Grandmothers of Steel

WINNER!!

2010-10-07T16:59:00.000-07:00

The winner of our early bird prize for our Dare to Dine tickets was:

Elise de Stein from Mabibi Wa Tama. The prize was Wine Tasting for 16 at Puddicombe Farms and a bottle of wine. Congratulations Elise!!!

9 Days to go for our Dare to Dine Event at Mohawk College, October 16th.
Have you got your tickets yet?

THANK YOU!!

2010-09-30T10:33:00.001-07:00

Hello Sharon, thank you for the lovely message you left on our blog. Hope to see you at our Dare to Dine.

ANNUAL DARE TO DINE EVENT

2010-09-30T10:08:00.000-07:00

JUST 2 WEEKS AWAY - DON'T MISS THIS WONDERFUL EVENT!!

Grandmothers of Steel is proud to present our 2nd Annual Dare to Dine Event. A Wine-tasting and African Food Sampling Event.

Saturday, October 16th - 5:30 - 9:00 p.m.
South Cafeteria, Mohawk College,
Fennell Campus, Hamilton

African music performed by SOUL INFLUENCE

Silent Auction

Tickets: $25 each, incl. Food and Wine sampling.

Early-bird draw for tickets purchased before October 1st.

For tickets contact: 905-389-1405, 905-385-8482 or grandmothersofsteel@gmail.com

DON'T MISS OUT!! GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!
People are still talking about last year's event!!!!!!

GRAND AFRICAN CARAVAN - SEPT. 24TH - EVENING

2010-09-28T13:03:00.000-07:00

Thank You to the First Unitarian Church for their great hospitality and generosity.

Our evening was complemented with our wonderful MC, Linda Rourke from Cable 14.

We welcomed MP David Christopherson, Councillor Brian McHattie, MP Chris Charlton,
MPP Kevin Flynn on CAMR, Canada's Access to Medicines Regime,
SLF's Zahra Mohamed on fundraising initiative Dare to Remember.

Local Grandmothers Groups present were: Grandmothers of Steel, Blooms for Africa, Mabibi Wa Tama, Ubuntu, Bronte, HUGS, Grand River Grannies, Oomama, Nyanyas of Niagara, Grimsby Grandmothers, Grey Grandmothers.

Also present, Jill Richen, a University student from the UK, who is doing her dissertation on the grandmothers movement. She is pictured below with Dorothy Johns.

Our special guests, Regina Mokgokong and Nkulie Nowathe.

Thank you to everyone who helped and participated to make this evening a truly memorable one.

The following photos are from this wonderful evening:

AFRIGRAND CARAVAN - SEPT. 24TH

2010-09-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

This incredible day started at McMaster University with our special guests, Regina Mokgokong and Nkulie Nowathe. High school students from Hamilton to Georgetown listened and asked questions of Regina and Nkulie as they talked about their lives in Mamelodi, South Africa and how AIDS has affected lives in their community. They praised Stephen Lewis and the Gandmothers to Grandmothers campaign for its commitment to funding the Tateni Home Care Nursing Services, of which Regina is executive director, and where Nkulie is a regular attendee there.

The following photos were taken this same day, while having lunch at the Williams Coffee Pub located in Harbour West,47 Discovery Drive, Hamilton.
Along with Regina and Nkulie were grandmothers from Grandmothers of Steel, Blooms for Africa, Oomama and Bronte

AFRIGRAND CARAVAN

2010-09-18T12:16:00.000-07:00

September 24th, 2010
First Unitarian Church,
110 Dundurn St. South, Hamilton
7:30 p.m.

African Grandmothers and Granddaughters will be travelling across Canada from September to November on a tour to engage thousands of Candians as global citizens in the struggle to turn the tide of HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Our special guests are:

Reina Mokgokong and Nkuli Nowathe, from Home Care Nursing Services in Mamelodi, South Africa. Tateni is funded by the Stephen Lewis Foundation and was one of the organizations visited by our Grandmother Delegates (Grandmothers of Steel was proudly represented by Lisbie Rae) during their trip to the African Grandmothers' Gathering.

Regina is a grandmother, nurse and Executive Director of Tateni – and an all-around powerhouse! Nkuli came under the care of Tateni when she lost her mother to AIDS. She speaks passionately about the power of peer support groups and education to help young people protect themselves from HIV.

We look forward to seeing you there.

ANNUAL DARE TO DINE EVENT

2010-07-31T17:18:00.000-07:00

Grandmothers of Steel is proud to present our 2nd Annual Dare to Dine Event. A Wine-tasting and African Food Sampling Event.

Saturday, October 16th - 5:30 - 9:00 p.m.
South Cafeteria, Mohawk College,
Fennell Campus, Hamilton

African music performed by SOUL INFLUENCE

Silent Auction

Tickets: $25 each, incl. Food and Wine sampling.

Early-bird draw for tickets purchased before October 1st.

For tickets contact: 905-389-1405, or grandmothersofsteel@gmail.com

DON'T MISS OUT!! GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!
People are still talking about last year's event!!!!!!

PHOTOS FROM 'TURN THE TIDE' NATIONAL WALK

2010-06-28T13:02:00.000-07:00

UPDATE ON 'STRIDE TO TURN THE TIDE' WALK

2010-06-28T12:30:00.000-07:00

Our walk was a success. Although rain was called for it held off and actually turned out to be a great day for walking. We were truly blessed!

Those who participated had a wonderful time and the location was perfect Having music playing by Oldies 1150 added to the festive mood of the day.

Thanks to Rachael from Oldies 1150, who did a super job, there was an announcement about our walk, and a song was dedicated to us by ‘Rockin Ray’. Needless to say, we danced! The signs along the path were very effective, and our scarves stood out. Lots of photos were taken.

We and Mabibi Wa Tama were joined by a couple of Nyanya grannies from Niagara Falls, as well as a couple of grannies from Ottawa who were visiting in the area. Some people came off the street to make donations.

Special thanks to members who not only walked, but brought family and friends to walk as well. We walked a total of 313.5 kms.

The 4 prizes for top money generated go to Irene Turpie, Lisbie Rae, Dorothy Johns and Theresa Randles.

Though there may be some money yet to come in, our total at this point for Grandmothers of Steel is $11,794.00! We did well!

GETTING TOGETHER WITH OUR AFRICAN GRANDMOTHERS

2010-06-13T20:55:00.000-07:00

1st photo, Theresa & Lisbie with Siphiwe. 2nd photo, with Mama Darlina.

STRIDE TO TURN THE TIDE - NATIONAL WALK - Saturday, June 12th (rain date June 13) 9:00 am - 11:00 am

2010-05-19T16:43:00.000-07:00

Over 5,000 grandmothers and grandothers from the Stephen Lewis Foundation's Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign will be walking in support of African Grandmothers caring for children orphaned by AIDS. Cumulatively, their strides will span the 8,000 kilometres acrosss Canada from coast to coast.

Come join the Grandmothers of Steel and Mabibi Wa Tama, or donate!

Donate online through the Grandmothers to Grandmothers website: www.grandmotherscampaign.org/nationalwalk.html.

Grandmothers of Steel and Mabibi Wa Tama will be walking at Van Wagner's Beach. Registration Tent near Hutch's. Ample parking available.

For information: call 905-389-1405 or grandmothersofsteel@gmail.com

Walking together we will make a difference!

LISBIE'S TRIP TO AFRICA!!

2010-04-27T16:42:00.000-07:00

Our dear friend, and member of Grandmothers of Steel, Lisbie Rae, leaves for Africa Wednesday, April 28th. She will be travelling with other Grandmother delegates and members of the Stephen Lewis Foundation to the 2010 Grandmothers' Gathering in Swaziland. This promises to be an exciting and inspiring journey for them all.

In between Lisbie's busy schedule she hopes to update her blog. Check it out at:
http.//granofsteel.tumblr.com.

We wish them all a wonderful, happy, safe time with all the dear Grandmothers there.

KEEP TUNED TO THIS PAGE - NEW EVENTS COMING SOON!!

2010-03-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

STRIDE TO TURN THE TIDE - NATIONAL WALK JUNE 12th VAN WAGNER'S BEACH, HAMILTON

WINE-TASTING AND AFRICAN FOOD TASTING EVENT - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16TH, MOHAWK COLLEGE, HAMILTON

GIGGLES and GRINS

2010-02-13T16:03:00.000-08:00

This event was a great success, with the warmest thanks to Adrienne Sloan and Sharron Orovan-Johnston, without whom none of this would have been possible. With special thanks to all our performers, who were terrific.

The following photos are a small sample of what a great time everyone had. Our Mayor, Fred Eisenberger. also joined us, and we are proud to show a photo of the beautfiul quilt that was raffled, with all proceeds going to Grandmothers of Steel and then on to The Stephen Lewis Foundation. This was made by Adrienne Sloan and Eileen Suffoletta

A special Thank You to the First Unitarian Church for providing such a perfect venue and their assistance.

Well Done Everyone!!

2010-02-13T15:49:00.000-08:00

GIGGLES AND GRINS

2010-01-11T16:24:00.000-08:00

A humour happening focusing on the joy of laughter

Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
$25.00 includes refreshments
First Unitarian Church,
170 Dundurn St. S., Hamilton, Ontario

Adrienne Sloan and Sharron Orovan Johnston’s interest in humour and its benefits has been cemented through organizing the First Canadian Humour Conference in Hamilton for 15 successful years.

Now we have organized a humour event with the Grandmothers of Steel to support the grandmothers of Africa who are raising their grandchildren affected by the AIDS epidemic.
Funds are directed to the Stephen Lewis Foundation which sponsors projects for these women.

Your opportunity to HOWL (with laughter) and HELP!!

For tickets call: Theresa:(905)389-1405 Adrienne:(905)575-5329 grandmothersofsteel@gmail.com.

PHOTOS FROM DARE TO DINE - SUCH A GREAT NIGHT!!

2009-11-20T19:07:00.000-08:00

DARE TO DINE

2009-10-28T17:27:00.000-07:00

Hello,and thank you to everyone who attended our Dare to Dine spectacular event. Everyone had a super time. The food was delicious and the wine most enjoyable. We received so many great comments and requests, hoping we'll repeat this great night next year, and indeed we hope too!

Thanks to all the 'Grandmothers' who worked so hard and a 'Special' Thank You to all the help we received outside of the Grandmothers of Steel. This comprised of delicious African cooking (everyone commented on this), staying to serve it, and all the great items that were donated for our Silent Auction.

WELL DONE EVERYONE!!

'DARE TO DINE' - TURNING THE TIDE CHALLENGE - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24TH

2009-08-09T17:47:00.000-07:00

The Stephen Lewis Foundation is challenging Canadians to help turn the tide of HIV/AIDS in African by particpating in fundraising events across the country.

Grandmothers of Steel are proud to present 'Dare to Dine', a wonderful evening of Wine tasting, African Food Sampling Event. (Non-alcoholic beverages will be available) There will be Raffles, Kazuri jewelry sale, and wonderful African Music.

When: Saturday, October 24th
Time: 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Where: The Pearl Company, 16 Steven St., Hamilton.

Tickets: $25.00 Available at: grandmothersofsteel@gmail.com, 905-389-1405 or The Pearl Company, 905-524-0606

Early Bird Draw for tickets purchased before October 10th.

Direct donations can be made to http://stephenlewisfoundation.akaraisin.com/p/grandmothersofsteel.aspx

Empty wine bottles will be donated to "Bottles for Africa".

We look forward to seeing you all there!

GRANDMOTHERS OF STEEL 'KILIMAN CLIMB' - UPDATE

2009-06-28T10:22:00.000-07:00

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED US WITH THIS GREAT FUNDRAISER.
Although it was a miserable rainy day, it did not deter people. As one of our members pointed out "Africans just love this weather, it speeds up the growing process".

We are very proud to tell you that we raised close to $7,500. WELL DONE!!

Hopefully this was the first of what will be an Annual Event.

See you next year!!

Hamilton 'Kiliman' Climb - JUNE 20, 2009

2009-04-01T16:55:00.000-07:00

The date is set, June 20, 2009 for Grandmothers of Steel Hamilton "Kiliman' Climb". All proceeds will go to the Stephen Lewis Foundation to support Grandmothers in Africa.

Registration will be at Wentworth St., or if you prefer to go down from Mohawk Sports Park, Upper Kenilworth Ave, Registration will be there also.

Start time: 9:00-11:00 a.m. Finish time: 3:00p.m.

We will climb the Escarpment Rail Trail from Wentworth St. to Mohawk Sports Park (Bernie Arbour), Upper Kenilworth Ave. Wills bus will take participants to the starting point: 8:40, 9:20, 10:00, 10:40

If you wish you may start at either the Park or Wentworth St., and going all the way to the top or bottom, depending on where you start. You may just want to go half way and return to the top or bottom. (whatever is suitable for each individual). The complete hike (from top to bottom) is about 6.8km (4.1 miles) and you will climb about 113m (372 ft.)

We are looking forward to tremendous support from individuals, groups and schools.

