This study by HelpAge International and the Zanzibar Department for Health and Social Welfare recommends that a universal pension scheme is the best way to alleviate poverty among older people. A key finding from the study shows that older men and women in Zanzibar are particularly vulnerable because, as well as being engaged in subsistence farming to survive, they also perform a vital caring role in caring for children. They do this despite often being poor or in declining health, and without support from their families as a result of weakening family support systems. This study recommends that providing a guaranteed minimum income to all older people is both necessary and possible. It recommends a universal non-contributory pension and describes how this can be implemented.