Monday, July 30, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Granny bulletin
Granny Bulletin
July 20, 2007
The Granny Bulletin is an update on the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign, intended to keep grandmothers? groups across Canada informed about, and connected to, the grandmothers and grassroots projects in Africa, that are supported through their dedicated fundraising and awareness-raising efforts.
Greetings grannies!
Welcome to the final bulletin for the month of July. In this issue, we will go over some technical (but interesting) information and also share some personal and heartening stories from the projects we support in Africa ? again a small sample of many wonderful initiatives across sub-Saharan Africa.
Dear Grannies,
We have been hard at work creating the new Grandmothers Campaign website over the last few months. At long last, it is finally here!
We?ve had the designer upload the test site to the correct web address, which means that the site should appear online sometime this weekend. Please check the site on Monday, July 23rd at www.grandmotherscampaign.org.
ABOUT THE SITE
We have tried to create a website that will help facilitate discussion, interaction and networking among grandmothers groups in Canada and beyond. In order to have the most accessible and interactive forum possible (given all of the things we want it to do!), we used a template to create the website which will allow for different levels of access for different users.
As a result, we?ve created a public section of the site, which can be accessed by anyone, and a registered section of the site, which is intended specifically for granny groups.
In the PUBLIC SECTION of the site, you will find:
An interactive google map of granny groups across the country.
Information About the Campaign, the Grandmothers? Gathering, and how to get involved
Information about available resources. (Please note that in order to reduce duplication, large features such as the event organizers? photo gallery, logo gallery, and news articles will remain only on the SLF website.)
A ?share ideas? section, where you can submit articles about your group?s experiences with fundraising, advocacy and awareness raising.
An event calendar, listing grandmother events across the country. Click on each date and read more about what others are doing to support grandmothers in Africa.
A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section, with answers to questions about tax receipts, communications and other common queries.
In the REGISTERED SECTION of the site:
We are creating an account for each group, with the primary contact listed as the main person for the group. Once a group is registered, the primary contact will receive an e-mail with their group?s username and password.
Once the site is live, you group will be able to login and use the following features:
Group profiles, where each granny group can post their contact information, edit their profile, group description and post photos!
Submit events for the event calendar.
Submit news and updates for the homepage.
Granny bulletins ? the site features an archive of previous granny bulletins, and future bulletins will also be featured on the site.
A weekly poll, which will help us determine what issues and ideas are important to you. Please cast your vote, or suggest a poll topic for us to use!
A discussion forum, where registered users can post messages on any number of topics, from fundraising to advocacy. The forum requires an additional username and password. We will send a list of instructions on how to use the forum in the coming days.
We want the site to be as useful as possible ? please send us your comments, thoughts and ideas about how it can fulfill your group's needs. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Over the next few weeks, we will be adding content and modifying sections based on your feedback.
In the coming days, you will receive another e-mail with instructions on how to use each of the interactive features of the website. If you have any further questions about how to use the site, please don?t hesitate to send them to questions@grandmotherscampaign.org.
**If you discover any errors in your group name, location or primary contact information, please let us know.
The July 6 bulletin featured a profile on Reach One Teach One Ministries (ROTOM) based in Uganda. Since then, we have received an update from our colleague Kenneth that we are sure will warm your hearts:
Introduction:
On my last monitoring visit, I met many children and grannies under ROTOM grandmothers support project. While I could see so much need I was overwhelmed by the joy in the faces of the grannies and children I met. The wide smiles were infectious and the stories of hope restored were touching. I worked hard to hold my tears because the appreciation from these grannies and children was overwhelming. I knew it was not me to take the credit but many grannies in Canada that have donated the money for this project through SLF. I also knew that Erican and Norah our project staff who day in and day out are working to better the lives of these grannies and children deserved the credit.
The real stories:
Teresa Kyabahara is not sure of her age but believes she is in her early 70?s. She is a widow and grandmother. She is one of those full of praise for the support received from SLF supported ROTOM grandmother support Project. ?We now have enough food and are assured of medical treatment when we fall sick. Girls who had left school are back learning to become tailors. Thank you very much for loving us. We have given you a new name because of what you have done for us. We call you RUKUNDO (love)?, Teresa told me while holding the youngest of the grandchildren under her care.
Teresa, like other grannies in the project, has received a goat, receives regular food supplements, has participated in weekly fellowship where she receives support from our staff and other grannies. When she falls sick, she is assured of free medical treatment. It is these and other benefits that have put a smile on her face and changed her life.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
The following is a brief introduction to Women and Children Development Organization (wcdo) based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia that benefits from the great efforts of the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign:
Although HIV prevalence rates remain relatively low in Ethiopia, when compared to countries like Swaziland and Botswana, the effects of the virus are still devastating. As in other countries around the continent, HIV/AIDS is disproportionately infecting and affecting women in Ethiopia. According to 2006 UNAIDS statistics, prevalence among adult women is double that among adult men!
Women and Children Development Organization is an example of the responsive grassroots organizations meeting the many challenges posed by the pandemic. WCDO was established in 1995 and works in urban, rural and pastoral areas on community development programmes affecting children, women and other disadvantaged groups. Their mission is to bring about sustainable development changes with maximum community participation.
The Stephen Lewis Foundation is financially supporting a WCDO project based in the town of Hawel-tula ? a town with high poverty and unemployment levels and growing social concerns. HIV/AIDS is becoming a major problem and the numbers of vulnerable and orphaned children are growing. There is only one clinic in the town providing services focusing specifically on HIV/AIDS.
WCDO?s project aims to:
Enhance school attendance for 50 children (30 of whom are orphans and 20 are vulnerable children) through the provision of full educational support including access to clothing, nutrition and transportation to school;
Strengthen the capacity of 45 women (25 of whom are grandmothers caring for 30 orphaned children and 20 who are impoverished mothers caring for 20 vulnerable children) through HIV/ AIDS prevention training, VCT* service, family planning services and provision of access to credit services;
In the 12 years since its inception, WCDO has been hard at work. The following are some highlights of its achievements:
Provided loans to 300 women and organized for income-generating activities, including the establishment of a bakery;
Provided educational support to 5,000 school children
Provided health and hygiene education to more than 15,000 community groups aged 10 and above;
Renovated 77 homes;
Organized 5000 youths into working groups conducting training workshops on HIV/AIDS for peer educators, counsellors and volunteer caregivers;
Constructed and installed a public library with the capacity of 70 seats;
Conducted training workshops and organized experience-sharing sessions on good governance and democratization for government officials, court officials, women's representatives, youth groups, traditional leaders, and representatives of community-based organizations and civil society organizations;
*VCT ? voluntary counselling and testing for HIV
July 20, 2007
The Granny Bulletin is an update on the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign, intended to keep grandmothers? groups across Canada informed about, and connected to, the grandmothers and grassroots projects in Africa, that are supported through their dedicated fundraising and awareness-raising efforts.
