Two hundred grannies from Canada and 100 grannies from Africa met at the 16th International AIDS conference in Toronto in mid-August for the Grandmothers' Gathering. There, they shared knowledge, experience, and the needs of looking after children who have lost their parents to AIDS. The Squamish Can Do Grannies' representative at the event said she learnt a great from meeting with her African counter-parts.
Carol Ward-Hall, 67, of New Westminster is a member of the Squamish group of grandmothers who send money to the Stephen Lewis Foundation each month in support of the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign, which provides funding to 140 community-based projects in 14 African countries.
The program, and the recent gathering, focuses on grandmothers who look after grandchildren whose parents have died from AIDS. Ward-Hall represented the local group at the conference, held from August 11 through 13 and said it was heart wrenching but "wonderful" to meet the grandmothers from Africa.
"I can't believe what these grandmothers go through. Most of them are looking after between eight to 14 children, some as much as 19 children and they are living in one bedroom houses where they cook outside," she said. "I met a grandmother who worked in the rock quarry six days a week to help pay for her grandchildren's food. I was very impressed by what they were doing."
Ward-Hall said after hearing from the grandmothers from Africa at the conference the group discussed which was the best way Canadian grannies could help.
"We discussed helping one Granny each, but we decided it would be best to keep giving money to the Stephen Lewis foundation for them to fund the programs helping them in Africa," she said. "We need more grannies helping do it."
Mary Billy, 70, of Squamish founded the local Can Do Grannies in February this year and said the concept behind the event would benefit her group's efforts to help.
"The idea is that the African grannies are experts and we want them to tell us what their needs are instead of us assuming," she said. "We want to tell them we are there to support them."
Billy organizes the money to send from the Squamish Can Do Grannies each month and said the group was seeking the community's support.
"If any community group would like to raise money and give to the grandmothers through us, or directly to the Foundation, it would be most welcome," she said.
Billy can be reached at or at 604-892-5723.
Ward-Hall, who has her 30 years' experience dealing with women, children, and senior anti-violence campaigns, said she would hold a meeting in Squamish open to the public to show videos of the event and provide people with information of what took place. She said one of the most valuable lessons she learnt at the meeting was how fortunate we are in Canada.
"Even if we have very little we are very lucky," she said.
