The study was qualitative in nature and was based on fifteen in-depth interviews with old-age pension recipients. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states in Article 22 that everyone has the right to social security, while Article 25 states that "the right to social security may be offered in the event of unemployment, illness, disability, widowhood, old age. old age or rather the lack of means of subsistence under circumstances beyond one's control” (Wright, 2014:12). The main objective of this study is to examine how the old-age pension contributes to the livelihood of the poor in Qacha's Neko, Lesotho.
CHAPTER TWO
In Lesotho there are many causes of poverty and it has affected the livelihood of the elderly so far. The old age pension allowance contributes to the empowerment of the elderly because it gives them back their economic freedom. The previous section with statistics showed that old age pension allowance is important for the elderly.
In this case, vulnerable groups involve the elderly as they are now vulnerable due to age. Social grants allow the elderly to have a means of making a living from the little they have.
CHAPTER THREE
In order for the researcher to test his own hypothesis, he needs to answer the general questions of the study and this can be obtained through the research design. Only with qualitative research can the researcher get the opportunity to listen to the real life experiences of individuals, their problems and solutions for them. The researcher used it to explore behavior and outlook and discover the true feelings of the participants.
It is only through the qualitative approach that the researcher can focus on the experiences from the interviewees' own points of view and ensure that the interviewees are involved and immersed in the study. This means that the researcher only focused on seniors who are over 70 years old and receive their grant every month. Because the researcher used her own judgment in selecting respondents to participate in the study, only those who were available at home at the time of data collection were interviewed.
These allowed the researcher to analyze and interpret all the data according to how relevant and related they were to the main research questions. The validity of a study determines whether the researcher really measures what he intended to measure and how true it is. Joppe (2000:20) says that it tests whether research instruments enable the researcher to hit the targets "in the bull's eye".
The researcher generally determined the validity by asking a series of questions based on her objectives so that the given and captured data could be valid for the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
The old-age pension benefit plays an important role in shaping the living standards of the elderly in the study area. The importance of the pension benefit is that for most respondents it is a cash income for the elderly and most of them have no other source of income. For example, most participants said that they rely on their pension money as monthly income, and that without this money they have no other alternative income.
According to the study, it was found that the grant money plays a big role in the lives of not only the elderly, but also the family members who live and share the same household as the recipient of the money. They are grandchildren, great-grandchildren, the children of the recipient and even the workers and other family members. This means that most of the elderly have become breadwinners in their homes because the grandchildren and orphans rely on them to take care of them.
Two of the interviewees also said that in their youth they sewed and sold their products. But now, thanks to the grant, my lifestyle has changed for the better, as I no longer go to the fields. The availability of grants so far has proven to be steadfast and most respondents said they receive them monthly and are consistent.
It is clear from the above that transportation is one of the basic needs of the elderly because it is a requirement to travel every month to access the allowance.
CHAPTER FIVE
However, it was found that the basic needs of the elderly are not fully covered by the pension, which is why they find themselves in poverty. The study found that most of the elderly have children, grandchildren and orphans who rely on them financially. The Old Age Pension Supplement is one of the capital assets owned by the elderly, although turning it into investment or savings has not been successful because it is considered inadequate.
50 | P a g e The human capital of older people includes good health, good nutrition and a limited ability to work and manage their old age. However, the research shows that the pension benefit is not fully effective in meeting the basic needs of the elderly. 51 | P a g e Quality of life for the elderly implies good health, financial freedom and social support, and by meeting these it also means that the basic needs of the elderly are met.
Bernard (2013) defines the quality of life of the elderly in terms of access to basic amenities and services. The study found that grant money at a lower level improves quality of life by making older people feel empowered. It has also tried to highlight the challenges and views of the elderly from their perspective.
However, there is still a need for further research into the lives of the elderly to overcome poverty as a strategy for achieving Vision 2020.
2006). The impact of old-age pension on vulnerability to hunger: a case study from the highlands of Lesotho. Papers presented at the National Conference on the Impact of the Age Pension in Lesotho. ELSA 2008 (Wave 4): Institute for Fiscal Studies, accessed October 2010 http://www.ifs.org.uk/ELSA/reportWave4.
2003) The South African Old Age Pension: Exploring its role in reducing poverty in households affected by HIV/AIDS. Focus on Innovative Community Projects for Older People CARD/ (Centre for Research and Development on Aging in Ireland. www.cardi.ie/sites/defaultsfiles/focuson innovative community, February 2014.pdf. Perspectives of a University of Lesotho student at the Faculty of Humanities at University of KwaZulu-Natal Durban.
Conversation with forewoman of the MWSCA, Mrs. A.M. The old-age pension in Lesotho: a study of the institutional impact. The role of social protection for elderly carers of HIV/AIDS orphans in Malawi, a dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwaters and in fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Old age pensions as a means of poverty alleviation in Lesotho at the School of Social Sciences at the University of Zululand.
Factors Affecting Subjective Wellbeing for Rural Elderly Individuals, Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought Accessed June 10, 2016 in http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wrsp20.
APPENDIX
Interview Schedule
If you find that there is not enough money for your needs, what tactics do you usually use to ensure that it covers all the needs. How would you support yourself or your family if there was no subsidy at all. What do you think about 70 as the eligible age for Lesotho pensioners to receive.
If we could ask you for your opinion, what changes would you like to see to improve our country's grant awarding systems? How do you feel about the overall system of social assistance for the elderly across the country? Do you think there could be other ways of projects for senior citizens to earn income other than just relying on pension money?
What else could you think of to be done to improve the livelihood of the poor elderly.
Consent Form
UKZN HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES RESEARCH ETHICS COMMITTEE (HSSREC)
The duration of your participation, if you choose to enroll and remain in the study, is expected to be at least 45 minutes of interview conducted. The study is not funded, but is research carried out in order for the researcher to complete his master's degree. The survey may involve the following risks and/or discomfort of being asked questions face-to-face and expected to answer immediately.
The only advantage is that whatever information is provided will be used by the researcher in her studies. This study was ethically reviewed and approved by the UKZN Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee (approval number HHS/1827/015M). The information provided by the participants is kept strictly confidential between the school, the researcher and the respondents.
We assure you that the information you have provided will not be used for any purpose other than research and will be kept very securely and destroyed after completing your master's degree. (Name) was made aware of a study by Nthatisi Sephelana entitled How the Old Age Pension Increases the Livelihood of the Poor. I had the opportunity to answer questions about my studies and got answers that satisfied me.
71 | P a g e I declare that my participation in this study is entirely voluntary and that I may withdraw at any time without affecting any of the benefits to which I am normally entitled.