Greetings grannies!
Welcome to the final bulletin for the month of July. In this issue, we will go over some technical (but interesting) information and also share some personal and heartening stories from the projects we support in Africa ? again a small sample of many wonderful initiatives across sub-Saharan Africa.
Dear Grannies,
We have been hard at work creating the new Grandmothers Campaign website over the last few months. At long last, it is finally here!
We?ve had the designer upload the test site to the correct web address, which means that the site should appear online sometime this weekend. Please check the site on Monday, July 23rd at www.grandmotherscampaign.org.
ABOUT THE SITE
We have tried to create a website that will help facilitate discussion, interaction and networking among grandmothers groups in Canada and beyond. In order to have the most accessible and interactive forum possible (given all of the things we want it to do!), we used a template to create the website which will allow for different levels of access for different users.
As a result, we?ve created a public section of the site, which can be accessed by anyone, and a registered section of the site, which is intended specifically for granny groups.
In the PUBLIC SECTION of the site, you will find:
An interactive google map of granny groups across the country.
Information About the Campaign, the Grandmothers? Gathering, and how to get involved
Information about available resources. (Please note that in order to reduce duplication, large features such as the event organizers? photo gallery, logo gallery, and news articles will remain only on the SLF website.)
A ?share ideas? section, where you can submit articles about your group?s experiences with fundraising, advocacy and awareness raising.
An event calendar, listing grandmother events across the country. Click on each date and read more about what others are doing to support grandmothers in Africa.
A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section, with answers to questions about tax receipts, communications and other common queries.
In the REGISTERED SECTION of the site:
We are creating an account for each group, with the primary contact listed as the main person for the group. Once a group is registered, the primary contact will receive an e-mail with their group?s username and password.
Once the site is live, you group will be able to login and use the following features:
Group profiles, where each granny group can post their contact information, edit their profile, group description and post photos!
Submit events for the event calendar.
Submit news and updates for the homepage.
Granny bulletins ? the site features an archive of previous granny bulletins, and future bulletins will also be featured on the site.
A weekly poll, which will help us determine what issues and ideas are important to you. Please cast your vote, or suggest a poll topic for us to use!
A discussion forum, where registered users can post messages on any number of topics, from fundraising to advocacy. The forum requires an additional username and password. We will send a list of instructions on how to use the forum in the coming days.
We want the site to be as useful as possible ? please send us your comments, thoughts and ideas about how it can fulfill your group's needs. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Over the next few weeks, we will be adding content and modifying sections based on your feedback.
In the coming days, you will receive another e-mail with instructions on how to use each of the interactive features of the website. If you have any further questions about how to use the site, please don?t hesitate to send them to questions@grandmotherscampaign.org.
**If you discover any errors in your group name, location or primary contact information, please let us know.
The July 6 bulletin featured a profile on Reach One Teach One Ministries (ROTOM) based in Uganda. Since then, we have received an update from our colleague Kenneth that we are sure will warm your hearts:
Introduction:
On my last monitoring visit, I met many children and grannies under ROTOM grandmothers support project. While I could see so much need I was overwhelmed by the joy in the faces of the grannies and children I met. The wide smiles were infectious and the stories of hope restored were touching. I worked hard to hold my tears because the appreciation from these grannies and children was overwhelming. I knew it was not me to take the credit but many grannies in Canada that have donated the money for this project through SLF. I also knew that Erican and Norah our project staff who day in and day out are working to better the lives of these grannies and children deserved the credit.
The real stories:
Teresa Kyabahara is not sure of her age but believes she is in her early 70?s. She is a widow and grandmother. She is one of those full of praise for the support received from SLF supported ROTOM grandmother support Project. ?We now have enough food and are assured of medical treatment when we fall sick. Girls who had left school are back learning to become tailors. Thank you very much for loving us. We have given you a new name because of what you have done for us. We call you RUKUNDO (love)?, Teresa told me while holding the youngest of the grandchildren under her care.
Teresa, like other grannies in the project, has received a goat, receives regular food supplements, has participated in weekly fellowship where she receives support from our staff and other grannies. When she falls sick, she is assured of free medical treatment. It is these and other benefits that have put a smile on her face and changed her life.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
The following is a brief introduction to Women and Children Development Organization (wcdo) based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia that benefits from the great efforts of the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign:
Although HIV prevalence rates remain relatively low in Ethiopia, when compared to countries like Swaziland and Botswana, the effects of the virus are still devastating. As in other countries around the continent, HIV/AIDS is disproportionately infecting and affecting women in Ethiopia. According to 2006 UNAIDS statistics, prevalence among adult women is double that among adult men!
Women and Children Development Organization is an example of the responsive grassroots organizations meeting the many challenges posed by the pandemic. WCDO was established in 1995 and works in urban, rural and pastoral areas on community development programmes affecting children, women and other disadvantaged groups. Their mission is to bring about sustainable development changes with maximum community participation.
The Stephen Lewis Foundation is financially supporting a WCDO project based in the town of Hawel-tula ? a town with high poverty and unemployment levels and growing social concerns. HIV/AIDS is becoming a major problem and the numbers of vulnerable and orphaned children are growing. There is only one clinic in the town providing services focusing specifically on HIV/AIDS.
WCDO?s project aims to:
Enhance school attendance for 50 children (30 of whom are orphans and 20 are vulnerable children) through the provision of full educational support including access to clothing, nutrition and transportation to school;
Strengthen the capacity of 45 women (25 of whom are grandmothers caring for 30 orphaned children and 20 who are impoverished mothers caring for 20 vulnerable children) through HIV/ AIDS prevention training, VCT* service, family planning services and provision of access to credit services;
In the 12 years since its inception, WCDO has been hard at work. The following are some highlights of its achievements:
Provided loans to 300 women and organized for income-generating activities, including the establishment of a bakery;
Provided educational support to 5,000 school children
Provided health and hygiene education to more than 15,000 community groups aged 10 and above;
Renovated 77 homes;
Organized 5000 youths into working groups conducting training workshops on HIV/AIDS for peer educators, counsellors and volunteer caregivers;
Constructed and installed a public library with the capacity of 70 seats;
Conducted training workshops and organized experience-sharing sessions on good governance and democratization for government officials, court officials, women's representatives, youth groups, traditional leaders, and representatives of community-based organizations and civil society organizations;
*VCT ? voluntary counselling and testing for HIV
Thursday, July 19, 2007
more news about the garden tour
1. There will be several draws and purchasing opportunities at the various gardens on the Blooms for Africa tour on July 28 and 29.
A wonderful basket of garden items is being raffled at Ann Craig-Howarth's garden in Aldershot (Bedford Rd.address).
Raffle tickets for a beautiful hand made concrete bench donated by Hamilton artist, Judy Hill, are being sold at all the gardens.
