With the rapid ageing of China’s population, the quality of life and social participation of its senior citizens have become major concerns.
The mission of the Future Smile Foundation is to make more people smile in order to build a better future. Its "Warm Sunset Meal" project is a community-based initiative aimed at providing food to the elderly. It is mainly implemented in cities that are significantly impacted by ageing populations, such as Shanghai, where almost 40% of the registered population is aged 60 and over.
With the rapid ageing of China’s population, the quality of life and social participation of its senior citizens have become major concerns. The "Warm Sunset Meal" project addresses these issues through two key areas of action:
- A meal service: providing the elderly with nutritious meals that are adapted to their needs. Many of the beneficiaries can no longer prepare balanced meals for themselves due to reduced mobility or declining physical health. Working in partnership with dieticians, the project provides personalised menus that are distributed at pick-up points or delivered to people’s homes.
- Initiatives that foster social links: encouraging interaction between seniors through friendly activities, such as shared meals, and developing a mutual support network through which independent seniors can assist their peers.
As well as providing a practical response to the difficulties faced by the elderly, the "Warm Sunset Meal" initiative aims to strengthen community cohesion through voluntary participation, and to serve as a replicable model for other cities confronted with an ageing population.