INCENTIVES:
You will be supporting a worthy cause.
Get friends and family to join you for a pleasant hike along Hamilton's Escarpment Rail Trail.
For every $20 raised, 'Climbers' will receive a draw ticket for a year's membership to Phoenix Fitness.

To get a sponsor sheet and register for the 'climb':
call 905-389-1405 or 905-385-8482
email: grandmothersofsteel@gmail.com

We will also be looking for Business Sponsors. This will be a great advertising feature.

Platinum $500 - your placard labelled Platinum Sponsor and placed at the top section of the Trail.

Gold $200 - your placard labelled Gold Sponsor and placed towards the top of the Trail.

Silver $100 - your placard labelled Silver Sponsor and placed mid-way of the Trail.

Bronze $50 - placard labelled Bronze Sponsors: all will be listed on a placard at the start of Trail.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ALL THERE!!

SOLIDARITY ACTION

2009-03-26T17:26:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday, March 25th, Grandmothers of Steel, along with Mabibi Wa Tama, Kemah Sackie's Liberian girls dance troupe and First Nations -drummers/singer Bridget Miller and Wilhelmina McGrimmond, celebrated 'Solidarity Action' at The Pearl Company. This wonderful, moving and beautifully coordinated event by Lisbie Rae and choreographed by Tanis McArthur was very powerful. Gentle Drums, led by Douglas Budden and Bridget Miller, added to the wonderful atmosphere.

At the same time, this event was going on across Canada with other Grandmother Groups and several countries in Africa.

The event started with Lisbie Rae, Grandmothers of Steel, reading a beautiful poem 'Lunacy' by Marika Ince. It was very inspiratonal and created a truly beautiful and peaceful feeling of solidarity with other Grandmothers and our African Grandmothers.

Then One observer enters, hesitates, leaves. Two observers enter, hesitate, leave. Three observers enter, hesitate, leave. Four observers enter, hesitate, stay

In twos and threes, others enter to same rhythm, same hesitation, till room is full of walkers, taken aback by the situation of the sunken ones (some were lying on the ground or in a crouched position)

Drum rhythm changes and stops, as walkers stop beside the sunken ones

Walkers breathe others into life; they slowly rise until all are on their feet except one.

Everyone encircles the one left on the floor as drums and walkers urge her into movement

She begins a slow dance that escalates into a wild but simple Liberian dance that all pick up and do, each in her own way. The rhythm changes and the Liberian dancers spin into the centre and dance by themselves, others clapping and swaying in a wide semi-circle open to the audience and cameras.

Paula Grove steps forward and leads all in a call and response song.

Led by Liberians, all join hands in one circle and move around in a circle together. The single dancer begins a snaking movement that turns the circle back into itself so that everyone passes and greets everyone else, finishing in a unified group tableau.

Mabibi Wa Tama's Sue Gilbert now delivers the message about 'Turning the Tide'. This is the new message from The Stephen Lewis Foundation and they ask everyone to join us in a new fundraising campaign called 'Turning the Tide'. If we can fund every worthy proposal, we can turn the tide of the AIDS pandemic at the grassroots.

Thank you to the Stephen Lewis Foundation for coordinating this whole event and bringing us all together.

Thank you also to Gail McGinnis for her beautiful photos. If you would like to check out all of Gail's photos from Solidarity Action, please go to: http://photos.gailmcginnisphotography.com/GalleryThumbnails.aspx?gallery=184931
She will print them for $2 for 4X6 and $3 for 5X7. You can pick them up from Gail's or arrange to have them picked up from Theresa or Maureen's.

Thank you also to Pearl Co. hosts, Gary and Barbara Milne.

If you would like to check out further events at The Pearl Co., 16 Steven St. Hamilton, please call: 905-524-0606.

Grandmothers of Steel Advocacy Team

2009-03-11T16:47:00.000-07:00

Well done to our wonderful Advocacy Team for working hard to get our petition to the House of Commons. We were well represented by Mr. David Sweet (Ancaster, Dundas, Flamborough-Westdale CPC).

On Wednesday, March 11th Petitions from Grandmothers for Africa from all over Canada, approx. 32,000, made a presentation in the House of Commons.

The Petition calls upon the government to do 3 important things:

- To immediately set a timetable by 2015 to meet its obligations to the 0.7% gross national income development goal.
- To contribute a fair share to the global fund to fight for AIDS and TB,malaria,
for example,5% of the funding needed for each of the next five years.
- To make legislative changes necessary for Canada's access to medicines regimes and establish a substantial flow of retroviral drugs and lower-cost generics.

These petitions stem from the heroic efforts of African grandmothers to raise children orphaned by AIDS. It is the result of the efforts of over 200 grandmother groups across Canada assisting their fellow African grandmothers.

Tabling these two petitions during International Women's Week symbolizes the important work that women perform for the common good and also the solidarity that exists among women from all parts of the world.

This Petition is one of the most successful petition efforts in the history of this country.

There will be another presentation of our Petition in the House of Commons on Wednesday, March 11th.

FURTHER SCRABBLE UPDATE!!

2008-11-28T17:20:00.000-08:00

News from the Stephen Lewis Foundation that 22 groups across Canada played Scrabble from Sept. 11 to Nov. 16th and although some funds are still to come in, $185,000 has been raised to date. WELL DONE GRANDMAS!!

A CHORUS OF DISAPPROVAL

2008-11-28T08:42:00.000-08:00

C'mon out to what promises to be a wonderful, fun, play at the Village Theatre Waterdown.

This witty play by Britain's favourite farceur chronicles the adventures of a newcomer to community theatre. Offering a new take on the nature of success and failure both on and off stage, watch as they attempt to mount a production of Gay's The Beggar's Opera.

WHERE: The Village Theatre Waterdown, Memorial Hall, Hwy 5, 317 Dundas St. E.
WHEN: November 28, 29 December 4, 5, 6, 2008
TIME: 8:00 p.m.
Advance Tickets $18/ at the door $20

The Executive of Waterdown Theatre are going to give Grandmothers of Steel 20% of the ticket sales, so let's pack the theatre to the roof and show our appreciation to them!!

Watch for more exciting Waterdown Theatre Productions coming in 2009.

SCRABBLE NEWS!

2008-11-24T19:05:00.000-08:00

Several members held Scrabble Events in their home, and along with the one held at St. John's Anglican Church in Ancaster we raised a total of $7,764. Well done Grandmothers of Steel and a huge THANKYOU to all our sponsors and helpers. Jan Lukas' Son was the proud winner of our beautiful hawk painting by Theresa Randles.

Ontario Grandmothers Regional Meeting

2008-10-31T16:47:00.000-07:00

Its hard to describe Saturday, October 25. Our Fall Ontario Grandmothers Regional Meeting was such a wonderful, informative day.

It was co-sponsored by ORRG and Grandmothers of Steel and held at a great venue, Hamilton District Christian High School. The group from the school supplied us with tea, coffee, juice, cookies and delicious goodies. After registration we wandered about the Marketplace to see all the very interesting goods for sale. There were great bargains with all the proceeds going to the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

After being welcomed and new groups introduced we separated into our choice of workshop: Sustain the Campaign; 10 Tough Questions; Good Fundraising Ideas; Communications and Media Relations. So very very interesting.

Then came a delicious lunch prepared for us by HDCHS. This was followed by updates of The Stephen Lewis Foundation, National Advocacy Steering Committee and ORRG.

We were very honoured to have such special guests from the Stephen Lewis Foundation: Aissatou Diajhate and Michelle Landsberg-Lewis, who along with her great sense of humour, deeply inspired us to follow our hearts helping our African Grandmothers.

More to follow............

FACES OF AFRICA - 6:30 pm Saturday, November 22nd.

2008-10-16T16:01:00.000-07:00

Grandmothers of Steel and the Pearl Co. proudly present "faces of africa".
This event has the following wonderful attractions:

Julie Coultas, Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign Co-Ordinator, Stephen Lewis Foundation

Opus Mundi Festival 2009
Presents an evening of theatre, dance and music featuring:
Yahia Elawad, Said Ben, Gary Santucci, Bashir Ismail.

Silent Auction of original African portraits by Theresa Randles

Fair Trade African Crafts - Light refreshments will be served - Sponsored by OPIRG McMaster

Where: The Pearl Company, 16 Steven St. Hamilton
Admission: $15
Contact: The Pearl Co. 905-524-0606 or Theresa: 905-389-1405

Proceeds to The Stephen Lewis Foundation, Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign.

ONTARIO GRANDMOTHERS REGIONAL MEETING

2008-10-16T15:59:00.000-07:00

The Registration is now full. If you've missed out this time, we'll be sure to let you know all about it so you can be ready next time!

Ontario Grandmothers Regional Meeting, Sat, Oct. 25/08

2008-10-07T12:50:00.000-07:00

Co-sponsored by ORRG (Ontario Regional Grandmothers Network) and Grandmothers of Steel.
Pre-registration required.

Grandmothers across Ontario will meet, discuss, and learn all thats going on in our quest to help our
African Grandmothers.

Our very special guest will be Michele Landsberg, renowned journalist and wife of Stephen Lewis.

We are also honoured and delighted to welcome Ilana Landsberg-Lewis and Aissatou Diajhate (Exective Director and Projects Director, respectively, at the SLF). They will discuss projects in African supported by our work in the Grandmothers Campaign.

To register please contact: Marsha Slivka email: marshas1@rogers.com

For more info: grandmothersofsteel@gmail.com

SCRABBLE NEWS!

2008-10-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

Thank You to everyone who came out for the Scrabble Tournaments held on Sunday, Oct.5th, and Thank You to all the sponsors. There are still several other tournaments due to be played. Watch this page for the final $ amount and pictures

VENUE CHANGE - WORDS FOR AFRICA

2008-09-25T18:22:00.000-07:00

Please note that Church of The Resurrection will now be combining with St. John's Ancaster for our Scrabble Event. So please register and come and join us for this fun day. A great chance to help our Grandmothers in Africa

WORDS FOR AFRICA!

2008-09-14T16:09:00.000-07:00

The following Scrabble Events will be taking place to help raise funds for our Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign. We seek to raise awareness and generate funds to support the African Grandmothers who are shouldering much of the burden as they cre for their grandchildren orphaned by the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. All proceeds go to the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

C'mon out and have some fun while helping very brave grandmothers who in face of adversity just keep going and going and going. Words can't express what our help means to them. You don't have to be good spellers or know much about Scrabble, there are others that will be there to show you, so come on, we look forward to seeing you!! Call the following to register ($5) and pickup sponsor sheet.

St. John's Anglican, Ancaster, Oct. 5, 1:30-5:00 pm
Jan Lukas: 905-648-1582 or Theresa Randles: 905-389-1405

There are other small groups having Scrabble Tournaments in their homes. If you would like information about them, please email: grandmothersofsteel@gmail.com

SEE YOU THERE!!

GRANDPARENTS DAY - SEPT. 7TH

2008-09-12T09:09:00.000-07:00

Grandmothers of Steel:
Diane Keesmaat, Georgina Hewitt, Theresa Randles, Dorothy and Joy Warner, Kay O'Sullivan & Family were present but left before photo was taken.

Raging Grannies:
Anna Schafer, Roberta McGregor, Georgina Hewitt, Diane Keesmaat, Joy Warner, Barbara Hale, Karen Jose

Although a terrible rainy day, the members that were there were very enthusiastic and thoroughly enjoyed the 'Raging Grannies'.
A blue hydrangea from the Grandmothers of Steel will be planted in the garden of the International Children's Centre to commemorate the theme for this year 'Keeping our Promises'.

Grandparents Day - Sunday, Sept. 7th.

2008-08-28T16:00:00.000-07:00

Grandmothers of Steel

Grandparents’ Day Celebration

Sunday, September 7, 2:00-4:00 p.m.

Children’s International Learning Centre- King-William at Ferguson

(parking on street and on Ferguson across from the Amity)

Admission- $2.00

2:00- arrive

2:30- tour of the facility- musical instruments from around the world

2:45- planting ceremony

3:15- Raging Grannies

Bring friends and family and help celebrate Grandparents’ Day

HELLO EVERYONE!

2008-08-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

Hope you've all had a great Summer and now ready for very busy times ahead - at least with Grandmothers of Steel.

The following is just a tiny bit of what's planned, to wet your appetite so to speak! Details to follow.

Sept. 7th: Grandparents' Day Celebration: 2-4 p.m. all welcome.

Sept. 16th: General Meeting: 7 p.m. at Church of The Resurrection. Mohawk & Garth

Oct. 5th: International Scrabble Event at different locations

Oct. 25: Ontario Grandmothers Regional Meeting here in Hamilton.

Stay Tuned - there's more to come!

Grandmothers of Steel Award May 8/08 & Stephen Lewis

2008-05-16T08:23:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all our Grandmothers for a Wonderful Night with Stephen Lewis. Carmen's was packed and people were highly vocal with their praise of the evening. Our Master of Ceremonies, Dr. Gary Warner, enhanced our evening with his classy introductions. We were all inspired yet again with Stephen Lewis' personal account of the plight of Grandmothers and their orphaned grandchildren in Africa, along with the latest stats.