Beautiful stationary (sketches of grandmothers and orphans in Africa) by Hamilton artist, Theresa Randles, are being sold at many of the gardens.
All of the proceeds from these sales will go directly to the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Stephen Lewis foundation.
2. A very special garden has been added to the tour. This garden, located at the First Unitarian Church, 170 Dundurn St. Hamilton, rear garden just off the parking lot is the SEEDS OF HOPE GARDEN. Seeds of Hope is a project designed for the Women?s Centre of Hamilton that uses horticultural and human experiences to link women?s centres around the world. A central idea for the project is re-visioning the curb-side plots of urban buildings, transforming them into welcoming gardens with political meaning?the idea of the live organic message as part of the urban landscape and as part of public conscience.
Also, there is the desire to take women?s centres out of their ?removed settings?, (the Women?s Centre of Hamilton is housed in an office on the third floor of the YWCA. building) and out onto the streets/gardens where it is more likely that women in need will encounter the Centre?s contact information which is posted at each of the urban garden sites.
Women?s centres from around the globe joined the Women?s Centre of Hamilton to form a collective and participate in the project by sharing horticultural seeds and stories of women?s lives from their region. Sites in and around the Hamilton area have been selected as garden host sites where seeds from the partnering countries and local botanicals would be planted and the words of women disseminated in the form of on-site booklets.
The SOH project is a good indicator of the challenges that women around the world struggle with on a daily basis. I encourage people to visit the SOH garden sites and allow the diversity of the plants to remind them of the varying situation of women around the world?the resilient seed?and in the life-cycle of the garden, to see glimpses of our own abilities for growth, renewal and peace Kelly Hilton, Project designer
A wonderful basket of garden items is being raffled at Ann Craig-Howarth's garden in Aldershot (Bedford Rd.address).
Raffle tickets for a beautiful hand made concrete bench donated by Hamilton artist, Judy Hill, are being sold at all the gardens.
Beautiful stationary (sketches of grandmothers and orphans in Africa) by Hamilton artist, Theresa Randles, are being sold at many of the gardens.
All of the proceeds from these sales will go directly to the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Stephen Lewis foundation.
2. A very special garden has been added to the tour. This garden, located at the First Unitarian Church, 170 Dundurn St. Hamilton, rear garden just off the parking lot is the SEEDS OF HOPE GARDEN. Seeds of Hope is a project designed for the Women?s Centre of Hamilton that uses horticultural and human experiences to link women?s centres around the world. A central idea for the project is re-visioning the curb-side plots of urban buildings, transforming them into welcoming gardens with political meaning?the idea of the live organic message as part of the urban landscape and as part of public conscience.
Also, there is the desire to take women?s centres out of their ?removed settings?, (the Women?s Centre of Hamilton is housed in an office on the third floor of the YWCA. building) and out onto the streets/gardens where it is more likely that women in need will encounter the Centre?s contact information which is posted at each of the urban garden sites.
Women?s centres from around the globe joined the Women?s Centre of Hamilton to form a collective and participate in the project by sharing horticultural seeds and stories of women?s lives from their region. Sites in and around the Hamilton area have been selected as garden host sites where seeds from the partnering countries and local botanicals would be planted and the words of women disseminated in the form of on-site booklets.
The SOH project is a good indicator of the challenges that women around the world struggle with on a daily basis. I encourage people to visit the SOH garden sites and allow the diversity of the plants to remind them of the varying situation of women around the world?the resilient seed?and in the life-cycle of the garden, to see glimpses of our own abilities for growth, renewal and peace Kelly Hilton, Project designer
Monday, July 16, 2007
Fundraiser August 10- Potato Festival Weekend
South Simcoe Branch – GRANDMOTHERS EMBRACE –
CELEBRATING THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE TORONTO GRANDMOTHERS’ GATHERING of African and Canadian Grandmothers
DATE: Saturday, August 11, 2007 (POTATO FESTIVAL WEEKEND)
PLACE: Alliston Community Christian School
ADDRESS: King Street South (past industrial parkway)TIME: 10:30 – 3:30
Suggested Donation Fee……………………………………………….$25.00
-make cheques out to- Grandmothers Embrace Potato Festival
©all extra money will go directly to the Stephen Lewis Foundation
©It is suggested that you register early as there are a limited number of places available
Send cheques and registration form to:
Judy Temple
129 Bella Vista TrailAlliston, On, L9R 2E2
©If you have any questions please contact Betsie Vant Spykerjaco008@accglobal.net
CELEBRATING THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE TORONTO GRANDMOTHERS’ GATHERING of African and Canadian Grandmothers
DATE: Saturday, August 11, 2007 (POTATO FESTIVAL WEEKEND)
PLACE: Alliston Community Christian School
ADDRESS: King Street South (past industrial parkway)TIME: 10:30 – 3:30
Suggested Donation Fee……………………………………………….$25.00
-make cheques out to- Grandmothers Embrace Potato Festival
©all extra money will go directly to the Stephen Lewis Foundation
©It is suggested that you register early as there are a limited number of places available
Send cheques and registration form to:
Judy Temple
129 Bella Vista TrailAlliston, On, L9R 2E2
©If you have any questions please contact Betsie Vant Spykerjaco008@accglobal.net
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Blooms for Africa
July 27 & 28
$10 for 12 gardens in Hamilton & Burlington.
Tix at Bryan Price Booksellers.
All proceeds to the SLF.
www.grandmotherscampaign.org
DEAR GRANDMOTHERS!
WE ARE SO THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE THE IMMINENT LAUNCH OF A SPECIAL WEBSITE JUST FOR GROUPS PARTICIPATING IN THE GRANDMOTHERS TO GRANDMOTHERS CAMPAIGN!!!
The website will have its own ?address? (www.grandmotherscampaign.org) and will go ?live? (be active) by Friday, July 20th.
THE WEBSITE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS, and we strongly encourage your feedback and welcome your suggestions!
We didn?t go for a flashy, gorgeous website ? we wanted something simple, accessible, easily navigated and useful to all of you!
TO THAT END, WE NEED TO HEAR YOUR FEEDBACK/SUGGESTIONS/IDEAS about how the website can be tailored to meet your needs!
We?re so excited to get this off the ground that we?re going to launch it and have it available to you BEFORE we?ve posted ALL the information that we have available! We want to make sure that it?s what you want and what you need? we?re working from many emails that you?ve sent to us ? and incorporated much of what we could ? but there?s room for more, and we welcome your input!!
NOW ? to be candid and up-front about all this, no website is going to do everything that everyone wants!
