Jan 07, 2010


Grandmother-by-the-Lake chair Adele Colby of Tichborne

Grandmothers-by-the-Lake, the local chapter of the Grandmothers-to-Grandmothers Campaign of the Stephen Lewis Foundation (SLF), which formed two years ago, has been advocating and fundraising on behalf of the thousands of African grandmothers who are currently struggling to survive the catastrophic AIDS pandemic that has ravaged and devastated their country, families and lives.

Currently Grandmothers-by-the-Lake is urgently seeking donations of Aeroplan Miles by the January 17 deadline to send a Canadian delegation of grandmothers to Swaziland for the first-ever African Grandmothers’ gathering.

Aeroplan facilitates the donation of miles by Aeroplan members to the Stephen Lewis Foundation on a year-round basis to off-set ongoing travel costs. The SLF is hoping to gather a total of six million Aeroplan miles by January 17, the amount needed to send 40 Canadian delegates to the gathering.

The three-day event will take place in March 2010 in Swaziland and the 40 Canadian delegates will be representing over 5000 Canadian women from the 220 Grandmothers’ chapters that have formed in this country since the Stephen Lewis Foundation was launched in 2006. Since then, Canadian grandmothers from across the country have raised over seven million dollars for African grandmothers through the SLF.

In Swaziland the Canadian delegates will participate and work alongside African grandmothers who are being assisted by various SLF supported projects and who are heading up the thousands of African households that have been devastated by the AIDS pandemic, which has left countless African grandmothers to raise their orphaned grandchildren with very little support and resources.

The gathering represents an opportunity for African women to share their experience and skills and to celebrate their past accomplishments while defining their way forward in the new decade.

Tichborne resident Adele Colby, who chairs the local Grandmothers-by-the-Lake chapter, was nominated as a delegate by her 20-member group and she will find out January 20 if her application has be accepted.

While she is thrilled and honoured at the prospect of having an opportunity to see first hand the SLF projects happening on the ground in Africa she is also hopeful that the gathering will assist in “turning the tide of the HIV/AIDS pandemic there.”

In a recent press release Colby stated, “We have a great obligation to amplify the voices of African grandmothers who are, literally, holding the continent together. This gathering is a very special opportunity, but we need Aeroplan miles to get us there.”

Adele explained what the gathering is hoping to accomplish: “We are going to see what is happening on the ground there and to figure out how to help our African sisters move forward with this initiative and how to become more effective through education and by increasing access to health care.”

Adele also stressed that her group works as much as an advocacy group as it does a fundraising group. This year Grandmothers-by-the-Lake is offering a series of presentations and talks to church groups, women’s groups, community agencies and secondary schools and any other organizations who are interested in learning more about the Grandmothers-to-Grandmother Campaign, or who are interested in making a contribution or forming their own fundraising group.

Adele is both a passionate advocate and fundraiser and admits that a trip to Africa will make her an even more passionate ambassador.

In her press release she reiterated this point stating, “As Canadian grandmothers, we are deeply honoured that our African sisters want us present at this historic event and it’s a wonderful testament to the bond of solidarity that we have formed over the past four years with these remarkable women.”

To make a donation of Aeroplan miles to the Swaziland gathering by the January 17 deadline, please visit the SLF’s Grandmothers-to-Grandmothers Campaign website at www.grandmotherscampaign.org.

For information regarding a presentation by the Grandmothers-by-the-Lake, please contact Adele Colby at 613-375-8845.

 

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