"Hello, many greetings from Kimilili, 60 miles north of the equator in rural Kenya. You might think that it is hot here, but actually it isn't. We are 5,600 feet above sea level.

	Retiree Ann Lipson

My name is Ann and I have been a World Service listener since I came to Kenya from the UK 32 years ago.

I taught in a secondary school for 24 years, but eventually the time came to retire."

Shock

"Retirement is a time when people wonder what on earth is going to happen to them and what are they going to do.

Some of my friends have had very busy lives and once they retire, they find it such a shock.

Retirement is a word that Kenyans dread. They have worked in towns all their working lives, but when they come to retire, they are sent back to their rural homes."

Money is tight

"Recently we had a very wonderful meeting for retired people.

About 140 people turned up, mostly men.

Most were complaining that their biggest problem was finance.

They had been used to having a regular income and now were on a small pension."

We looked at the way forward and how to do things that could improve their lives.

Many were encouraged just by sitting and talking to others in the same situation."

What to do next

"I would like to encourage all listeners facing retirement that this is not the end.

It can be a phase even better than your working days.

Please do not think that it is a time to go off and moan and read the newspaper.

It is a time to look around and see what you can do not only to help yourself, but also other people."