WHAT THE WEBSITE CAN CURRENTLY OFFER:
Each group (that is, the contact person you?ve given us) will be emailed a password to give you access to the website:
a) Individual profile pages for groups ? YOU CAN POST YOUR OWN GROUP PROFILE AND UPDATE IT WHENEVER YOU WANT!!!
b) You can POST AND MAINTAIN INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR EVENTS ? post photos, write-ups, updates; schedules, and learnings from your event
c) There?s a forum to share ideas about Regional and National initiatives
d) There?s a part of the website that is open to the public, and your password will give you access to the FULL PANOPLY OF WONDERFUL RESOURCES AVAILABLE! And the possibility of posting information. (i.e. the public can see the ?Event Calendar?, but the group contact information will be available only to ?members? ? groups affiliated with the Campaign who have a password!)
e) Granny Bulletins ? all past and future granny bulletins will be available on the site
f) Web polls ? this one might be fun! Someone can send us a question and we can post a ?poll? on relevant issues!
THERE WILL BE MORE, AS WE HEAR FROM YOU!
Warmly,
Ilana and Gillian
Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign
WE ARE SO THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE THE IMMINENT LAUNCH OF A SPECIAL WEBSITE JUST FOR GROUPS PARTICIPATING IN THE GRANDMOTHERS TO GRANDMOTHERS CAMPAIGN!!!
The website will have its own ?address? (www.grandmotherscampaign.org) and will go ?live? (be active) by Friday, July 20th.
THE WEBSITE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS, and we strongly encourage your feedback and welcome your suggestions!
We didn?t go for a flashy, gorgeous website ? we wanted something simple, accessible, easily navigated and useful to all of you!
TO THAT END, WE NEED TO HEAR YOUR FEEDBACK/SUGGESTIONS/IDEAS about how the website can be tailored to meet your needs!
We?re so excited to get this off the ground that we?re going to launch it and have it available to you BEFORE we?ve posted ALL the information that we have available! We want to make sure that it?s what you want and what you need? we?re working from many emails that you?ve sent to us ? and incorporated much of what we could ? but there?s room for more, and we welcome your input!!
NOW ? to be candid and up-front about all this, no website is going to do everything that everyone wants!
WHAT THE WEBSITE CAN CURRENTLY OFFER:
Each group (that is, the contact person you?ve given us) will be emailed a password to give you access to the website:
a) Individual profile pages for groups ? YOU CAN POST YOUR OWN GROUP PROFILE AND UPDATE IT WHENEVER YOU WANT!!!
b) You can POST AND MAINTAIN INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR EVENTS ? post photos, write-ups, updates; schedules, and learnings from your event
c) There?s a forum to share ideas about Regional and National initiatives
d) There?s a part of the website that is open to the public, and your password will give you access to the FULL PANOPLY OF WONDERFUL RESOURCES AVAILABLE! And the possibility of posting information. (i.e. the public can see the ?Event Calendar?, but the group contact information will be available only to ?members? ? groups affiliated with the Campaign who have a password!)
e) Granny Bulletins ? all past and future granny bulletins will be available on the site
f) Web polls ? this one might be fun! Someone can send us a question and we can post a ?poll? on relevant issues!
THERE WILL BE MORE, AS WE HEAR FROM YOU!
Warmly,
Ilana and Gillian
Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign
Letter from Stephen Lewis
dear friends:
The evolution of the Foundation continues to be fascinating.As you can see from much of this Newsletter, the grandmothers initiative has picked up extraordinary momentum and is now happily consuming a great deal of the Foundation’s time.
But there’s more to it than that. We learned an important lesson from the grandmother experience. We learned that even a small Foundation can discover a new dimension of the pandemic, largely neglected by the rest of the world, and by the sheer force of activity and determination, turn that new aspect of the pandemic into an international ‘cause celebre’.
Who would have believed, even one year ago, that African grandmothers would rise to the top of the AIDS agenda?!
Now we’re out of control, intoxicated by what we’ve achieved, and looking for the next world to conquer. I’ve been chatting with Ilana and colleagues at the Foundation, and it’s our growing view that what we should tackle next is the issue of “Youth”, ages 15 to 24. This age group in Africa constitutes 50% of the new infections, huge numbers of deaths, with young girls especially vulnerable, and yet youth are the nearly invisible part of the AIDS response.
Everybody talks about youth (just as so many talked about grandmothers), but the response to their desperate predicament is negligible. The Foundation is beginning to imagine the possibilities of Canadian High Schools and Community Colleges and Universities banding together to support the resilient and struggling youth of Africa, just as has been the case with the indomitable grandmothers. It won’t happen immediately of course, nor tomorrow, but perhaps at some point down the road.
So stay tuned for a Youth to Youth campaign. We’ll probably start with an international conference!
Best personal regards,
Stephen Lewis
The evolution of the Foundation continues to be fascinating.As you can see from much of this Newsletter, the grandmothers initiative has picked up extraordinary momentum and is now happily consuming a great deal of the Foundation’s time.
But there’s more to it than that. We learned an important lesson from the grandmother experience. We learned that even a small Foundation can discover a new dimension of the pandemic, largely neglected by the rest of the world, and by the sheer force of activity and determination, turn that new aspect of the pandemic into an international ‘cause celebre’.
Who would have believed, even one year ago, that African grandmothers would rise to the top of the AIDS agenda?!
Now we’re out of control, intoxicated by what we’ve achieved, and looking for the next world to conquer. I’ve been chatting with Ilana and colleagues at the Foundation, and it’s our growing view that what we should tackle next is the issue of “Youth”, ages 15 to 24. This age group in Africa constitutes 50% of the new infections, huge numbers of deaths, with young girls especially vulnerable, and yet youth are the nearly invisible part of the AIDS response.
Everybody talks about youth (just as so many talked about grandmothers), but the response to their desperate predicament is negligible. The Foundation is beginning to imagine the possibilities of Canadian High Schools and Community Colleges and Universities banding together to support the resilient and struggling youth of Africa, just as has been the case with the indomitable grandmothers. It won’t happen immediately of course, nor tomorrow, but perhaps at some point down the road.
So stay tuned for a Youth to Youth campaign. We’ll probably start with an international conference!
