Paper short abstract:

This paper is based on qualitative interviews and aims at assessing inequalities between older persons in Uganda, with a special interest in the systems of solidarity they are embedded in.

Paper long abstract:

At a time when Uganda is setting up a universal system of social assistance grants targeting the most vulnerable people (persons above 65, persons with disabilities, persons taking in orphans, etc.), a large proportion of older people live in economically difficult conditions. Most Ugandan families have lost young members in relation to the HIV-AIDS epidemic and the civil war that have disrupted the country since the 1970s, and it is not unusual for older adults to find themselves with no younger descendants in a position to support them. This paper is based on a series of qualitative interviews conducted in 7 different settings in Uganda, with both older adults and with younger ones, between August 2008 and April 2012. Both men and women, of different socio-economic backgrounds, living in different settings (rural, small town, capital city, poor / less poor neighbourhoods) were interviewed. The objective of the paper is to approach the reality of older people's lives, in terms of support and care. This leads us to a reflection on key elements structuring inequalities between older persons in Uganda, between poverty, health conditions and the strength of individual support systems.