Journalists from the five countries of the Mekong came together in Thailand
to participate in a four-week journalism training course during October and
November 2008. The theme was "AGEING ASIA" and reporters discovered that
growing old in Asia is becoming quite a challenge. Participants visited
older persons' groups in rural communities which had formed for a variety of
purposes -- to earn income, to support those affected by HIV/AIDS, to combat
loneliness, to take care of other older people who can no longer support
themselves. These elders found many different ways to help each other and
their local villages, such as basket weaving, catfish raising, traditional
weaving, chicken and egg projects, micro credit, and peer counseling.
The stories reported by journalists of endurance and strength in the face of
severe hardship inspired all those attending and encouraged many to return
to their home countries, ready to work with and for older people and an
Ageing Asia.