Best personal regards,
Stephen Lewis
From zimbabwe
Dear Family and Friends,
Zimbabwe has been engulfed in a macabre and tragic frenzy this week andfrankly, it beggars belief. Across the country what has been called a"Taskforce" has been unleashed by the government to force shop owners andbusinesses to cut their prices by 50%. The price cut enforcers are army men incamouflage clothes, police in uniform and large numbers of youth militia.They gofrom shop to shop and simply pick on items they want reduced : SLASH THAT PRICE,is the phrase we are hearing again and again and then products have to be soldfor less than they were purchased for. Shop owners who refuse to cut the pricesface arrest and having their goods seized. Some have been assaulted, others hadtheir premises trashed and windows smashed.The result of it all, inevitably, is rapid collapse and many goods and foodshave now become completely unavailable including all the staples which werealready difficult to find such as flour, oil, sugar, salt and maize meal.Joining the list now are most other normal household products in daily use suchas soap, candles, matches, milk, eggs, margarine, rice, bread and the list growslonger by the hour and day. As the prices are ordered down hordes of people withbagfuls of money swarm behind and buy up all the stocks. Shops are displayingsigns announcing that only one of each item may be purchased but entire gangsare moving around in dozens and just cleaning everything out.This week in my home town, all types of meat have become completely unavailableas butchers were ordered to sell for less than half the price they had paid toabattoirs. One supermarket in the centre of the town was empty of all goods bymid week, another two were not far behind - both saying they expected to be outof business in the next few days - a week at most. In both of these outletsthere were aisle after aisle of completely empty shelves. It was heartbreakingto see pensioners and desperately poor people looking for bargains but findingnone and then looking for basics and finding none of those either.Outside a major wholesaler, groups of young men stood around waiting for the"militia taskforce" to arrive so that they could buy up everything as the priceswere slashed. The car park was nearly full of luxury vehicles - pajero's, twincabs, SUV's. even a Lexus - all filled with men talking incessantly oncellphones and women in tight jeans and artificial hair - their vehicles alreadybulging with 'slashed price' goods, many pulling trailers also stuffed tooverflowing.I went to one almost empty supermarket and stopped near a young policeman in apick up truck without number plates that was loaded to the hilt with 'slashedprice' goods. It was a bitterly cold morning and a barefoot and slightlyretarded man was sitting on the tar shaking and shivering with cold. Hestretched his hands up to the policeman and said: "Chingwa" (Bread). Thepoliceman ignored him and turned away, calling out cheerfully to another youngpoliceman, also in uniform, who was staggering out with more booty. Again theshivering and barefoot man asked for bread but they both ignored him. I couldnot stop tears filling my eyes and although I had virtually nothing left I bentdown and folded a note into his hand; he clapped his hands in thanks and as Istood up I caught the eye of the young policeman. There was no compassion orempathy there, just arrogance. For a moment I remembered how it felt after thefarmers and their workers had been thrown off and someone had helped me when Iwas utterly desperate. He had said to me: There but for the grace of God go I.Now there are so many more in that place of need.All week as the situation has deteriorated people have been comparing what ishappening now to shops and businesses with what happened to farms. A huge crisisseems just a few days or perhaps a couple of weeks away, as stocks dwindle,warehouses empty and we simply run out of food. As I write this letter thegovernment are continuing to applaud the price cuts and say they will take overthe businesses that close down.Please keep the plight of ordinary Zimbabweans, particularly the old, sick,handicapped, frail and unemployed in your prayers in this most shockingsituation.
Until next week,
with love,
cathy
Zimbabwe has been engulfed in a macabre and tragic frenzy this week andfrankly, it beggars belief. Across the country what has been called a"Taskforce" has been unleashed by the government to force shop owners andbusinesses to cut their prices by 50%. The price cut enforcers are army men incamouflage clothes, police in uniform and large numbers of youth militia.They gofrom shop to shop and simply pick on items they want reduced : SLASH THAT PRICE,is the phrase we are hearing again and again and then products have to be soldfor less than they were purchased for. Shop owners who refuse to cut the pricesface arrest and having their goods seized. Some have been assaulted, others hadtheir premises trashed and windows smashed.The result of it all, inevitably, is rapid collapse and many goods and foodshave now become completely unavailable including all the staples which werealready difficult to find such as flour, oil, sugar, salt and maize meal.Joining the list now are most other normal household products in daily use suchas soap, candles, matches, milk, eggs, margarine, rice, bread and the list growslonger by the hour and day. As the prices are ordered down hordes of people withbagfuls of money swarm behind and buy up all the stocks. Shops are displayingsigns announcing that only one of each item may be purchased but entire gangsare moving around in dozens and just cleaning everything out.This week in my home town, all types of meat have become completely unavailableas butchers were ordered to sell for less than half the price they had paid toabattoirs. One supermarket in the centre of the town was empty of all goods bymid week, another two were not far behind - both saying they expected to be outof business in the next few days - a week at most. In both of these outletsthere were aisle after aisle of completely empty shelves. It was heartbreakingto see pensioners and desperately poor people looking for bargains but findingnone and then looking for basics and finding none of those either.Outside a major wholesaler, groups of young men stood around waiting for the"militia taskforce" to arrive so that they could buy up everything as the priceswere slashed. The car park was nearly full of luxury vehicles - pajero's, twincabs, SUV's. even a Lexus - all filled with men talking incessantly oncellphones and women in tight jeans and artificial hair - their vehicles alreadybulging with 'slashed price' goods, many pulling trailers also stuffed tooverflowing.I went to one almost empty supermarket and stopped near a young policeman in apick up truck without number plates that was loaded to the hilt with 'slashedprice' goods. It was a bitterly cold morning and a barefoot and slightlyretarded man was sitting on the tar shaking and shivering with cold. Hestretched his hands up to the policeman and said: "Chingwa" (Bread). Thepoliceman ignored him and turned away, calling out cheerfully to another youngpoliceman, also in uniform, who was staggering out with more booty. Again theshivering and barefoot man asked for bread but they both ignored him. I couldnot stop tears filling my eyes and although I had virtually nothing left I bentdown and folded a note into his hand; he clapped his hands in thanks and as Istood up I caught the eye of the young policeman. There was no compassion orempathy there, just arrogance. For a moment I remembered how it felt after thefarmers and their workers had been thrown off and someone had helped me when Iwas utterly desperate. He had said to me: There but for the grace of God go I.Now there are so many more in that place of need.All week as the situation has deteriorated people have been comparing what ishappening now to shops and businesses with what happened to farms. A huge crisisseems just a few days or perhaps a couple of weeks away, as stocks dwindle,warehouses empty and we simply run out of food. As I write this letter thegovernment are continuing to applaud the price cuts and say they will take overthe businesses that close down.Please keep the plight of ordinary Zimbabweans, particularly the old, sick,handicapped, frail and unemployed in your prayers in this most shockingsituation.
