In the year 2000, the government and people of Dominica celebrated Elizabeth “Ma Pampo” Israel as the oldest person in the world. Indications are that she was born on January 27th, 1875, making her 128 years old in 2003 when she died on October 14, 2003.

When she was 125 years old, the Government of Dominica celebrated her 125^th birthday in style. Time Magazine named her the world's oldest human. The BBC web site in its “Gene Stories – The World’s Longest Iived People”  named her under the title: “The Oldest Person Ever?”

The Guinness Book of World Records does not yet list her as the world’s oldest person, claiming lack of documentation. Although the Catholic Church, using as a basis an old church register unearthed in December 1999, issued an official baptismal certificate showing Ma Pampo’s birth date as January 27, 1875, Guinness has not used this document to authenticate the claim, since it is not an official government record.

 She was born in Portsmouth, Dominica, the daughter of Magdeline Israel, a slave. The name of the father is not documented. Elizabeth Israel grew up and worked for almost 90 years on Picard Estate, a lime and coconut plantation, on the island’s northwest coast. Elizabeth Israel was probably one of the first generation of black Caribbean islanders who was born free, since emancipation was formally granted to the islands in 1838. Although she was born free her real life situation enslaved her. She picked coconuts and limes from about age 13 for a starting wage of two cents per day.

When the Domican government led in celebrating her 125th birthday 1n the year 2000, “Ma Pampo”, as she was called, was living in a small plywood house in Gladvillia outside the town of Portsmouth. She was by then blind.  Early in 2002, because of an ingrown toenail that had become infected, Ma Pampo’s right leg was amputated below the knee. The procedure left her largely bedridden.

However, she was still welcoming visitors with a firm handshake and a smile and communicating in standard English, or in the native Kwiyol (a French patois), or in Kokoy (an English-based pidgin), as the situation demanded.

Around the time of her hospitalization, Rose Peters, her next-door neighbor and friend died at the age of 118. Concerned people point out that Guinness had confirmed the age Rose Peters who was younger than Elizabeth “Ma Pampo” Israel.

In 2000 there were over 20 centenarians in Dominica (four living close to Elizabeth Israel), from a population of 70,000 occupying only 289 square miles. Dominica is believed to be the country with the highest concentration of centenarians.

People speculate that the clean, stress-free living of Dominica, called the Nature Island of the Caribbean, has something to do with it. Elizabeth Israel herself says she has lived this long because of faith in God, hard work and good food. Her simple diet over the years was mainly dumplings and bush tea. She also avoided commercially processed foods.

A  Pampo Foundation has been established in Dominica. The foundation is a non-profit charity “geared at promoting mainly the long life mystery of Elizabeth "Pampo" Israel and other Dominican centenarians.”