Thank You to everyone who supported us and this very worthy cause.

PHOTOS AVAILABLE

Grandmothers of Steel fundraiser at Carmen's Banquet Centre, May 8, 2008.
The Stephan Lewis Foundation will recieve 50% from the sale of photographs
please visit http://www.photographicflair.info to order your copies.

MAY 10 GRANNIES CUPBOARDS

Thank you to everyone who helped and supported this fundraiser. There was lots to buy: plants; books galore; jewellery; recycled table; lots of silent auction items. A wonderful Tea Room with a variety of drinks and delicious goodies.
Special thanks to Church of The Resurrection (Anglican) for all their support.

Exact amount raised for both events will be announced shortly.

2008 World Citizenship Award to Grandmothers of Steel

2008-04-29T11:51:00.000-07:00

May 8, 2008
7:00 p.m.
Carmen's Banquet Centre
Keynote Speaker
Stephen Lewis

BOOK NOW - Tickets: $50
Hors d'oeuvres and Cash Bar
Carmen's (905) 387-0007 or
1-800-753-9857 ask for Carmen's Box Office
Sponsorship information available at: grandmothers of steel@gmail.com

Great Raffle Items and Silent Auction

Come and Support this wonderful fundraiser. All proceeds to the Stephen Lewis Foundation's grandmothers to grandmothers campaign, supporting African Grandmothers who bury their own children from HIV-Aids and then care for their orphan grandchildren.

'FROM GRANNIES' CUPBOARDS'

2008-04-27T16:35:00.001-07:00

SATURDAY, MAY 10,2008 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Church of The Resurrection, 435 Mohawk Rd. W. Hamilton

*Tea Room - *Gardening - plants and books - *Raffles - *Silent Auction

*Gift cards - *Recycled items: CD's, DVD's, books, Jewellery, sports equipment

While shopping take a break at our Tea Room with delicious goodies and tea/coffee etc.

A Fun Day for all and a chance to get a last minute gift for your 'Special Mum'

A fundraising event of the Grandmothers of Steel

Award Presentation Announced by City of Hamilton Mundialization Committee

2008-04-27T16:32:00.001-07:00

April 3,2008, Fourteen Women from Grandmothers of Steel met at the Hamilton Art Gallery for the press announcement of our World Citizenship Award by the City of Hamilton Mundialization Committee. Rein Ende, Mundialization Committe Chair made the formal announcement, Anne Philpot spoke on behalf of the Grandmothers acknowledging the honour. Special guests from The Stephen Lewis Foundation included, Janet Solberg, Community Events Liaison and Julie Coultas, Grandmothers Campaign Coordinator.

All together, 30 of us enjoyed a wonderful lunch, surrounded by beautiful art. We are all looking fwd to the big event, May 8th at Carmen's when the award is presented and especially to our special guest speaker, Stephen Lewis

Village Theatre Waterdown presents:

2008-04-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

Leaving Home, Coming Home

created by Village Theatre from the stories of local immigrants
conceived by Mike Rae, directed by Lisbie Rae

Exciting or overwhelming, poignant or heart-warming, these stories burst on stage packed with song, dance, poetry and drama. This special production celebrates both Village Theatre's 35th anniversary and the immigrants who enrich the fabric of our community.

May 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10 All performances 8:00 pm Advance tickets $18/ At the door $20
To order reserved seats call box office: 905-690-7880
For more info about VT, visit www.villagetheatrewaterdown.ca or
email: mail@villagetheatrewaterdown.ca

Half The Sky Feminist Theatre Presents.....

2008-04-26T09:50:00.000-07:00

LAST DAY TO SEE THIS HILARIOUS PLAY!! APRIL 26TH - Showtime 8:00 p.m.
Robinson Memorial Theatre, McMaster University
Tickets available at: La Jardinere Flower Market, 246 Locke St.
More Info: Judian 905-549-7483 or meanybucket@yahoo.com
Tickets: $15 or $10 un/under employed.

Just a wonderful, funny play. Superb acting. Guaranteed Wonderful Evening! Part of the proceeds to Grandmothers of Steel.

HUMBLE BOY Presented by Dundas Little Theatre

2008-04-22T15:16:00.000-07:00

Dundas Little Theatre will donate 1/8 of their total box office income for Humble Boy, to the Grandmothers of Steel in support of the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign of the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

Humble Boy

by Charlotte Jones, Directed by Jonathan Harrison

May 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17

A comedy about broken vows, failed hopes and the joys of bee keeping. Thirty five year old Felix Humble is a Cambridge astrophysicist in search of a unified field theory. Following the sudden death of his father, Felix returns home to spend some time his difficult and demanding mother. He soon realizes that his search for cosmic unity must be expanded to reconcile his own chaotic life.

Reserve tickets by calling: 905-627-5266 - Reservations taken by phone
with Mastercard or Visa up to 24 hours before each performance

Tickets are also available for purchase at
Gray's Florist - 22 King St. W. Dundas Ontario L9H 1T7 - Phone: (905) 628-6315

All shows performed at the Garstin Centre for the Arts.
General Admission seating.
We are now licensed under the L.L.B.O.

Regular Seating (in advance or at the door)$15*

Students/Seniors (65+) (Thursday performances only) $10

Dundas Little Theatre, Garsten Centre for the Performing Arts,
37 Market St. Dundas Tel: 905-627-5266 email: dundaslittletheatre.com

Ontario Grandmothers Regional Meeting

2008-04-18T08:07:00.001-07:00

Saturday, April 12 was a wonderful gathering of 140 ladies from different Grandmothers' groups across Ontario. This ORGR event was put on by the Oakville Grannies, Oomama and they did themselves proud. The venue was just the best, St. Mildred’s-Lightbourn School in Oakville.

The day started with registration and tea/coffee/juice and delicious muffins and fruit. Then we were treated to wonderful displays from different Grandmothers' groups. Everything from our beautiful art work by Theresa Randles, to stunning broaches, colourful dolls and monkeys, lovely plants etc.. As you can imagine we loaded up on these goodies, all supporting The Stephen Lewis Foundation.

We then proceeded to the Auditorium and were warmly welcomed by Carole Holmes of Oomama. Then followed very interesting updates on the Stephen Lewis Foundation, National Advocacy Steering Committee, Speakers Bureau (please visit www.stephenlewisfoundation.org for more information).

We then went to our respective choice of workshop: Planning a Successful Event; Managing Large & Small Meetings; Communications and Media Relations. Our teachers were all members of The Stephen Lewis Foundation and because they were so interesting many of us returned to the Cafeteria quite late for lunch. All agreed these workshops were very informative and enjoyable.

After a delicious lunch we returned to the Auditorium to hear from some of the 12 Grandmothers who had just returned from Africa. What followed was just a remarkable insight to their different views and what they saw, along with wonderful photos. A very warm thank you to: Carole Holmes. Norine Baron, Joan Turner, Paulette Pelletier-Kelly and Sue Cousineau for sharing their wonderful, heart-warming experiences with us.

After, we were separated into groups and joined by one of these grandmothers to answer our numerous questions. Very inspiring and enjoyable.

We met back in the Cafeteria for tea/coffee/juice more delicious desserts and a commentary by 4 grandmothers who observed and commented on the afternoon: We finished by singing the following African song:

gama lama khosi kasi malibongwe,
Igama lama khosi kasi malibongwe
Mailibongwe, malibongwe,
Malibongwe, malibongwe
Meaning : Praise be to Women

Just wonderful! We departed at 4 p.m.
A splendid day. It was truly wonderful to meet with the other grandmothers, knowing that we all shared the same passion to help our Grandmothers in Africa.

A huge Thank You to Oomama and St. Mildred’s-Lightbourn School for sponsoring this great day.

PRESS RELEASE

2008-02-23T06:49:00.000-08:00

FEBRUARY 2008 WORLD CITIZENSHIP AWARD
We are very proud to announce that Grandmothers of Steel is to be awarded

the World Citizenship Award for 2008 by the City of Hamilton Mundialization Committee.

The Award will be presented at a special event at Carmen’s Banquet Centre on May 8, 2008.

We are honoured to have Stephen Lewis as the guest speaker for the evening. Funds raised at this event will go to the Stephen Lewis Foundation Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign. These funds will assist grandmothers in Africa raising their orphaned grandchildren, due to the loss of their parents to HIV/AIDS.

We would be delighted to have you join us. Tickets are $50.00 (no tax receipt), and be purchased through Carmen’s Banquet Centre Mon.-Fri., 9AM-5PM at (905) 387-0007 or toll free anytime 1-800-753-9857 and ask for ‘Carmen’s Box Office’.

Consider buying a table for 10 and join us in this evening of celebration! Sponsorship opportunities for the evening will receive tax receipts. If you cannot attend on May 8th but wish to make an individual donation, cheques should be made payable to Grandmothers of Steel, and mailed to: 192 Sherwood Rise, Hamilton, Ont. L8T 1P5. Income Tax Receipts will be issued by the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

Thank you for supporting the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign.

Sincerely,
Theresa Randles Jan Lukas
Maureen Godden Anne Philpot
Grandmothers of Steel
________________________________________________________________________________
We have chosen to support the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign.
Tel: 416-533-9292 260 Spadina Ave., Suite 501 Toronto, ON M5T 2E4 www.grandmotherscampaign.org www.stephenlewisfoundation.org
www.grandmothersofsteel.blogspot.

Village Theatre- Hobbit Benefit Performance

2007-08-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

WATERDOWN

Thursday, September 20th, in the Memorial Hall, 317 Dundas Street East ( Hwy 5) Waterdown at 7 p.m.

A benefit performance of The Hobbit for Grandmothers of Steel, Hamilton in support of the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign of the Stephen Lewis Foundation

Village Theatre (Waterdown) Inc presents The Hobbit from the book by J.R.R. Tolkien, adapted by Kim Selody, directed by Nea Reid, as a benefit on Thursday September 20th. (Regular performances run from September 21st to October 6th.)
www.villagetheatrewaterdown.ca

Profits to benefit the Stephen Lewis Foundation Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign http://www.stephenlewisfoundation.org/grandmothers.htm

Other Grandmothers to Grandmothers groups in Canada: http://www.stephenlewisfoundation.org/grandmothers/groups.htm

Cost for the Benefit is $25 per ticket
Tickets are available through the box office (905) 690-7889

Contact: Lisbie Rae, Producer, The Hobbit
lisbie@xplornet.com 905 659 7213
Anne Philpot, Chairperson Grandmothers of Steel Hamilton, akphilpot@mountaincable.net or (905) 383-8785
Theresa Randles, Secretary Grandmothers of Steel, Hamilton,
http://www.art-in-canada.com/theresarandles

Hope in the city

2007-08-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

MEDIA RELEASE

You are invited to participate in an exciting and important local initiative that focuses on uniting businesses, residents and the community through education, dialogue, social and economic events.

Hope in the Cities – Hamilton began in 1990 and is a program of Initiatives of Change ( Canada), a national and international network who recognizes that efforts to address critical issues affecting the economic and social life of individuals and communities are often undermined by unresolved racial and ethnic issues. Funding for this project has been sought from the City of Hamilton and local business people.

The main event scheduled for this summer, is a community unity breakfast, cultural mosaic event with entertainers and speakers culminating with a “Walk through History” which takes place at identified sites where individual storytellers bring to life the scars of Slavery in a natural environment and engage and challenge all communities in Metropolitan Hamilton to join in creating a spirit of Hope and Unity in Healing the Heart of Hamilton. The event will be held at LIUNA Station Banquet Centre, 360 James Street North, Hamilton on Sunday August 26th 2007 beginning at 8:00a.m.

You can support this initiative and benefit from the resulting positive development by providing one of a selection of sponsorships. Sponsorships at any level will result in your business being recognized in print media and television, in the complimentary program and other announcements. Please see the attached sponsorship form for details.

Representatives from Hope in the Cities – Hamilton, wish to meet with you to discuss this exciting program, to invite your sponsorship and your participation in the events. Hope in the Cities provides tools to assist in breaking down barriers of hate; build and empower teams to reach beyond themselves to the wider community; and challenges individuals and groups to look deep at their own attitudes and behaviours as they explore the methodology of Hope in the Cities. Please join us and empower yourself, your business and staff toward building a more effective, sustainable and healthy community.

Further information contact Doreen Johnson at Email: immi@cogeco.ca

Tickets also available from Theresa!

Benefit performance- please come!

2007-08-14T08:15:00.000-07:00

Ticket sales from 'The Hobbit', to be performed at the Waterdown Village Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 20 at 8:00, will go towards SLF.

