The Granny Connection
It started with three African grandmothers sharing their grief at the loss of their children while supporting each other in the care of their orphaned grandchildren. In just a few years this effort has spawned dozens of other groups spanning two continents, sparking
what some are calling a ‘granny revolution’.
Sub-Saharan Africa has overwhelming numbers of children orphaned by AIDS – an estimated 13 million projected to reach 20 million by
2010. As the death rate increases, countries and communities simply cannot cope. They are impoverished and driven by the desperate
efforts to absorb the orphan children.
Amidst this devastation, grandmothers have stepped into the breech. They have virtually no food, sometimes no shelter, certainly no money for school uniforms and fees. They are traumatized by the magnitude of loss and suffering. Yet they are the heart of the response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Special intervention is needed on their behalf. The Granny Connection campaign is one way in which we can ease the pain of HIV/AIDS on these guardians of AIDS orphans.
The Granny Connection strives to:
“Before it was difficult for old people to talk about AIDS, but because many young people are dying from AIDS, we start talking with the children at 12 years old. They must know the dangers, how the disease is contracted, and how they can prevent it from happening to them. We want these children to grow up strong and healthy.”
An African Grandmother
what some are calling a ‘granny revolution’.
Sub-Saharan Africa has overwhelming numbers of children orphaned by AIDS – an estimated 13 million projected to reach 20 million by
2010. As the death rate increases, countries and communities simply cannot cope. They are impoverished and driven by the desperate
efforts to absorb the orphan children.
Amidst this devastation, grandmothers have stepped into the breech. They have virtually no food, sometimes no shelter, certainly no money for school uniforms and fees. They are traumatized by the magnitude of loss and suffering. Yet they are the heart of the response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Special intervention is needed on their behalf. The Granny Connection campaign is one way in which we can ease the pain of HIV/AIDS on these guardians of AIDS orphans.
The Granny Connection strives to:
- Encourage awareness about these grandmothers and their struggle.
- Build solidarity among grand-mothers here and there in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
- Help grandmothers in Africa with funding. Funds provide food, work to earn a living, school fees and uniforms for the children, counseling and social support, even coffins for a dignified burial of loved ones.
- Provide educational opportunities
- for the grandmothers so they, in turn, educate the children on HIV/AIDS.
“Before it was difficult for old people to talk about AIDS, but because many young people are dying from AIDS, we start talking with the children at 12 years old. They must know the dangers, how the disease is contracted, and how they can prevent it from happening to them. We want these children to grow up strong and healthy.”
An African Grandmother
