[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ background_color=”#111111″ background_enable_color=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”100%” width_last_edited=”off|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}” width__hover_enabled=”off|desktop”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/fairfuturefoundation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pod-elderly-man-mbajik-1920×1080-4086.jpg” alt=”Older man in a cap seated outside a wooden house in Mbajik, East Sumba, looking toward the camera.” title_text=”Older Man in Mbajik, East Sumba” show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” admin_label=”2. The Main Image – Size: 1920×1080″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_color=”off” custom_margin=”1vh||1vh||false|false” custom_css_main_element=”box-shadow: 0 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,.1) !important; transition: transform .3s ease, box-shadow .3s ease !important; cursor: pointer !important;” border_radii=”on|4px|4px|4px|4px” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”3. Text: This Image is in 1920×1080 format” _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#F6F6F6″ text_font_size=”0.6rem” text_line_height=”1em” text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”1vh||2vh||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
This image is in 1920×1080<\/strong> resolution. Click on it to enlarge and view at full size.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Picture of the Day: A conversation with an older man in Mbajik” _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”a9f9db81-700d-4f32-ab60-12f4699a1a92″ hover_enabled=”0″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n This new Photo of the Day<\/a> shows an older man sitting outside a house in Mbajik, East Sumba. Kalukur Namu Wali<\/strong> (his name)<\/em> looks straight at the camera, one hand resting on his knee. His family told us he is 106. We have not verified his birth date. What we know from meeting him is simpler: he spoke clearly, shared his story and still walks every day. His portrait gives elderly care in East Sumba a human face.<\/p>\n I stopped because of his face and the way he looked at me. Then we stayed and listened. He told us about his life and made clear that daily life is difficult at his age. His ability to walk does not erase that difficulty. Both things can be true.<\/p>\n We do not often meet someone this old in the villages where we work. That observation is not a measure of life expectancy in Mbajik. It is one person, seated in front of us, with a long life that cannot be reduced to a number.<\/p>\n In a remote village, a journey for a consultation can be hard; even for a younger adult, for an older person, mobility, transport and the ability to return for follow-up all matter. Our Primary Medical Care programme<\/a>, run by Fair Future Foundation and Kawan Baik Indonesia, works through locally trained Kawan Sehat agents and supervised field care. Listening, recognising a change and arranging assessment or referral when needed are part of care. This photograph does not document a consultation, and I make no claim about his health.<\/p>\n We took this photograph in Mbajik, where our teams have also installed solar electricity for the school<\/a> and brought electricity to the village. The children who learn there and this man who has lived through so much are part of the same place. Electricity changes what a school can do after daylight fades. A health system must also make room for the people who have grown old nearby.<\/p>\n Before leaving, I thought about how easily we speak of years lived, and how little that says about the ordinary effort of each day. I am grateful that Umbun Kalukur Namu Wali<\/strong> chose to speak with us. This is his portrait, not an illustration of old age in general.<\/p>\n 24 September 2026 | Alex Wettstein<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][dsm_text_divider header=”External Links” admin_label=”5. Title: External Links” _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”21536528-39cb-48dd-9e70-e5a08f7ac11f” header_text_color=”#FFFFFF” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/dsm_text_divider][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text: Verified external resources” _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”a9f9db81-700d-4f32-ab60-12f4699a1a92″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_text=”Ageing and care in a remote village” admin_label=”Pop-Up Button: Ageing and care in a remote village” _builder_version=”4.27.8″ _module_preset=”ea06e631-5eb7-48fe-b975-7d01a636427d” custom_margin=”2vh||||false|false” dsm_modules_popup=”on” dsm_modules_popup_library=”25127526″ dsm_modules_popup_width=”25%” dsm_modules_close_icon_color=”#111111″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” dsm_modules_popup_width_tablet=”65%” dsm_modules_popup_width_phone=”95%” dsm_modules_popup_width_last_edited=”on|desktop”][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In Mbajik, Ost-Sumba, sitzt ein \u00e4lterer Mann vor einem Holzgeb\u00e4ude und erz\u00e4hlt seine Geschichte. Seine Familie sagt, er sei 106 Jahre alt, obwohl seine Geburtsdatierung nicht best\u00e4tigt ist. Er geht jeden Tag noch immer zu Fu\u00df und spricht deutlich \u00fcber ein Leben, das in seinem Alter schwierig ist. Auf seinem Portr\u00e4t wird uns gebeten, zuh\u00f6ren zu wollen, bevor wir \u00fcber Pflege sprechen.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":179,"featured_media":25127535,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[299,1223,608],"tags":[1586,1436,1587,1589,1588,449,873,1590],"class_list":["post-25127528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthcare-access","category-picture-of-the-day","category-real-life-stories","tag-ageing","tag-east-sumba","tag-elderly-care","tag-human-stories","tag-mbajik","tag-primary-medical-care","tag-rural-healthcare","tag-solar-electrification"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tAn Older Man in Mbajik Tells His Story Where Electricity Has Arrived<\/h1>\n
Elderly Care in East Sumba Begins by Listening<\/h2>\n
Care That Reaches People Where They Live<\/h2>\n
A Village Across Generations<\/h2>\n
Verified external resources<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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