Until next week,
with love,
cathy
Granny bulletin from Tinyan Otuomagie
Granny Bulletin July 6, 2007
The Granny Bulletin is an update on the Grandmothers to GrandmothersCampaign, intended to keep grandmothers' groups across Canada informedabout, and connected to, the grandmothers and grassroots projects in Africa,that are supported through their dedicated fundraising and awareness-raisingefforts. Happy Summer Friends!We have promised to keep you up-to-date on the excellent work being done inAfrica by and on behalf of grandmothers. We remember and appreciate thatthis is something you need as you continue to organize brilliantly in yourcommunities. In this bulletin, we will share three profiles on different,yet equally inspiring projects in Zambia, Uganda and Tanzania. Theseprojects represent only a small sample of the many incredible projectssupported by the Foundation (through your fundraising and solidarity) acrosssub-Saharan Africa.Ranchod Hospice - Busy Bees, ZambiaZambia, like other countries in the Southern Africa region, has not beenspared the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS. In fact, this region remainsthe global epicentre of the pandemic. According to UNICEF figures, thereare currently over 700,000 AIDS orphans living in Zambia alone! It isagainst this backdrop that the Busy Bees came into existence and continue towork. If you've seen the SLF film "Grandmothers: The Unsung Heroes ofAfrica", you've seen Matilda and the Busy Bees honoured.Housed on the Ranchod Hospice compound in Kabwe, Zambia, the Busy Bees is anever-growing support group for and by women, mostly grandmothers, who areinfected or affected by HIV/AIDS. A great number of them are caring fortheir orphaned grandchildren. They meet every day in the shade of a leafytree and together they share their worries, their grief, their strength,their skills and their talents. Since the formation of the group in 2004,they have soothed each other's sorrows, allayed each other's fears, listenedto each other's worries and shared in their triumphs - both individual andcollective. They have also produced mountains and mountains of crafts -everything from knitted sweaters to beaded necklaces; from ornate dolls toembroidered food coverings - all for sale mostly in local-area markets. The group's resourcefulness is limitless, inspired by their need to create asustainable source of income - income that will feed, clothe and sheltertheir families, income that will allow them to buy the necessary medicationsfor their orphaned grandchildren and send them to school, income that willperhaps ensure that the children in their care will not be left destituteafter they are gone. It is in this spirit of resourcefulness that the BusyBees have been enthusiastically looking to the future, continually thinkingabout and planning for more creative and reliable sources of income. Through their discussions, they identified Kabwe's need for moreprofessional tailors. They also recognized the collective wealth ofexperience they have in vegetable gardening. Long-term plans were made,research was undertaken and the Stephen Lewis Foundation is happy to haveresponded to their request for a grant that has allowed the group to:* get training in advanced sewing skills* purchase sewing and knitting machines* purchase materials that will allow them to successfully fulfilsewing contracts * get agricultural training* purchase equipment and fertilizer to help tend their vegetablegardenSince then, the Busy Bees have been hard at work; here are a few words fromour project colleagues in Kabwe: Mary:"I went with the Busy Bees to visit their agricultural project on Saturdayand was very impressed with their efforts. They have a large cabbage patchalso green beans, spinach, onions and tomatoes all ready for eating.Tomorrow we are going to buy seedlings for their extended patch alreadycleared and ready for planting. There is an excellent supply of water onhand, they cycle there 3/4 times weekly to water and weed."Hilary:"They are so excited at what they are accomplishing together ... All thatto say the SLF funding has certainly made a remarkable difference to theirconfidence and livelihoods (without even getting into the tailoring andknitting they are now doing!)."Reach One Teach One Ministries (ROTOM) - UgandaROTOM has been in operation for four years and in this short time hasestablished itself as a highly effective organisation meeting the needs ofimpoverished older persons in Uganda. Traditionally, Ugandan socialstructure was built around extended family and community. This networkprovided a safety-net for the society's most vulnerable members. With theAIDS pandemic eroding much of this structure, and with no other formalsystem to fill the gaps, the elderly and orphans have been left particularlyimpoverished and neglected. According to ROTOM's figures, 64% of Uganda'selderly live in absolute poverty and over 50% of seniors in their programare caring for orphaned grandchildren.ROTOM exists to provide support to the elderly. This ranges from social,spiritual and emotional support to economic and physical support. Morerecently, ROTOM has also taken on an advocacy and lobbying role which hasincluded the organizing of the first ever National Symposium on Aging inUganda and petitioning the speaker of Uganda's parliament to put "elderissues" on the table for discussion. Some of their achievements in the last four years include :* Over 3500 hot and nutritious meals delivered * 16 funerals sponsored for families unable to afford the costs* over 2500 home visits to the elderly and the children in their care* over 115 mattresses providedRecently, ROTOM established a grandmothers support project in the Kabaledistrict, located in southwest Uganda, for a group of 100 grandmothers.This support will not only improve the mental and physical health of thegrandmothers, but will also directly improve the lives of the orphans intheir care. With funding from the Stephen Lewis Foundation, the project'saim is to provide food, counselling, routine medical checkups,income-generating projects plus school fees and educational support to atleast 200 orphans in grandmother care. The project has taken off beautifully and the delivery of food is wellunderway as is medical treatment. Support groups that meet every two weekshave been established and are proving to be highly useful and meaningful tothe grandmothers. They decided to raise animals (chickens, goats, sheep,pigs) as a source of income, and already the grandmothers have been trainedin this area and the animals have been purchased. A few words from ourcolleague at ROTOM :The work of grandmothers' support project is going on well and on schedule.Last Wednesday I was in the project area and while driving in the village wemet a group of girls in school uniform coming from vocational classes intailoring, cookery, etc.I was overjoyed when the project officer (Erican)quickly asked to stop so that we could say hullo to them. these girls areamong the 31 teenage orphans ROTOM grandmothers support project sponsors toattain vocational skills.(there is also another 70 in primary schools) Whenthe girls saw us, they were all happy and proud to be back in school. Someof them had been out of school for long because their parents died of AIDS.I jokingly asked each of them to make for me a shirt when they finish theircourse and they were quick to say; "yes sir!"Combating HIV/AIDS in Tanzania (CHATA) According to the December 2006 UNAIDS Epidemic Update, Tanzania is one ofthe countries most affected by HIV/AIDS. There are 1.1 million AIDS orphansliving in Tanzania. UNAIDS projects the number of new HIV infections in therural areas, where close to 75% of the country's population live, could betwice as high as in urban areas by 2010. According to CHATA's reports, thesituation is getting worse in the rural areas where they work, (Arusha andManyara) due mainly to a lack of proper HIV/AIDS education, high levels ofstigmatization of those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS and increasingpoverty. Furthermore, access to social services and health care services isvery limited. CHATA's work focuses on these issues by focusing on HIV/AIDSprevention and care, poverty alleviation and advocacy and support forvulnerable children and grandparents. With the support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, CHATA has launched aproject that focuses specifically on the health as well as the social andeconomic status of AIDS patients and their families. This will be donethrough three main areas: * Improving accommodations for the elderly and for orphans* Creating a strong and sustainable infrastructure around which thecommunity can provide home-based care to the ailing* Provide education, social-economic and humanitarian support toorphans and vulnerable childrenOne of the Stephen Lewis Foundation's Field Representatives went to visit atypical household that would directly benefit from CHATA's services. It isa child-headed household with 14-year-old Christina as the caregiver to hertwo younger brothers: 8-year-old Simoni and 7-year-old Tobias. They havebeen living alone since 2002, which means Christina was only nine or ten andlooking after two toddlers! They live in a small, damp, windowless mud hutwith a leaky roof. Their day-to-day lives are extremely precarious - nofood security, no fuel to cook what little food they occasionally have, noblankets to protect them from the cold and damp. An excerpt from Lucy'sreport: I was told that several family members offered to take in one of thechildren, effectively splitting up the family group, but Christina hasalways refused. When I asked Christina about this, she confirmed what Iheard. "Yes," she said. "I promised my mother that I would not leave thishouse and I would not leave my brothers... Also, my mother and father areburied just to the side of the house and I don't want to leave them." Byrepairing their home, CHATA would not only improve the health of thesechildren but would also allow Christina to fulfill her promise to hermother.For more information on the situation of orphans and grandmothers in Africa,get copies of our films Grandmothers: The Unsung Heroes of Africa and AGeneration of Orphans.Visit www.stephenlewisfoundation.org for more information.