Solidarity march in Ottawa

2007-08-14T08:14:00.000-07:00

Letter from Zimbabwe

2007-08-14T08:13:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,
At the beginning of August the Interception of Communications Act was signedinto law and the government of Zimbabwe can now legally intercept emails andfaxes, listen to telephone conversations and open and read letters. At a timewhen there is no fuel to buy at petrol stations and almost no public transporton the roads, just getting to the local Post Office has become a major outingfor most people. Sending a simple fax has become a joke and it often takesthirty or forty attempts to connect to a telephone number and even then successis not guaranteed. Sending SMS/text messages is a mission of major proportionsand requires the patience of a Saint as scores of times in a row the words flickup:" Message sending failed" until eventually you give up in disgust. Then weget to the aspects of communications that require electricity and the joke ofthe Interception Act gets even funnier. This week the electricity cuts in myhome town have been so bad that they've lasted for 18 hours a day, starting at 4am m in the morning and going on until 10 pm at night. And so, all thingsconsidered,you have to wonder just exactly what it is our government thinks weare saying to each other and how we are finding the time or means to say it.Most people I've met this week are walking around like zombies. We are utterlyexhausted as the simplest of daily chores require great ingenuity, considerableamounts of time and vast amounts of energy. People everywhere relate the absurd,upside down routine that has become life here. Cooking outside on open fires.Doing washing in the middle of the night if you're lucky enough to have bothwater and electricity on at the same time. Ironing clothes at midnight afterfrantically rushing around plugging in and recharging batteries, torches, cellphones, fridges and deep freezes and hoping the power stays on long enough tostore energy for another 24 hours. In the rare times when the electricity is onpeople are doing things to physically survive and frankly communication is notone of them. Everyone knows this is a completely unsustainable situation thatnow prevails in the country with no food to buy, no fuel for transport, verylittle water and even less electricity and it has become a question of remainingalert and focused and trying to stay positive.This week, tired as we are, the sheer beauty of spring in Zimbabwe, is reasonenough to be positive. The Msasa trees have begun displaying their new leavesand the crowns of red and their promise of new life are a real delight. TheMahobohobo trees are crowded with golden fruits and the wild orange trees areweighted down with their great green cricket balls, soon to ripen and at leastgive food to people who have nothing. Conducting an errand by bicycle this weekI came across five young children dragging tree branches across a dirt road backto their homes in a high density suburb. The kids paused from the heavy chorefor a minute and stared open mouthed as I passed. "How are you?" I called outand as always this standard greeting led to a chorus of echoes from them andthen great gleeful giggling. Later when I got home and was tending a pot of soupover a smoky fire I looked up and saw my latest distraction. A red headed weaveris building a nest on the telephone line against the wall of my house. I can'thelp but wonder what this will do to the intercepting of my communications andwatched in amazement as the female weaver arrived. After just three days theskeleton of the nest is built and is obviously strong enough to hold her. Thefemale weaver sat herself down in the sticks and leaf midribs as the red headedmale spent the next hour going backwards and forwards busily constructing thehouse around her. Zimbabwe is a country so rich and yet so poor but surely soonwe will turn the corner.
Until next week,
love cathy.

Theresa fundraising

2007-07-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

Granny bulletin

2007-07-25T12:42:00.001-07:00

Granny Bulletin

July 20, 2007
The Granny Bulletin is an update on the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign, intended to keep grandmothers? groups across Canada informed about, and connected to, the grandmothers and grassroots projects in Africa, that are supported through their dedicated fundraising and awareness-raising efforts.

Greetings grannies!

Welcome to the final bulletin for the month of July. In this issue, we will go over some technical (but interesting) information and also share some personal and heartening stories from the projects we support in Africa ? again a small sample of many wonderful initiatives across sub-Saharan Africa.

Dear Grannies,

We have been hard at work creating the new Grandmothers Campaign website over the last few months. At long last, it is finally here!

We?ve had the designer upload the test site to the correct web address, which means that the site should appear online sometime this weekend. Please check the site on Monday, July 23rd at www.grandmotherscampaign.org.

ABOUT THE SITE
We have tried to create a website that will help facilitate discussion, interaction and networking among grandmothers groups in Canada and beyond. In order to have the most accessible and interactive forum possible (given all of the things we want it to do!), we used a template to create the website which will allow for different levels of access for different users.

As a result, we?ve created a public section of the site, which can be accessed by anyone, and a registered section of the site, which is intended specifically for granny groups.

In the PUBLIC SECTION of the site, you will find:

An interactive google map of granny groups across the country.

Information About the Campaign, the Grandmothers? Gathering, and how to get involved

Information about available resources. (Please note that in order to reduce duplication, large features such as the event organizers? photo gallery, logo gallery, and news articles will remain only on the SLF website.)

A ?share ideas? section, where you can submit articles about your group?s experiences with fundraising, advocacy and awareness raising.

An event calendar, listing grandmother events across the country. Click on each date and read more about what others are doing to support grandmothers in Africa.

A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section, with answers to questions about tax receipts, communications and other common queries.

In the REGISTERED SECTION of the site:

We are creating an account for each group, with the primary contact listed as the main person for the group. Once a group is registered, the primary contact will receive an e-mail with their group?s username and password.

Once the site is live, you group will be able to login and use the following features:

Group profiles, where each granny group can post their contact information, edit their profile, group description and post photos!

Submit events for the event calendar.

Submit news and updates for the homepage.

Granny bulletins ? the site features an archive of previous granny bulletins, and future bulletins will also be featured on the site.

A weekly poll, which will help us determine what issues and ideas are important to you. Please cast your vote, or suggest a poll topic for us to use!

A discussion forum, where registered users can post messages on any number of topics, from fundraising to advocacy. The forum requires an additional username and password. We will send a list of instructions on how to use the forum in the coming days.

We want the site to be as useful as possible ? please send us your comments, thoughts and ideas about how it can fulfill your group's needs. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Over the next few weeks, we will be adding content and modifying sections based on your feedback.

In the coming days, you will receive another e-mail with instructions on how to use each of the interactive features of the website. If you have any further questions about how to use the site, please don?t hesitate to send them to questions@grandmotherscampaign.org.

**If you discover any errors in your group name, location or primary contact information, please let us know.

The July 6 bulletin featured a profile on Reach One Teach One Ministries (ROTOM) based in Uganda. Since then, we have received an update from our colleague Kenneth that we are sure will warm your hearts:

Introduction:
On my last monitoring visit, I met many children and grannies under ROTOM grandmothers support project. While I could see so much need I was overwhelmed by the joy in the faces of the grannies and children I met. The wide smiles were infectious and the stories of hope restored were touching. I worked hard to hold my tears because the appreciation from these grannies and children was overwhelming. I knew it was not me to take the credit but many grannies in Canada that have donated the money for this project through SLF. I also knew that Erican and Norah our project staff who day in and day out are working to better the lives of these grannies and children deserved the credit.

The real stories:
Teresa Kyabahara is not sure of her age but believes she is in her early 70?s. She is a widow and grandmother. She is one of those full of praise for the support received from SLF supported ROTOM grandmother support Project. ?We now have enough food and are assured of medical treatment when we fall sick. Girls who had left school are back learning to become tailors. Thank you very much for loving us. We have given you a new name because of what you have done for us. We call you RUKUNDO (love)?, Teresa told me while holding the youngest of the grandchildren under her care.

Teresa, like other grannies in the project, has received a goat, receives regular food supplements, has participated in weekly fellowship where she receives support from our staff and other grannies. When she falls sick, she is assured of free medical treatment. It is these and other benefits that have put a smile on her face and changed her life.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

The following is a brief introduction to Women and Children Development Organization (wcdo) based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia that benefits from the great efforts of the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign:

Although HIV prevalence rates remain relatively low in Ethiopia, when compared to countries like Swaziland and Botswana, the effects of the virus are still devastating. As in other countries around the continent, HIV/AIDS is disproportionately infecting and affecting women in Ethiopia. According to 2006 UNAIDS statistics, prevalence among adult women is double that among adult men!

Women and Children Development Organization is an example of the responsive grassroots organizations meeting the many challenges posed by the pandemic. WCDO was established in 1995 and works in urban, rural and pastoral areas on community development programmes affecting children, women and other disadvantaged groups. Their mission is to bring about sustainable development changes with maximum community participation.

The Stephen Lewis Foundation is financially supporting a WCDO project based in the town of Hawel-tula ? a town with high poverty and unemployment levels and growing social concerns. HIV/AIDS is becoming a major problem and the numbers of vulnerable and orphaned children are growing. There is only one clinic in the town providing services focusing specifically on HIV/AIDS.

WCDO?s project aims to:

Enhance school attendance for 50 children (30 of whom are orphans and 20 are vulnerable children) through the provision of full educational support including access to clothing, nutrition and transportation to school;
Strengthen the capacity of 45 women (25 of whom are grandmothers caring for 30 orphaned children and 20 who are impoverished mothers caring for 20 vulnerable children) through HIV/ AIDS prevention training, VCT* service, family planning services and provision of access to credit services;

In the 12 years since its inception, WCDO has been hard at work. The following are some highlights of its achievements:

Provided loans to 300 women and organized for income-generating activities, including the establishment of a bakery;
Provided educational support to 5,000 school children
Provided health and hygiene education to more than 15,000 community groups aged 10 and above;
Renovated 77 homes;
Organized 5000 youths into working groups conducting training workshops on HIV/AIDS for peer educators, counsellors and volunteer caregivers;
Constructed and installed a public library with the capacity of 70 seats;
Conducted training workshops and organized experience-sharing sessions on good governance and democratization for government officials, court officials, women's representatives, youth groups, traditional leaders, and representatives of community-based organizations and civil society organizations;

*VCT ? voluntary counselling and testing for HIV

more news about the garden tour

2007-07-19T08:07:00.001-07:00

1. There will be several draws and purchasing opportunities at the various gardens on the Blooms for Africa tour on July 28 and 29.
A wonderful basket of garden items is being raffled at Ann Craig-Howarth's garden in Aldershot (Bedford Rd.address).
Raffle tickets for a beautiful hand made concrete bench donated by Hamilton artist, Judy Hill, are being sold at all the gardens.
Beautiful stationary (sketches of grandmothers and orphans in Africa) by Hamilton artist, Theresa Randles, are being sold at many of the gardens.
All of the proceeds from these sales will go directly to the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Stephen Lewis foundation.

2. A very special garden has been added to the tour. This garden, located at the First Unitarian Church, 170 Dundurn St. Hamilton, rear garden just off the parking lot is the SEEDS OF HOPE GARDEN. Seeds of Hope is a project designed for the Women?s Centre of Hamilton that uses horticultural and human experiences to link women?s centres around the world. A central idea for the project is re-visioning the curb-side plots of urban buildings, transforming them into welcoming gardens with political meaning?the idea of the live organic message as part of the urban landscape and as part of public conscience.
Also, there is the desire to take women?s centres out of their ?removed settings?, (the Women?s Centre of Hamilton is housed in an office on the third floor of the YWCA. building) and out onto the streets/gardens where it is more likely that women in need will encounter the Centre?s contact information which is posted at each of the urban garden sites.
Women?s centres from around the globe joined the Women?s Centre of Hamilton to form a collective and participate in the project by sharing horticultural seeds and stories of women?s lives from their region. Sites in and around the Hamilton area have been selected as garden host sites where seeds from the partnering countries and local botanicals would be planted and the words of women disseminated in the form of on-site booklets.
The SOH project is a good indicator of the challenges that women around the world struggle with on a daily basis. I encourage people to visit the SOH garden sites and allow the diversity of the plants to remind them of the varying situation of women around the world?the resilient seed?and in the life-cycle of the garden, to see glimpses of our own abilities for growth, renewal and peace Kelly Hilton, Project designer

Fundraiser August 10- Potato Festival Weekend

2007-07-16T08:15:00.000-07:00

South Simcoe Branch – GRANDMOTHERS EMBRACE –

CELEBRATING THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE TORONTO GRANDMOTHERS’ GATHERING of African and Canadian Grandmothers

DATE: Saturday, August 11, 2007 (POTATO FESTIVAL WEEKEND)
PLACE: Alliston Community Christian School
ADDRESS: King Street South (past industrial parkway)TIME: 10:30 – 3:30

Suggested Donation Fee……………………………………………….$25.00
-make cheques out to- Grandmothers Embrace Potato Festival
©all extra money will go directly to the Stephen Lewis Foundation
©It is suggested that you register early as there are a limited number of places available
Send cheques and registration form to:
Judy Temple
129 Bella Vista TrailAlliston, On, L9R 2E2

©If you have any questions please contact Betsie Vant Spykerjaco008@accglobal.net

Blooms for Africa

2007-07-12T10:45:00.000-07:00

July 27 & 28

$10 for 12 gardens in Hamilton & Burlington.

Tix at Bryan Price Booksellers.

All proceeds to the SLF.

www.grandmotherscampaign.org

2007-07-12T10:44:00.000-07:00

DEAR GRANDMOTHERS!

WE ARE SO THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE THE IMMINENT LAUNCH OF A SPECIAL WEBSITE JUST FOR GROUPS PARTICIPATING IN THE GRANDMOTHERS TO GRANDMOTHERS CAMPAIGN!!!

The website will have its own ?address? (www.grandmotherscampaign.org) and will go ?live? (be active) by Friday, July 20th.

THE WEBSITE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS, and we strongly encourage your feedback and welcome your suggestions!

