About Growing for Grannies & the Stephen Lewis Foundation:
Growing for Grannies is a group of women who came together out of concern for African grandmothers and the grandchildren for whom they are caring. The group started in November 2007 with four members and has now grown to ten. Our primary goal has been fundraising but recently we have become active in raising the awareness of the community around us.
As the members of our group are all very passionate about the environment, we decided that we would raise our funds by selling high quality plant material. While we do host a variety of events, the sale of these plants has become our signature.
We started our fundraising efforts in December of 2007 with a Christmas Poinsettia Sale. Since then we have hosted several plant sales, held an Afternoon Tea with two of the Canadian Grandmothers who went to Africa ,have spoken to a church group as well as hosted a Fundraising evening at Hugh's Room in Toronto with entertainment provided by the Paul James Band. In fact, this event was so successful, we are planning a Second Annual Fall Fundraiser at the same venue with the same very enjoyable entertainment!
To date we have sent close to $11,000.00 to the SLF's Grandmothers Campaign as well as raised seed money to help offset our event costs.
The Stephen Lewis Foundation, formed in 2003, has committed itself to the unwavering support of front line organizations in Africa who provide assistance to people living with HIV/Aids, children who have been orphaned by the disease, and, for us, most importantly, the grandmothers who are now raising those children.
The focus of the Foundation has shifted recently, from "easing the pain of HIV/Aids" to "turning the Tide against HIV/Aids" in Africa. The level of support that the Foundation has received from all of its sources has encouraged its members to make that change.
The Grandmothers Campaign focuses on supporting the African Grandmothers who have become parents again to their grandchildren. The Foundation sends funds to grass roots organizations that provide these strong, resilient women with food, school fees and uniforms for the children, counselling and education, and assistance in the setting up of self-sustaining projects.
All of the initiatives in Africa are visited by SLF staff members. This helps to maintain close contact between the Foundation and the projects and assures that there is continuous encouragement and support.
"Every dollar raised is a blow to the pandemic-and if AIDS is to be defeated, it will happen at the community level, drawing on the astonishing resilience of grassroots organizations."
Stephen Lewis
For more information please contact us at: growingforgrannies@hotmail.com
Bound by our love
of children
And the future they hold,
In the palms of their hands.
Hers is a country, drowning
in poverty,
Struggling with a disease
That devastates.
Stephen Lewis meets with grannies at
Mafeteng Hospital, Lesotho.
© Anurita Bains