The Granny Bulletin is an update on the Grandmothers to GrandmothersCampaign, intended to keep grandmothers' groups across Canada informedabout, and connected to, the grandmothers and grassroots projects in Africa,that are supported through their dedicated fundraising and awareness-raisingefforts. Happy Summer Friends!We have promised to keep you up-to-date on the excellent work being done inAfrica by and on behalf of grandmothers. We remember and appreciate thatthis is something you need as you continue to organize brilliantly in yourcommunities. In this bulletin, we will share three profiles on different,yet equally inspiring projects in Zambia, Uganda and Tanzania. Theseprojects represent only a small sample of the many incredible projectssupported by the Foundation (through your fundraising and solidarity) acrosssub-Saharan Africa.Ranchod Hospice - Busy Bees, ZambiaZambia, like other countries in the Southern Africa region, has not beenspared the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS. In fact, this region remainsthe global epicentre of the pandemic. According to UNICEF figures, thereare currently over 700,000 AIDS orphans living in Zambia alone! It isagainst this backdrop that the Busy Bees came into existence and continue towork. If you've seen the SLF film "Grandmothers: The Unsung Heroes ofAfrica", you've seen Matilda and the Busy Bees honoured.Housed on the Ranchod Hospice compound in Kabwe, Zambia, the Busy Bees is anever-growing support group for and by women, mostly grandmothers, who areinfected or affected by HIV/AIDS. A great number of them are caring fortheir orphaned grandchildren. They meet every day in the shade of a leafytree and together they share their worries, their grief, their strength,their skills and their talents. Since the formation of the group in 2004,they have soothed each other's sorrows, allayed each other's fears, listenedto each other's worries and shared in their triumphs - both individual andcollective. They have also produced mountains and mountains of crafts -everything from knitted sweaters to beaded necklaces; from ornate dolls toembroidered food coverings - all for sale mostly in local-area markets. The group's resourcefulness is limitless, inspired by their need to create asustainable source of income - income that will feed, clothe and sheltertheir families, income that will allow them to buy the necessary medicationsfor their orphaned grandchildren and send them to school, income that willperhaps ensure that the children in their care will not be left destituteafter they are gone. It is in this spirit of resourcefulness that the BusyBees have been enthusiastically looking to the future, continually thinkingabout and planning for more creative and reliable sources of income. Through their discussions, they identified Kabwe's need for moreprofessional tailors. They also recognized the collective wealth ofexperience they have in vegetable gardening. Long-term plans were made,research was undertaken and the Stephen Lewis Foundation is happy to haveresponded to their request for a grant that has allowed the group to:* get training in advanced sewing skills* purchase sewing and knitting machines* purchase materials that will allow them to successfully fulfilsewing contracts * get agricultural training* purchase equipment and fertilizer to help tend their vegetablegardenSince then, the Busy Bees have been hard at work; here are a few words fromour project colleagues in Kabwe: Mary:"I went with the Busy Bees to visit their agricultural project on Saturdayand was very impressed with their efforts. They have a large cabbage patchalso green beans, spinach, onions and tomatoes all ready for eating.Tomorrow we are going to buy seedlings for their extended patch alreadycleared and ready for planting. There is an excellent supply of water onhand, they cycle there 3/4 times weekly to water and weed."Hilary:"They are so excited at what they are accomplishing together ... All thatto say the SLF funding has certainly made a remarkable difference to theirconfidence and livelihoods (without even getting into the tailoring andknitting they are now doing!)."Reach One Teach One Ministries (ROTOM) - UgandaROTOM has been in operation for four years and in this short time hasestablished itself as a highly effective organisation meeting the needs ofimpoverished older persons in Uganda. Traditionally, Ugandan socialstructure was built around extended family and community. This networkprovided a safety-net for the society's most vulnerable members. With theAIDS pandemic eroding much of this structure, and with no other formalsystem to fill the gaps, the elderly and orphans have been left particularlyimpoverished and neglected. According to ROTOM's figures, 64% of Uganda'selderly live in absolute poverty and over 50% of seniors in their programare caring for orphaned grandchildren.ROTOM exists to provide support to the elderly. This ranges from social,spiritual and emotional support to economic and physical support. Morerecently, ROTOM has also taken on an advocacy and lobbying role which hasincluded the organizing of the first ever National Symposium on Aging inUganda and petitioning the speaker of Uganda's parliament to put "elderissues" on the table for discussion. Some of their achievements in the last four years include :* Over 3500 hot and nutritious meals delivered * 16 funerals sponsored for families unable to afford the costs* over 2500 home visits to the elderly and the children in their care* over 115 mattresses providedRecently, ROTOM established a grandmothers support project in the Kabaledistrict, located in southwest Uganda, for a group of 100 grandmothers.This support will not only improve the mental and physical health of thegrandmothers, but will also directly improve the lives of the orphans intheir care. With funding from the Stephen Lewis Foundation, the project'saim is to provide food, counselling, routine medical checkups,income-generating projects plus school fees and educational support to atleast 200 orphans in grandmother care. The project has taken off beautifully and the delivery of food is wellunderway as is medical treatment. Support groups that meet every two weekshave been established and are proving to be highly useful and meaningful tothe grandmothers. They decided to raise animals (chickens, goats, sheep,pigs) as a source of income, and already the grandmothers have been trainedin this area and the animals have been purchased. A few words from ourcolleague at ROTOM :The work of grandmothers' support project is going on well and on schedule.Last Wednesday I was in the project area and while driving in the village wemet a group of girls in school uniform coming from vocational classes intailoring, cookery, etc.I was overjoyed when the project officer (Erican)quickly asked to stop so that we could say hullo to them. these girls areamong the 31 teenage orphans ROTOM grandmothers support project sponsors toattain vocational skills.