We didn?t go for a flashy, gorgeous website ? we wanted something simple, accessible, easily navigated and useful to all of you!
TO THAT END, WE NEED TO HEAR YOUR FEEDBACK/SUGGESTIONS/IDEAS about how the website can be tailored to meet your needs!

We?re so excited to get this off the ground that we?re going to launch it and have it available to you BEFORE we?ve posted ALL the information that we have available! We want to make sure that it?s what you want and what you need? we?re working from many emails that you?ve sent to us ? and incorporated much of what we could ? but there?s room for more, and we welcome your input!!

NOW ? to be candid and up-front about all this, no website is going to do everything that everyone wants!

WHAT THE WEBSITE CAN CURRENTLY OFFER:
Each group (that is, the contact person you?ve given us) will be emailed a password to give you access to the website:

a) Individual profile pages for groups ? YOU CAN POST YOUR OWN GROUP PROFILE AND UPDATE IT WHENEVER YOU WANT!!!
b) You can POST AND MAINTAIN INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR EVENTS ? post photos, write-ups, updates; schedules, and learnings from your event
c) There?s a forum to share ideas about Regional and National initiatives
d) There?s a part of the website that is open to the public, and your password will give you access to the FULL PANOPLY OF WONDERFUL RESOURCES AVAILABLE! And the possibility of posting information. (i.e. the public can see the ?Event Calendar?, but the group contact information will be available only to ?members? ? groups affiliated with the Campaign who have a password!)
e) Granny Bulletins ? all past and future granny bulletins will be available on the site
f) Web polls ? this one might be fun! Someone can send us a question and we can post a ?poll? on relevant issues!

THERE WILL BE MORE, AS WE HEAR FROM YOU!

Warmly,
Ilana and Gillian

Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign

Letter from Stephen Lewis

2007-07-12T10:43:00.002-07:00

dear friends:
The evolution of the Foundation continues to be fascinating.As you can see from much of this Newsletter, the grandmothers initiative has picked up extraordinary momentum and is now happily consuming a great deal of the Foundation’s time.
But there’s more to it than that. We learned an important lesson from the grandmother experience. We learned that even a small Foundation can discover a new dimension of the pandemic, largely neglected by the rest of the world, and by the sheer force of activity and determination, turn that new aspect of the pandemic into an international ‘cause celebre’.
Who would have believed, even one year ago, that African grandmothers would rise to the top of the AIDS agenda?!
Now we’re out of control, intoxicated by what we’ve achieved, and looking for the next world to conquer. I’ve been chatting with Ilana and colleagues at the Foundation, and it’s our growing view that what we should tackle next is the issue of “Youth”, ages 15 to 24. This age group in Africa constitutes 50% of the new infections, huge numbers of deaths, with young girls especially vulnerable, and yet youth are the nearly invisible part of the AIDS response.
Everybody talks about youth (just as so many talked about grandmothers), but the response to their desperate predicament is negligible. The Foundation is beginning to imagine the possibilities of Canadian High Schools and Community Colleges and Universities banding together to support the resilient and struggling youth of Africa, just as has been the case with the indomitable grandmothers. It won’t happen immediately of course, nor tomorrow, but perhaps at some point down the road.
So stay tuned for a Youth to Youth campaign. We’ll probably start with an international conference!
Best personal regards,
Stephen Lewis

From zimbabwe

2007-07-12T10:43:00.001-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,
Zimbabwe has been engulfed in a macabre and tragic frenzy this week andfrankly, it beggars belief. Across the country what has been called a"Taskforce" has been unleashed by the government to force shop owners andbusinesses to cut their prices by 50%. The price cut enforcers are army men incamouflage clothes, police in uniform and large numbers of youth militia.They gofrom shop to shop and simply pick on items they want reduced : SLASH THAT PRICE,is the phrase we are hearing again and again and then products have to be soldfor less than they were purchased for. Shop owners who refuse to cut the pricesface arrest and having their goods seized. Some have been assaulted, others hadtheir premises trashed and windows smashed.The result of it all, inevitably, is rapid collapse and many goods and foodshave now become completely unavailable including all the staples which werealready difficult to find such as flour, oil, sugar, salt and maize meal.Joining the list now are most other normal household products in daily use suchas soap, candles, matches, milk, eggs, margarine, rice, bread and the list growslonger by the hour and day. As the prices are ordered down hordes of people withbagfuls of money swarm behind and buy up all the stocks. Shops are displayingsigns announcing that only one of each item may be purchased but entire gangsare moving around in dozens and just cleaning everything out.This week in my home town, all types of meat have become completely unavailableas butchers were ordered to sell for less than half the price they had paid toabattoirs. One supermarket in the centre of the town was empty of all goods bymid week, another two were not far behind - both saying they expected to be outof business in the next few days - a week at most. In both of these outletsthere were aisle after aisle of completely empty shelves. It was heartbreakingto see pensioners and desperately poor people looking for bargains but findingnone and then looking for basics and finding none of those either.Outside a major wholesaler, groups of young men stood around waiting for the"militia taskforce" to arrive so that they could buy up everything as the priceswere slashed. The car park was nearly full of luxury vehicles - pajero's, twincabs, SUV's. even a Lexus - all filled with men talking incessantly oncellphones and women in tight jeans and artificial hair - their vehicles alreadybulging with 'slashed price' goods, many pulling trailers also stuffed tooverflowing.I went to one almost empty supermarket and stopped near a young policeman in apick up truck without number plates that was loaded to the hilt with 'slashedprice' goods. It was a bitterly cold morning and a barefoot and slightlyretarded man was sitting on the tar shaking and shivering with cold. Hestretched his hands up to the policeman and said: "Chingwa" (Bread). Thepoliceman ignored him and turned away, calling out cheerfully to another youngpoliceman, also in uniform, who was staggering out with more booty. Again theshivering and barefoot man asked for bread but they both ignored him. I couldnot stop tears filling my eyes and although I had virtually nothing left I bentdown and folded a note into his hand; he clapped his hands in thanks and as Istood up I caught the eye of the young policeman. There was no compassion orempathy there, just arrogance. For a moment I remembered how it felt after thefarmers and their workers had been thrown off and someone had helped me when Iwas utterly desperate. He had said to me: There but for the grace of God go I.Now there are so many more in that place of need.All week as the situation has deteriorated people have been comparing what ishappening now to shops and businesses with what happened to farms. A huge crisisseems just a few days or perhaps a couple of weeks away, as stocks dwindle,warehouses empty and we simply run out of food. As I write this letter thegovernment are continuing to applaud the price cuts and say they will take overthe businesses that close down.Please keep the plight of ordinary Zimbabweans, particularly the old, sick,handicapped, frail and unemployed in your prayers in this most shockingsituation.

Until next week,
with love,
cathy

Granny bulletin from Tinyan Otuomagie

2007-07-12T10:41:00.000-07:00

Granny Bulletin July 6, 2007

The Granny Bulletin is an update on the Grandmothers to GrandmothersCampaign, intended to keep grandmothers' groups across Canada informedabout, and connected to, the grandmothers and grassroots projects in Africa,that are supported through their dedicated fundraising and awareness-raisingefforts. Happy Summer Friends!We have promised to keep you up-to-date on the excellent work being done inAfrica by and on behalf of grandmothers. We remember and appreciate thatthis is something you need as you continue to organize brilliantly in yourcommunities. In this bulletin, we will share three profiles on different,yet equally inspiring projects in Zambia, Uganda and Tanzania. Theseprojects represent only a small sample of the many incredible projectssupported by the Foundation (through your fundraising and solidarity) acrosssub-Saharan Africa.Ranchod Hospice - Busy Bees, ZambiaZambia, like other countries in the Southern Africa region, has not beenspared the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS. In fact, this region remainsthe global epicentre of the pandemic. According to UNICEF figures, thereare currently over 700,000 AIDS orphans living in Zambia alone! It isagainst this backdrop that the Busy Bees came into existence and continue towork. If you've seen the SLF film "Grandmothers: The Unsung Heroes ofAfrica", you've seen Matilda and the Busy Bees honoured.Housed on the Ranchod Hospice compound in Kabwe, Zambia, the Busy Bees is anever-growing support group for and by women, mostly grandmothers, who areinfected or affected by HIV/AIDS. A great number of them are caring fortheir orphaned grandchildren. They meet every day in the shade of a leafytree and together they share their worries, their grief, their strength,their skills and their talents. Since the formation of the group in 2004,they have soothed each other's sorrows, allayed each other's fears, listenedto each other's worries and shared in their triumphs - both individual andcollective. They have also produced mountains and mountains of crafts -everything from knitted sweaters to beaded necklaces; from ornate dolls toembroidered food coverings - all for sale mostly in local-area markets. The group's resourcefulness is limitless, inspired by their need to create asustainable source of income - income that will feed, clothe and sheltertheir families, income that will allow them to buy the necessary medicationsfor their orphaned grandchildren and send them to school, income that willperhaps ensure that the children in their care will not be left destituteafter they are gone. It is in this spirit of resourcefulness that the BusyBees have been enthusiastically looking to the future, continually thinkingabout and planning for more creative and reliable sources of income. Through their discussions, they identified Kabwe's need for moreprofessional tailors. They also recognized the collective wealth ofexperience they have in vegetable gardening. Long-term plans were made,research was undertaken and the Stephen Lewis Foundation is happy to haveresponded to their request for a grant that has allowed the group to:* get training in advanced sewing skills* purchase sewing and knitting machines* purchase materials that will allow them to successfully fulfilsewing contracts * get agricultural training* purchase equipment and fertilizer to help tend their vegetablegardenSince then, the Busy Bees have been hard at work; here are a few words fromour project colleagues in Kabwe: Mary:"I went with the Busy Bees to visit their agricultural project on Saturdayand was very impressed with their efforts. They have a large cabbage patchalso green beans, spinach, onions and tomatoes all ready for eating.Tomorrow we are going to buy seedlings for their extended patch alreadycleared and ready for planting. There is an excellent supply of water onhand, they cycle there 3/4 times weekly to water and weed."Hilary:"They are so excited at what they are accomplishing together ... All thatto say the SLF funding has certainly made a remarkable difference to theirconfidence and livelihoods (without even getting into the tailoring andknitting they are now doing!)."Reach One Teach One Ministries (ROTOM) - UgandaROTOM has been in operation for four years and in this short time hasestablished itself as a highly effective organisation meeting the needs ofimpoverished older persons in Uganda. Traditionally, Ugandan socialstructure was built around extended family and community. This networkprovided a safety-net for the society's most vulnerable members. With theAIDS pandemic eroding much of this structure, and with no other formalsystem to fill the gaps, the elderly and orphans have been left particularlyimpoverished and neglected. According to ROTOM's figures, 64% of Uganda'selderly live in absolute poverty and over 50% of seniors in their programare caring for orphaned grandchildren.ROTOM exists to provide support to the elderly. This ranges from social,spiritual and emotional support to economic and physical support. Morerecently, ROTOM has also taken on an advocacy and lobbying role which hasincluded the organizing of the first ever National Symposium on Aging inUganda and petitioning the speaker of Uganda's parliament to put "elderissues" on the table for discussion. Some of their achievements in the last four years include :* Over 3500 hot and nutritious meals delivered * 16 funerals sponsored for families unable to afford the costs* over 2500 home visits to the elderly and the children in their care* over 115 mattresses providedRecently, ROTOM established a grandmothers support project in the Kabaledistrict, located in southwest Uganda, for a group of 100 grandmothers.This support will not only improve the mental and physical health of thegrandmothers, but will also directly improve the lives of the orphans intheir care. With funding from the Stephen Lewis Foundation, the project'saim is to provide food, counselling, routine medical checkups,income-generating projects plus school fees and educational support to atleast 200 orphans in grandmother care. The project has taken off beautifully and the delivery of food is wellunderway as is medical treatment. Support groups that meet every two weekshave been established and are proving to be highly useful and meaningful tothe grandmothers. They decided to raise animals (chickens, goats, sheep,pigs) as a source of income, and already the grandmothers have been trainedin this area and the animals have been purchased. A few words from ourcolleague at ROTOM :The work of grandmothers' support project is going on well and on schedule.Last Wednesday I was in the project area and while driving in the village wemet a group of girls in school uniform coming from vocational classes intailoring, cookery, etc.I was overjoyed when the project officer (Erican)quickly asked to stop so that we could say hullo to them. these girls areamong the 31 teenage orphans ROTOM grandmothers support project sponsors toattain vocational skills.(there is also another 70 in primary schools) Whenthe girls saw us, they were all happy and proud to be back in school. Someof them had been out of school for long because their parents died of AIDS.I jokingly asked each of them to make for me a shirt when they finish theircourse and they were quick to say; "yes sir!"Combating HIV/AIDS in Tanzania (CHATA) According to the December 2006 UNAIDS Epidemic Update, Tanzania is one ofthe countries most affected by HIV/AIDS. There are 1.1 million AIDS orphansliving in Tanzania. UNAIDS projects the number of new HIV infections in therural areas, where close to 75% of the country's population live, could betwice as high as in urban areas by 2010. According to CHATA's reports, thesituation is getting worse in the rural areas where they work, (Arusha andManyara) due mainly to a lack of proper HIV/AIDS education, high levels ofstigmatization of those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS and increasingpoverty. Furthermore, access to social services and health care services isvery limited. CHATA's work focuses on these issues by focusing on HIV/AIDSprevention and care, poverty alleviation and advocacy and support forvulnerable children and grandparents. With the support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, CHATA has launched aproject that focuses specifically on the health as well as the social andeconomic status of AIDS patients and their families. This will be donethrough three main areas: * Improving accommodations for the elderly and for orphans* Creating a strong and sustainable infrastructure around which thecommunity can provide home-based care to the ailing* Provide education, social-economic and humanitarian support toorphans and vulnerable childrenOne of the Stephen Lewis Foundation's Field Representatives went to visit atypical household that would directly benefit from CHATA's services. It isa child-headed household with 14-year-old Christina as the caregiver to hertwo younger brothers: 8-year-old Simoni and 7-year-old Tobias. They havebeen living alone since 2002, which means Christina was only nine or ten andlooking after two toddlers! They live in a small, damp, windowless mud hutwith a leaky roof. Their day-to-day lives are extremely precarious - nofood security, no fuel to cook what little food they occasionally have, noblankets to protect them from the cold and damp. An excerpt from Lucy'sreport: I was told that several family members offered to take in one of thechildren, effectively splitting up the family group, but Christina hasalways refused. When I asked Christina about this, she confirmed what Iheard. "Yes," she said. "I promised my mother that I would not leave thishouse and I would not leave my brothers... Also, my mother and father areburied just to the side of the house and I don't want to leave them." Byrepairing their home, CHATA would not only improve the health of thesechildren but would also allow Christina to fulfill her promise to hermother.For more information on the situation of orphans and grandmothers in Africa,get copies of our films Grandmothers: The Unsung Heroes of Africa and AGeneration of Orphans.Visit www.stephenlewisfoundation.org for more information.

