submitted by Hannah Diamond 

“Having attained reasonable financial security, many are looking to get back in touch with long-shelved ideals from the 1960’s as they change their focus from success to significance. This quest to do well by doing good might ultimately lead to career or lifestyle changes, but for millions, it is finding an outlet in volunteerism.”

Introducing the Burnaby Gogos… new Rock Group? No, Gogo is the Zulu word for Grandmother and a group of Grandmothers, Grandothers those with no grandchildren) and Grandsisters in Burnaby are joining together to raise hope and awareness for the Stephen Lewis Grandmothers campaign.

Grandmothers Campaign enriches lives on two sides of the World.

Grandmothers are at the heart of a campaign that spans two continents. More than 5,000 Canadian grandmothers are using their wisdom and experience to support grandmothers in Africa who have
stepped in to raise an estimated 14 million children orphaned by AIDS. African grandmothers, experiencing profound loss, have little time to grieve. They struggle to earn money, to deal with their own deteriorating health and to bridge the generation gap and help their grandchildren work through the trauma of losing their parents. Canadian grandmothers have a renewed sense of sisterhood through volunteering as members of Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign, started by the Stephen Lewis Foundation in 2006.

After four years, it has become clear that by funding small community projects that directly serve grandmothers and orphans in sub-Saharan Africa, the tide is turning. The Grandmothers Campaign, consisting mostly of women over the age of 55 in some 220 groups across Canada, has raised more than $7 million to pay for necessities such as school fees and uniforms, food, visits from home care workers, counselling, adequate housing and bedding and micro-credit grants for income generation. In 15 African countries, projects are helping children stay in school, grandmothers to be self-sufficient, families to gain access to nutrition, health care and counselling, and there’s hope for a healthy future. But the need is still urgent if the orphans of Africa are to lead the continent out of the AIDS pandemic.

The Benefits of Volunteering for Seniors

The benefits of volunteering are many. The Grandmothers Campaign welcomes skills and experience of all kinds and offers opportunities to learn new skills. New friendships that form from being in a collaborative network of active women are improving lives in Africa. The Campaign also promotes the image of grandmothers on two sides of the world as dynamic, competent, forward thinking, intelligent, compassionate and creative members of society. The Campaign operates differently than other charities: Grandmothers in Africa know what they need and direct their own projects. Similarly Grandmothers in Canada form groups and decide on their own activities.

Greater Van Gogos

Greater Van Gogos is a network of grandmother groups in Vancouver, Richmond, White Rock, Delta/Ladner, Abbotsford, Coquitlam, North Vancouver, Bowen Island and the Sunshine Coast, Burnaby and Surrey. Two gatherings a year are held for members of all groups and group coordinators meet several times a year to discuss common issues and concerns. While each grandmother group has its own culture and conducts its own activities, groups within the Greater Van Gogos network often work together on fundraising, building awareness and on advocacy initiatives.

How to get Involved

• Join a grandmothers group or start one
• Invite a speaker to talk about the Campaign
• Hold a fundraising event in your community
• Learn more at www.grandmotherscampaign.org, email burnabygogos@gmail.com or
• call the Stephen Lewis Foundation toll-free 1.888.203.9990 or visit www.stephenlewisfoundation.org

All views presented here are that of the author.

submitted by Lorna Vanderhaeghe, MS