(there is also another 70 in primary schools) Whenthe girls saw us, they were all happy and proud to be back in school. Someof them had been out of school for long because their parents died of AIDS.I jokingly asked each of them to make for me a shirt when they finish theircourse and they were quick to say; "yes sir!"Combating HIV/AIDS in Tanzania (CHATA) According to the December 2006 UNAIDS Epidemic Update, Tanzania is one ofthe countries most affected by HIV/AIDS. There are 1.1 million AIDS orphansliving in Tanzania. UNAIDS projects the number of new HIV infections in therural areas, where close to 75% of the country's population live, could betwice as high as in urban areas by 2010. According to CHATA's reports, thesituation is getting worse in the rural areas where they work, (Arusha andManyara) due mainly to a lack of proper HIV/AIDS education, high levels ofstigmatization of those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS and increasingpoverty. Furthermore, access to social services and health care services isvery limited. CHATA's work focuses on these issues by focusing on HIV/AIDSprevention and care, poverty alleviation and advocacy and support forvulnerable children and grandparents. With the support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, CHATA has launched aproject that focuses specifically on the health as well as the social andeconomic status of AIDS patients and their families. This will be donethrough three main areas: * Improving accommodations for the elderly and for orphans* Creating a strong and sustainable infrastructure around which thecommunity can provide home-based care to the ailing* Provide education, social-economic and humanitarian support toorphans and vulnerable childrenOne of the Stephen Lewis Foundation's Field Representatives went to visit atypical household that would directly benefit from CHATA's services. It isa child-headed household with 14-year-old Christina as the caregiver to hertwo younger brothers: 8-year-old Simoni and 7-year-old Tobias. They havebeen living alone since 2002, which means Christina was only nine or ten andlooking after two toddlers! They live in a small, damp, windowless mud hutwith a leaky roof. Their day-to-day lives are extremely precarious - nofood security, no fuel to cook what little food they occasionally have, noblankets to protect them from the cold and damp. An excerpt from Lucy'sreport: I was told that several family members offered to take in one of thechildren, effectively splitting up the family group, but Christina hasalways refused. When I asked Christina about this, she confirmed what Iheard. "Yes," she said. "I promised my mother that I would not leave thishouse and I would not leave my brothers... Also, my mother and father areburied just to the side of the house and I don't want to leave them." Byrepairing their home, CHATA would not only improve the health of thesechildren but would also allow Christina to fulfill her promise to hermother.For more information on the situation of orphans and grandmothers in Africa,get copies of our films Grandmothers: The Unsung Heroes of Africa and AGeneration of Orphans.Visit www.stephenlewisfoundation.org for more information.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Ottawa Grands on the Hill September 8th, 2007
Good Morning Grandmothers and Friends
WHAT:The Grandparents Solidarity March -
Giving voice, visibility and support for HIV/AIDS in AfricaThe program on the Hill will include a presentation of the Toronto Statement to Elizabeth Mataka, the new UN Special Envoy on AIDS in Africa and to the Prime Minister of Canada (or his designate)
WHY:The March has three objectives: to demonstrate solidarity with African grandmothers who are caring for AIDS orphans; · to raise awareness of the pandemic in Africa and the dire situation of these courageous women; and · to advocate for government policies and actions that will effectively address the situation and fulfil Canada¹s international obligations.The March will serve as a demonstration of a collaborative ³national day of action² for grandmother groups across Canada. It is hoped that groups within travel distance will join the March in Ottawa. Groups in other cities across Canada are encouraged to stage an activity in their own community on the same day.
Giving voice, visibility and support for HIV/AIDS in AfricaThe program on the Hill will include a presentation of the Toronto Statement to Elizabeth Mataka, the new UN Special Envoy on AIDS in Africa and to the Prime Minister of Canada (or his designate)
WHY:The March has three objectives: to demonstrate solidarity with African grandmothers who are caring for AIDS orphans; · to raise awareness of the pandemic in Africa and the dire situation of these courageous women; and · to advocate for government policies and actions that will effectively address the situation and fulfil Canada¹s international obligations.The March will serve as a demonstration of a collaborative ³national day of action² for grandmother groups across Canada. It is hoped that groups within travel distance will join the March in Ottawa. Groups in other cities across Canada are encouraged to stage an activity in their own community on the same day.
WHEN:Saturday, September 8, 2007. Assemble at City Hall at 1:00; 2:00 march to hill, program from 3:00 to 4:00 pm.
(NOTE: Grandparents Day is Sunday September 9 but the hill was booked so the date is now confirmed as Saturday September 8). Ottawa grannies will host/accommodate visiting grandmothers from Toronto and other regions in their homes on Friday September 7, Saturday September 8 and Sunday September 9 as required.
There will be a celebratory gathering of all grandmother group members whoare in town after the March (September 8) at 7:00pm.
WHERE:In Ottawa: Start of walk at City Hall on Elgin Street. End at steps of Parliament Building. Other cities and communities will organize their own activities.
WHO:The March is designed to be as inclusive as possible like-minded people. We want Grandmother groups, their children, grandchildren and friends; representatives of AIDS groups, Caribbean and African and Aboriginal communities, women and seniors¹ groups; other NGOs, interested public, high-profile citizens, media, politicians, embassyrepresentatives, drummers, musicians - everyone who wants to support Africangrandmothers.Special guests will include:* Special Envoy to the UN, Elizabeth Mataka (she has accepted)* 2 African grandmothers (the Stephen Lewis Foundation will bring them to Ottawa)* Stephen Harper or his designate (has been invited, reply not yet received)* Ilana Landsberg-Lewis, Executive Director, Stephen Lewis Foundation* The Governor General (has been invited but we do not yet have a reply)* It is anticipated that other high-profile Canadians will join us in the March.
HOW:The Ottawa/Gatineau area network (15 groups) is taking the lead onplanning the event. We will communicate across the country through the National Advocacy Steering Committee, the Listserv and the grandmothers web site (up and running in July)We will produce some basic materials for use in other communities: e.g., news release, backgrounder, ideas for organizing; however these events will be organized and ³owned² locally.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION1. Check the SLF web site for updates and materials as they become available. The new web site for grandmother groups will be ready in July.
2. Ottawa Planning Committee Contacts Accommodation for visiting grands:
Angela Cosgrove: mailto:school@rogers.; 613-592-2731 OR
Mia Overduin - 819-684-9720 mailto:Mia.Overduin@
Organizing an event in your city or community on the same day:
Sharon Swanson: sharons@superaje.com
Promotion, media enquiries: Valerie Swinton:mailto:vswinton@sympatico.; 613- 730-6442Program: Brenda Rooney: mailto:brenda@rooneyproduc
2. Ottawa Planning Committee Contacts Accommodation for visiting grands:
Angela Cosgrove: mailto:school@rogers.; 613-592-2731 OR
Mia Overduin - 819-684-9720 mailto:Mia.Overduin@
Organizing an event in your city or community on the same day:
Sharon Swanson: sharons@superaje.com
Promotion, media enquiries: Valerie Swinton:mailto:vswinton@sympatico.; 613- 730-6442Program: Brenda Rooney: mailto:brenda@rooneyproduc
For travel check Via rail website - seniors can travel two for one on VIA https://univmail.cis.mcmaster.ca/Redirect/www.viarail.ca .
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