Ottawa Grands on the Hill September 8th, 2007

2007-07-05T09:17:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Grandmothers and Friends

WHAT:The Grandparents Solidarity March -
Giving voice, visibility and support for HIV/AIDS in AfricaThe program on the Hill will include a presentation of the Toronto Statement to Elizabeth Mataka, the new UN Special Envoy on AIDS in Africa and to the Prime Minister of Canada (or his designate)

WHY:The March has three objectives: to demonstrate solidarity with African grandmothers who are caring for AIDS orphans; · to raise awareness of the pandemic in Africa and the dire situation of these courageous women; and · to advocate for government policies and actions that will effectively address the situation and fulfil Canada¹s international obligations.The March will serve as a demonstration of a collaborative ³national day of action² for grandmother groups across Canada. It is hoped that groups within travel distance will join the March in Ottawa. Groups in other cities across Canada are encouraged to stage an activity in their own community on the same day.

WHEN:Saturday, September 8, 2007. Assemble at City Hall at 1:00; 2:00 march to hill, program from 3:00 to 4:00 pm.

(NOTE: Grandparents Day is Sunday September 9 but the hill was booked so the date is now confirmed as Saturday September 8). Ottawa grannies will host/accommodate visiting grandmothers from Toronto and other regions in their homes on Friday September 7, Saturday September 8 and Sunday September 9 as required.

There will be a celebratory gathering of all grandmother group members whoare in town after the March (September 8) at 7:00pm.

WHERE:In Ottawa: Start of walk at City Hall on Elgin Street. End at steps of Parliament Building. Other cities and communities will organize their own activities.

WHO:The March is designed to be as inclusive as possible like-minded people. We want Grandmother groups, their children, grandchildren and friends; representatives of AIDS groups, Caribbean and African and Aboriginal communities, women and seniors¹ groups; other NGOs, interested public, high-profile citizens, media, politicians, embassyrepresentatives, drummers, musicians - everyone who wants to support Africangrandmothers.Special guests will include:* Special Envoy to the UN, Elizabeth Mataka (she has accepted)* 2 African grandmothers (the Stephen Lewis Foundation will bring them to Ottawa)* Stephen Harper or his designate (has been invited, reply not yet received)* Ilana Landsberg-Lewis, Executive Director, Stephen Lewis Foundation* The Governor General (has been invited but we do not yet have a reply)* It is anticipated that other high-profile Canadians will join us in the March.

HOW:The Ottawa/Gatineau area network (15 groups) is taking the lead onplanning the event. We will communicate across the country through the National Advocacy Steering Committee, the Listserv and the grandmothers web site (up and running in July)We will produce some basic materials for use in other communities: e.g., news release, backgrounder, ideas for organizing; however these events will be organized and ³owned² locally.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION1. Check the SLF web site for updates and materials as they become available. The new web site for grandmother groups will be ready in July.

2. Ottawa Planning Committee Contacts Accommodation for visiting grands:
Angela Cosgrove: mailto:school@rogers.; 613-592-2731 OR
Mia Overduin - 819-684-9720 mailto:Mia.Overduin@
Organizing an event in your city or community on the same day:
Sharon Swanson: sharons@superaje.com

Promotion, media enquiries: Valerie Swinton:mailto:vswinton@sympatico.; 613- 730-6442Program: Brenda Rooney: mailto:brenda@rooneyproduc

For travel check Via rail website - seniors can travel two for one on VIA https://univmail.cis.mcmaster.ca/Redirect/www.viarail.ca .

Children in Zimbabwe Hardest Hit By Faltering Economy

2007-06-28T06:16:00.001-07:00

Children in Zimbabwe Hardest Hit By Faltering Economy
By Lisa Schlein Geneva26 June 2007
Schlein report (mp3) - Download 598k Listen to Schlein report (mp3)
The U.N. Children's Fund says it is very concerned by the rapidly deteriorating condition of children and women in Zimbabwe. UNICEF says it needs more than $6 million immediately to address the urgent needs of children in the areas of health, education, and protection. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.
The U.N. Children's Fund says the country has entered a new phase of hardship.
With the official inflation rate more than 4,000 percent, UNICEF spokesman in Zimbabwe, James Elder, says the cost of essential goods and services has spiraled out of control.
"A bread has increased from about 8,000 Zimbabwe dollars to around 42,000 Zimbabwe dollars in a fortnight," Elder said. "Now that kind of four, 500 percent increase is taking the real basics out of the reach of moms and dads, much less things like keeping kids in school and keeping them with books and uniforms. So, unfortunately, inflation is really spiked the last few weeks in an environment where people were already finding it very difficult to buffer this falling economy. I think it has just made it ever more difficult."
Elder tells VOA Zimbabwe has two competing emergencies. He says the country is suffering from drought, resulting in serious food shortages. But, he says, the even if a food shortage did not exist, the economic crisis is making it difficult for families to afford basics needs.
Despite the challenges, he says Zimbabwe has been able to maintain its level of acute malnutrition at around six percent. He says this is below emergency levels where children might die.
But Elder says chronic malnutrition, which results in physical and mental disabilities has reached 30 percent, a level not seen for 20 years. He says orphans and HIV are the greatest issues in the country.
"The country has one in four children who are orphaned," Elder said. "That is one-in-four-children who has lost a parent, who have to deal with the psychological trauma of that. And, at the same time, have to deal with the fact that they no longer have someone to provide for them. Maybe they have to live in someone else's house. Maybe they now do not get the three meals a day. They get pulled out of school. A kind of endless stream of traumas that hit a young child immediately after losing a parent."
Elder says Zimbabwe has the fourth-highest rate of HIV in the world. He notes the country has wracked up some success in reducing that rate. But, because of lack of funding, he says UNICEF can no longer carry on with its prevention work.
UNICEF reports more than half of all new infections occur among young people, especially girls. As a result, it says life expectancy in Zimbabwe has dropped from 61 years during the early 1990s to 34 years.

Samantha Young- a very young "grandmother"

2007-06-28T06:13:00.001-07:00

Samantha Young is a finalist in the Me to We Awards given by Canadian Living magazine. She has been working hard to raise awareness and money for the 'Grandmothers to Grandmothers' campaign. If she wins, her prize money of $5000.00 would go to the grandmothers. Wow!!

Let's make it happen! Vote at www.metoweawards.com before July19.

Samantha Young
Helping orphans in Africa enriches home town
Alliston, Ontario
Samantha Young, 11 years old, wants to be a part of the 'Grandmothers to Grandmothers' campaign, which is supported by the Stephen Lewis Foundation. When asked why, Samantha said, "The disease (AIDS) is spreading in Africa and all the parents are dying and the grandmothers have to care for the children and the grandmothers are getting sick and then, who will care for the children?"
Samantha got an idea. A local grandmothers' group had just formed and Samantha made wooden bead bracelets. Monies gathered from the sale of bracelets made by Samantha would be passed to the group, who would pass it on to the Stephen Lewis Foundation, for use by the African grandmothers for the children in their care. Giving money to the local grandmothers was important to Samantha. It would strengthen the bond between children and grandmothers in both communities. Samantha said, "We have a lot, they don't have much, we could help the grandmothers take care of the kids. The grandmothers could use the money for medicine, food, clothes and school."
Samantha's commitment led to action. First, at her fall birthday, friends gave monies rather than gifts and this was donated to the 'Grandmothers to Grandmothers' campaign. Samantha's friends were not surprised. Since the age of 7, Samantha's 'birthday presents' have helped The Humane Society, World Vision, and the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund.
In the school Public Speaking Contest Samantha talked to her Grade 6 classmates about the suffering in Africa and as a result, two months later, Samantha's classmates voted to send a portion of funds earned from their Entrepreneurial Fair to the campaign.
Samantha continued to make bracelets. These bracelets, bearing a tag with a reminder about the African grandmothers, have been sold at a Valentine Tea and Bake Sale, a Bridge Luncheon, an Awareness Raising Event and local businesses in her home town. In less than 6 months Samantha has contributed over $1000.00 to the 'Grandmothers to Grandmothers' campaign.
Samantha's words are modest, "Anyone can help, if they want to."

Message from Ilana at SLF

2007-06-18T06:38:00.000-07:00

Dear Galvanized Grandmothers!!

This message from Ilana contains the following subject matters ? PLEASE SEND IT FAR AND WIDE TO THOSE IN YOUR GRANNY NETWORKS:

1) Grandmother infrastructure at the SLF in Toronto
2) October 18th launch of the SLF film on women and AIDS in Africa.
3) SLF grandmother team going to Africa
4) Grandmother speakers? bureau training in Toronto
5) Selling African crafts ? a proposal
6) Advocacy update ? I?ll write about this in the next missive, so that this isn?t so long?
7) September 8th march on Parliament Hill ? again, I?ll write in a day or two about this..

This is really an email with exciting new developments and thoughts that I would like to share with you and to spark a ?conversation? with all of the grandmothers across the country who are in groups and doing remarkable work to raise awareness, focus attention and raise desperately needed funds to support the grandmothers of Africa in the midst of the AIDS pandemic and the children in their care!

All of this is open for discussion ? so I?m hoping that you will all discuss and debate the merits of each proposal and get back to me with your thoughts and insights!

Warmly,
Ilana

1) Grandmothers infrastructure in Toronto

For some time now, the SLF staff in Toronto have been telling you that we are (happily) inundated with emails and phone calls from all of you out there across the country in grandmother groups! We are receiving approximately 300 emails a day and on average 30 phone calls a day, and it?s a wonderful challenge!

While we?ve been busily attending to this amazing avalanche, we have also been strategizing around managing it ever-better and being in the position to ?service? your needs (insofar as we are being asked to) properly.

SO PLEASE NOTE:
a) Julie had an unfortunate family emergency two weeks ago, as many of you know, and will not be back in the office for two weeks. We are wishing her well and looking forward to her return! (this explains the delay in the Newsletter you got this morning)
b) Melva Snowling, a grandmother (of one, and about to be two children!), is volunteering with the Foundation for the next few months 4 days a week. Melva is an extraordinarily experienced woman (with years of organizing, policy, public administration work, also former Chair of the Niagra Regional Police Board) experience, who, in a calm and comprehensive way is tackling our database and taking over ALL of the EVENT-related communication with all of you and follow-up. This is going to make a huge difference, and we?re so excited to have Melva with us!
c) Mary Anna Beer continues to be our deeply valued colleague - Advisor to the Grandmothers? Campaign, and I know she is in touch with many of you for the SLF and has been traveling extensively around the country meeting with groups, doing presentations on the work we are doing, the difference you are all making in the lives of the grandmothers and children for whom you are fundraising/awareness raising, and talking through any issues/ideas/questions you might have about the Campaign, the SLF, and the work at the grassroots with grandmothers and their grandchildren in Africa
d) Tinyan Otuomagie has joined us (on Wednesday of this week) to assist with all-things Grandmother in Toronto. She?ll be working in the office full-time, assisting us with all aspects of the Campaign, and all of the upcoming initiatives which we?ll be working on with you. Tinyan will be working hand-in-glove with Julie to facilitate your amazing work from our end, and help us speed up the response time, and the substance of our engagement with all of you! Tinyan has much experience working with diverse communities, working with AWID (the Association for Women?s Rights in Development), and runs her own business doing life-skills coaching/workshop facilitation/training, etc. ? she is a gifted and welcome addition to the team!
e) Joanne Page, Marsha Slivka and Marie Marsellus are all volunteering at the moment to be in touch with each and every group to update your contact information, and touch base. You will be hearing from them (if you haven?t already) in the next couple of weeks. We have a host of other volunteers, and are we are so deeply grateful for the contribution they are all making to the work!!

