and generations working together so that older adults remain included, connected and valued.
Our vision is global; our work is locally led.
Our work is currently rooted in India, where we support trusted organisations responding to the needs of vulnerable and often overlooked older adults. As BAPU Foundation grows, we aim to build carefully chosen partnerships in other parts of the world, including Kenya, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
Ageing is a global reality, but care is deeply local. Every community is shaped by its own culture, family structures, resources and systems of support.
We therefore work through trusted local partners rather than applying a single model everywhere. We adapt our support to the context and learn from those closest to the communities they serve.
This is how BAPU Foundation pursues a global mission while remaining locally relevant, culturally respectful and responsive to the lives of vulnerable and often overlooked older adults.
Curious how you could play a part?