SO ? things are chugging along, and we are soon (once we?ve all got up to speed!) going to be in a position to answer your emails and phone calls and needs around events (tax receipting, materials, speakers, etc.) that much faster and more substantially. It?s a very exciting time, and we can?t thank you enough for your patience, contribution and support. Most meaningful of all, of course, is your continued support to the African grandmothers ? who are, for their part, organizing with increasing determination and effectiveness, to meet their needs, have a voice that is heard, and care for their families and the children in their care.

2) October 18th launch of the SLF Women and AIDS film in Vancouver
We are going to do another donor appreciation event in October in Vancouver, much like the one recently held in Toronto in May. This is an opportunity to appreciate and share with those who have contributed so meaningfully to the Foundation?s work supporting groups in Africa: grandmothers? groups, community event organizers, etc. etc.

We are going to bring a group of African grandmothers from projects we support to continue the dialogue about their experience of the pandemic and the work they are doing to deal with its effects. We are also going to bring a small group of powerful women who are AIDS activists and whose work the Foundation is supporting. They will speak in a discussion with Stephen after the film. We?re still looking into the venue, and will report to you as things are firmed up.

After the 18th, the grandmothers and women advocates will stay in British Columbia (and perhaps 2 will travel to another city) for 3-4 days to meet with grandmothers groups in the province.

PLEASE NOTE: as we did with the groups in the 5 cities where the African grannies visited in May, we are asking the B.C. groups to talk to one another and tell us what you decide about where the grandmothers should go (we?re hoping to bring 6-8 of them, so they can visit 3-4 places in B.C. ? they will travel in groups of 2).

As with the visits in May ? we will leave it up to the grandmothers? groups in B.C. to organize the events and encounters that they think are important and meaningful within your communities (the Bulletin we sent this morning will give you a sense of what the other grandmother groups around the country did in May!). Part of what was so meaningful in May for the African grandmothers, was the experience of staying with the Canadian grandmothers in their homes. We?re hoping to do the same thing, and to billet the SLF staff who will travel with them as well. This was an unexpected highlight of the visits ? the intimacy and excitement that everyone experienced staying together under one roof ? it definitely awed the African grandmothers, and the hospitality they experienced touched them deeply.
More on this to come!!

3) SLF Grandmother team going to Africa
Well, the time has finally come! We have listened to many of you carefully, and then to the African grandmothers who came in May ? who invited grandmothers from Canada to visit ? with facilitation by the Foundation.

We have been talking to the projects we support on an ongoing basis, about letter-writing and visits from Canadian grandmothers.

The projects and grandmothers have been consistent ? as we?ve often discussed ? the letter-writing is excessively challenging for many (most) of the grandmothers, since they don?t have access to paper, stamps and post offices are far away, and many cannot read nor write themselves, and need assistance from over-extended project coordinators. Additionally, there is the anxiety that has been expressed by many with whom we?re in touch that the grandmothers feel obliged to answer correspondence, and are worried that the support they get will be compromised if they do not ? an entirely unintended ?side-effect? of letter-writing, but one that makes it uncomfortable. There are some groups (like the Gogos in South Africa, as Brenda Rooney?s film shows) who do feel able to participate in this exchange, but generally, we have heard from projects (and I?m putting together a bulletin with their responses so you, too, can hear from them directly) ? that it is not something they can take on with all that they are struggling with already. In terms of visits ? most of the projects have written and told us that they find it very difficult to manage visits from well-wishers and supporters. They are stretched thin already, they know how much acclimatizing has to happen and they don?t have the resources to ?guide? people through the terrain, the upset of bearing witness to what is happening ?on the ground?, and the hosting of visitors generally.

Having said this, some of the projects did indicate that if a visit was carefully and thoughtfully facilitated, it could be mutually beneficial and reinforcing.

We are in consultation with some of the projects we support who are working with grandmothers at the grassroots in the 14 countries where we support initiatives.

The idea is to take a group of 12 grandmothers from Canada to two countries in Africa to visit projects supporting grandmothers (and the children in their care) to see what is happening first-hand ? to see the effects of the AIDS pandemic first-hand, the resilience and courage of the grandmothers? response, the effectiveness and thoughtfulness of the projects working with them, their needs, etc.

This idea is still in its infancy. Here is what I?m thinking, and I?d like to discuss it with all of you!
1) setting this up thoughtfully and so that our African partners are involved properly and significantly
2) setting up a ?system? here for identifying who will go from Canada ? right now, I?m thinking that each of the ?hubs? of granny groups will ?nominate? 2 women to represent their collective groups; it will also be open to everyone (nominated or not ? AND those nominated) ? to ?apply? with an application ? so that if you didn?t get nominated you still have the opportunity to go; the application will just be a one pager on why you want to go, etc.; then a Committee of SLF staff and representatives from grandmother groups will be struck and we will altogether make the decision about who goes ? together; each grandmother who goes will have to make a commitment to return and work with grandmothers groups to raise awareness and funds ? in order to ensure that the experience of those who go comes back to the groups here in a meaningful and on-going way
3) I?m thinking that if all of you start a ?mini-campaign? to raise Aeroplan miles, (since Aeroplan will allow people to donate points to the SLF for our use!) ? and then we could send all 12 of you to Africa on points ? which would be wonderful!!!! If those grandmothers who go could cover their costs in-country (and perhaps the groups can fundraise to make this possible!)
4) We will arrange the visits to projects, the air travel (with points that you?ll raise?!), the logistics within Africa (though we?d need each participant to pay their own way for expenses there).
5) We would do a full orientation/briefing for those of you going, of course and you would be accompanied on your trip by SLF representatives.
6) WHEN would we do this? In the new year ? which will give us all time ? to identify participants, raise points, to raise/save funds, to organize the trip, speak to the projects and grandmothers in Africa, renew passports (!) and get Visas
SO ? WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK?!
4) Speakers? Bureau/training/orientation
I am interested to hear from you if you think this is a good idea! Mary Anna Beer has been traveling, as many of you know, visiting grandmothers? groups around the country and doing presentations/giving talks/sharing information, etc. Recently, Mary Anna did a kind of ?training? with a group to share with them how she does her presentations, the issues that she discusses, how the Foundation works, etc. It was a very instructive meeting, and the group started to feel that they, too, could start speaking to others about the situation in Africa, what the grandmothers are dealing with there, what the SLF is doing with its support and the funds raised by grandmothers in Canada, etc.

We are thinking of offering something similar to those of you who are interested in becoming ?spokeswomen? with your group and your community and OTHER grandmothers? groups. Are there some of you who would like to do this? Is it a good idea? It could be a one day ?training? in a couple of cities, or several of you coming to Toronto ? it?s open for discussion and we?re interested to hear from you whether or not there are more of you who would be interested.

5) Selling African Crafts
Increasingly, groups of you around the country are asking us about selling African crafts made by grandmothers from projects we support. Of course, the Foundation is not set up to do this ? and it can get incredibly complicated.

So ? this idea is a little off the wall, perhaps, but I was wondering if there are some of you out there who might want to consider starting some kind of online ?store? ? you could use the projects we fund ? the grandmothers whom we know in projects who are making crafts (like the adorable Little Traveler pins from Hillcrest in South Africa) ? but we would leave it to the ?experts? amongst you to figure out how to bring the crafts here, to make sure they?re ?fair trade? (that the grandmothers are being compensated fairly, for instance), and how to sell them and manage the ?business?. This is not something that the SLF can be involved in, since we don?t have the capacity, the expertise or the mandate. But I just wanted to see if some of you might be interested in thinking about it. I can think of all sorts of challenges ? what if some ?products? sell and some don?t ? then one group of grandmothers in a project would benefit and others wouldn?t (which would be pretty heartbreaking). One group of grandmothers I talked to about this suggested that a general ?pot of profit? be generated and funneled through the Foundation so that we could disburse the funds to ALL the projects supporting grandmothers. These kinds of things would have to be thought through. This is for your thoughts, insights, feedback?

Much to talk about and much to anticipate!
Thank you for reading this long missive? I look forward to being in touch!

Warmly,
Ilana

Special Granny Bulletin

2007-06-18T06:37:00.000-07:00

June 15, 2007
The Granny Bulletin is a bi-weekly update on the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign, intended to keep grandmothers? groups across Canada informed about, and connected to, the grandmothers and grassroots projects in Africa, that are supported through their dedicated fundraising and awareness-raising efforts.
Inside this Bulletin:
Welcome to a special edition of the Granny Bulletin! Inside this issue, you will find all the news on the May visit of nine grandmothers from South Africa, Kenya and Uganda to Toronto, Halifax, Ottawa, Saskatoon and Calgary.
Mother?s Day weekend was an especially meaningful one as grannies Alicia, Constance, Rita, (South Africa) Irene, Florence, Joyce, Zubeda, (Kenya) Freda and Matrida (Uganda), along with project coordinators Jackson Kaguri and Rowlands Lenya, arrived in Canada for an important visit. Throughout their time in Canada, they spoke as experts about their experiences within the AIDS pandemic ? a pandemic that continues to grow and evolve. They discussed the hardships of burying their own children and voiced their fears and their hopes for the next generation of children orphaned by AIDS. They shared their personal stories and experiences with some of the Canadians whose efforts and generosity have supported their families and their communities.
The African grandmothers were here for two main reasons:
§ The African grandmothers are serious about follow-up; they were eager to continue the dialogue with Canadian grandmothers. They wanted to ensure that what happened at the Gathering and what was embodied in the Toronto Statement continued to be heard; that the incredible momentum built thus far is not lost. They were here to participate in meaningful discussions with Canadians in their own communities and to raise awareness and support.
To participate in the launch of the SLF film A Generation of Orphans ? a documentary that tells the stories of six orphans and highlights the efforts of the community-based organizations that are working tirelessly on their behalf. At the premiere, the grandmothers spoke ? to a captivated audience of nearly 500 people ? as ?ambassadors? for the orphan grandchildren in their care. Their presence added deeper context to the situation of the orphans featured in the film and by extension, the situation of millions of orphans in sub-Saharan Africa. Each of these grandmothers has several orphans in their care and is struggling daily with the challenges of raising traumatized children, in extremely impoverished conditions.

A private screening was organized for the grandmothers before the official launch of the film, followed by an open discussion where they shared their thoughts on the film. Their discussion expanded on some of the issues that a 30-minute film on orphans in sub-Saharan Africa could not cover adequately. Granny Joyce asked ?What happens to these children at night?? ? opening a thoughtful discussion on the emotional trauma that these children endure, particularly for those in ?child-headed households?. Another granny talked about her trepidation to broach the subject of AIDS with her grandson, whom she suspects is HIV positive. This launched an animated conversation on the difficulties grandmothers are facing in discussing ?taboo? topics, and their discomfort discussing delicate subjects and the fears they face, often alone, about the HIV status of the children in their care.
From Toronto, the African grandmothers went in groups (accompanied by SLF staff) to Halifax, Ottawa, Saskatoon or Calgary, where they were hosted by Canadian grandmothers? groups. We cannot say enough about the grandmothers groups who hosted the African grannies and those individual grandmothers who put them up in their homes. In every city, they did an absolutely amazing job of planning for and warmly welcoming the African grandmothers. A very special and profound thank you goes out to the organizers in each city (and their colleagues/friends) for all of their stellar work in making the grannies? visits a huge success. We know it?s never one person, but let us just mention the grandmothers who took the lead in each city ? Ellen Monaghan and Rev. Cathy Fulton (Calgary), Orla Lockerbie and Sharon Maher (Saskatoon), Sue Bryant and Patti Koeslag (Ottawa), Jane Earle and Sarah Whitehorn (Halifax) ? know that we thank everyone involved!
THE VISIT OF AFRICAN GRANDMOTHERS
Welcome, dear Grandmothers from AfricaFrom Grandmothers here who careWho join in wonder to meet you face to faceTo hear the stories you will share. We cannot know your deepest sufferingFor so many of your children lost,We do not know the grief and sorrow norHow you have borne the painful cost. You are left to rear grandchildren,To live and work and love and cope,You who struggle for a life that is good,Have become for us a sign of hope. Our work with the Stephen Lewis FoundationBrings our love and support to you.May we help lighten your heavy loadOf care, for those who depend on you.
Your stay with us will be so short
But we will remember you always,Your courage inspires usUniting us in love's many hope-filled ways.
Poem by Marie Dunn, Grandmothers 4 Grandmothers Saskatoon
Nyaka AIDS Orphans School Grannies in Saskatoon
By Julie Coultas, SLF Grandmothers Campaign Liaison
Saskatoon was chosen to host Ugandan grandmothers Freda Byaburakirya and Matrida Nyinebirungi, and Nyaka AIDS Orphans School founder, Twesigye Jackson Kiguri (Jackson).
Freda Byaburakirya, 67, is a mother of nine and grandmother of six, with four orphans in her care. She lives in Nyakagyezi village, close to Nyaka school. A teacher by profession, Freda came out of retirement to serve as Nyaka?s first headmistress. Upon their return from the Toronto Grandmothers? Gathering last August, Freda and fellow Gathering participant Leonarda Ndazororera began the Nyaka grannies project. Together, they helped to establish a grandmothers? support group that meets weekly in Nyaka, and are currently working to create a similar group in Kutamba.
Matrida Nyinebirungi, 73, is a mother of eleven and grandmother of twenty-one, with six orphans in her care. She lives in Nyakagyezi village, close to Nyaka school. Matrida is an active member of the Nyaka grandmothers? support group, and volunteers with other guardians at the school once a month. Her determination and resilience has helped other grannies in the community to accept their roles of raising orphaned grandchildren.
Jackson Kaguri, 36, is a native of Uganda and the founder of the Nyaka AIDS Orphans School. In 1996-97, his brother and sister both died of AIDS, leaving four orphan children. Jackson was inspired to start Nyaka school for other orphans in the community who do not have an uncle or other guardians to care for them: ?Now I am an uncle for hundreds of orphans ? for all Nyaka students and hundreds more children that [Nyaka has] cared for through the provision of food, school fees, housing and sometimes just being there to talk when they need me.?
Sitting in the airport in Toronto waiting to board our plane to Saskatoon was my first real opportunity to spend time talking personally with Jackson, Freda and Matrida. We shared stories and photographs from Canada and Uganda, and Matrida said to Jackson that she didn?t know how they could have navigated the airport without me. Jackson replied ?anyone who can read English can do it by themselves?. (Jackson is always mindful of the connection between his own experience of childhood and the role of education in a child?s life and the realities faced by the children orphaned by AIDS for whom he created Nyaka). He told Matrida that?s why getting an education at Nyaka was so important, and that the first time he ever came to North America, he arrived in New York City by himself, and was only able to find his way around because he could read English.
Day One in Saskatoon was filled with smiles, laughter and hugs ? and a few tears too. It wasn?t long after landing that we were leaving the secure area of the airport and were welcomed with almost twenty pairs of open arms by Grandmothers 4 Grandmothers Saskatoon. They carried a large Grandmothers 4 Grandmothers banner and greeted us warmly (with gift bags courtesy of Saskatchewan Tourism!) We spent almost 20 minutes in the airport, visiting and taking photos before Freda, Matrida and Jackson went to the home of Julia Davies ? a lovely and dedicated member of Grandmothers 4 Grandmothers who opened her heart and home ? to rest a little before their first scheduled media interview (there were six in all!) and the ?Western themed dinner? planned for that evening.
The Western themed dinner also included a line dancing demonstration! The meal served ? like all meals during our visit ? was homemade and consisted of a buffet of rice, beans, fruit, bread and different kinds of chicken. At the end of the night when Freda and Matrida said thank you to their hosts, Freda said ?it is the best food I have had since coming to Canada?. Food was served at nearly every gathering and event held in Saskatoon and Matrida commented on more than one occasion that we ?never stop eating? in Canada. The theme of hunger and the lack of adequate food to feed the family was repeated often during the visit of the African grandmothers to Canada. As we were getting ready to depart for the evening, one of the Canadian grandmothers asked if Freda and Matrida would like to share some traditional dancing from Uganda, and Matrida, who had looked totally exhausted, immediately jumped up and began to dance! It didn?t take long for Freda to join in, and they soon had some of the Canadian grandmothers ? and me! ? up and dancing too. It was an energizing end to a lovely evening.
The next day we headed to Waneskewin - a reserve and heritage park just outside of Saskatoon which was a traditional gathering place for Cree people to hunt buffalo and spend the winter. We watched a jingle dancer in full regalia and then Freda and I, with some of the Canadian grannies, participated in a round dance! There is a small museum at Waneskewin and Freda and Matrida exclaimed often at the similarities between their culture and traditional Cree culture. Freda and I paused to read a quote together: ?When the old people will take the time to remember, the young people will take the time to listen.? The similarities between the experiences of many First Nations/Metis people in Canada and the experiences of grandmothers across sub-Saharan Africa were poignant and meaningful throughout our visit to Saskatoon: communities/women living in poverty, disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS, experiencing alienation and ostracization, and having to step in and raise grandchildren in their old age.
Our third day in Saskatoon began with a tour of AIDS Saskatoon in the morning, including the planting and dedication of a cedar tree with Jackson, Matrida and Freda. Freda and Matrida were told that cedar has particular significance in many First Nations communities and is commonly considered women?s medicine. Freda later said that this was one of her favourite moments. She stood for a few minutes in front of the tree just running her hands over it, as if trying to commit the texture of the leaves to memory. Each of us also took a turn with the shovel, ceremonially putting one ?scoop? over the roots ? except when Matrida took up the shovel she kept shoveling! Gina McKay, a staff member at AIDS Saskatoon said, ?The planting of the cedar tree represented our dedication and commitment to our local, provincial and international grandmothers and as a result of the visit, we have named our garden space the "Grandmothers 4 Grandmothers Community Garden. Our entire neighbourhood and community will enjoy the Cedar's beauty and it will always be a reminder of the struggles and commitment Grandmothers face while raising their grandchildren. Just as a cedar tree grows ? strong and determined ? our grandmothers help us grow strong and determined to address local and international issues and concerns specific to HIV/AIDS."
Standing in the airport on the last day of our visit, saying our goodbyes and sharing memories, there was a palpable sense that our reflections marked a renewed commitment, rather than an ending. At Waneskewin, the grandmothers were told that in traditional Cree, there is no word that means ?goodbye?, rather words that mean ?I?ll see you later?, or ?goodbye for now? because we never really know if we?ll see someone again or not. Freda, Matrida and Jackson were so thankful for the hospitality and incredible support of grandmothers in Saskatoon ? and across Canada.
TAPWAK (The Association of People With AIDS in Kenya) Grannies in Calgary
By Leah Teklemariam, SLF Programme Officer

It was an inspiring four days spent in Calgary with the three representatives of The Association of People With AIDS in Kenya (TAPWAK); grandmothers Zubeda Jaffer and Florence Apondu, and project coordinator Rowlands Lenya. Mary Anna Beer, the SLF Special Advisor for the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign, also traveled with us.
While Zubeda, Florence, and Rowlands knew from the outset that they would be traveling to Calgary, the reality of the situation did not quite sink in until we were on the plane. ?How far away is Calgary?? Zubeda asked ?It?s 3000 kms. It?ll take about 4 hours by plane? I said. ?Wow! I think Canada is too much big! You could go across Africa in that time!? Calgary welcomed TAPWAK with classic Alberta blue skies and true western hospitality. Led by two members of the Purses for Africa group, Ellen Monahan and Cathy Fulton, we were greeted by a group of beaming, welcoming grandmothers. Judy Jackson and her film crew were there to record the Kenyans? time in Alberta. Cameras were snapping, grannies were hugging, and videos were rolling. It was a warm welcome and would truly set the stage for trip based on personal connections.
We were generously hosted at Ellen Monaghan?s ranch. I looked out at the expansive vistas and views of the Rocky Mountains. The dinner conversation flowed easily and the Calgarians were very democratic in their rotation of seats at the table so as to ensure that everyone got a chance to interact with the Kenyan guests. One of the Canadian grandmothers asked about how to explain to young children about HIV. Rowlands was eager to engage, and suggested starting off by talking about how HIV is transmitted through open cuts and to be careful of sharp objects such as razors or needles and then incorporating sexual transmission when they are old enough to understand. It?s easy to imagine that in Canada one might have to explain what HIV is and what it can do to people ? sadly, so many youngsters in sub-Saharan are all-too familiar with the ravages of HIV and AIDS.
After dinner, Ellen took the Kenyans to the stable to look at the horses. They were each given white Stetson hats to wear and Rowlands was eager to try his hand as a cowboy and ride a horse with the assistance of Ellen?s daughter Leith. Zubeda and Florence politely declined! When we got back inside, Rowlands was busy calculating the time difference between Calgary and Kenya because he was so excited to tell his grandson that he had just ridden a horse!
It was a cold and rainy Mother?s Day morning when Florence and Mary Anna went to Woodcliff United Church to assist with the children?s service. Zubeda, Rowlands and I went to St. Stephen?s to attend the service. Following this, a group of about 40 reconvened at Woodcliff for a luncheon. Again, the warmth of those in attendance was overwhelming and Zubeda, Florence, and Rowlands made many meaningful connections with everyone ? from journalists to young people.
Following the luncheon was a screening of the orphans? film and a question and answer period. Zubeda, Florence, Rowlands and I each had some time to speak. I gave some context to the event from the Foundation?s perspective and the Kenyans gave their powerful testimonies. The crowd was visibly moved by the commentaries of Zubeda and Florence. It may have been different audiences who heard the Kenyans speak throughout the weekend, but the tie that bound them all together was the audible gasp that always resulted when they first heard that Zubeda cared for 20 orphans in her home and fed 40 more on a daily basis? or that Florence was the principal of a school with almost 500 students (one third of her pupils are AIDS orphans) and 8 teachers.
After the screening there was an opportunity to mingle in the foyer of the church where tables were set up with the purses made by the Calgary women and cards handmade by a group of young people at Sir Winston Churchill High School who got a grant from the Calgary Youth Foundation. The proceeds from both of these creative initiatives went to support the grandmothers and orphans in Africa through the Stephen Lewis Foundation. It was inspiring for me to connect with the Canadian supporters of the Foundation. Their questions were thoughtful and, even if they did not quite know how, their desire to help was fierce.
The next activity on our agenda was a trip to Siksika Nation and the Sequoia Outreach School about an hour outside of Calgary. For me, this was a highlight of a trip filled with highlights. The programme included a mix of traditional and modern singing, dancing, and drumming. One young man wrote and performed a beautiful original song about grandmothers. Florence was so moved that she stood up and asked for the lyrics and music that accompanied the song. The young man beamed and happily obliged and the typed words and chords were given to Florence after the programme was finished.
The level of engagement of between the young people and the grannies was incredible to witness. Lisa Jo, who was the driving force behind the event, spoke of how she was so moved by hearing about the challenges faced by African grandmothers and the Purses for Africa project initiated by the Calgary women, that she was motivated to do something. She rallied her classmates to start making purses. It is difficult to describe what it was like to see those young people, the majority of them parents themselves - with their own stories of hardship - show such empathy for the plight of others. They gave of their time, their effort, and their possessions to recognize these grannies from half a world away. Florence observed that the programme with the traditional songs and dancing was similar to the presentations that they would have held back in Kenya if they hosted visitors. It was truly a lesson that even in the most unexpected places, there is more that binds us together than pulls us apart.
It was magnificent to see truly grassroots to grassroots connections. There were no flashy events; rather, there were potlucks in school gyms, local church services, and sliced fruit in small conference rooms. As ambassadors of the many grandmothers and orphans struggling to cope in the face of HIV/AIDS in Africa, Zubeda, Florence, and Rowlands were strong and passionate advocates ? willing to share their stories and feel safe in the knowledge that people would listen and care.
The African and the Canadian in me had irrefutable reasons to be proud ? at once amazed by the perseverance and determination of the Kenyans and impressed by the creativity and wholeheartedness of the Calgarian response. I think Rowlands summed it up the best when he said ?this is a trip that I will remember for the rest of my life?.
PDI (Participatory Development Initiatives) Grannies in Halifax
By Alexis MacDonald, SLF Director of Programmes
Saturday, May 12th, 2007
Joyce, Irene, and I left the hotel in downtown Toronto for the airport at 9am. On the flight to Halifax, Irene nervously held my hand during the take-off. Joyce shooed my hand away with a firm smile, insisting that Irene must become strong and used to flying. Joyce is a self-acclaimed flying pro. She flew to the Grandmothers? Gathering in August and had flown once before, when she was young, from Nairobi to Mombasa. Irene, on the other hand, had never flown before her flight from Nairobi to Toronto only a few days ago. I wouldn?t be surprised to learn that Joyce wasn?t scared the first time she flew and that Irene would be scared on take-off and landings for the rest of her life.
When we arrived in Halifax two hours later, we were greeted by Jane Earle, one of the grannies who had attended the Grandmothers? Gathering in August (along with three other Nova Scotian grannies). Jane had started a grandmothers? group in her home community, outside Halifax, in St. Margaret?s Bay. Jane was ecstatic to reunite with Joyce, whom she met at the Gathering, and to meet Irene for the first time.
While we were waiting for our bags to arrive, Joyce noticed weird glass balls filled with coloured candy up against the wall. In her sixty-five year old voice that still holds child-like wonder, she exclaimed, ?What are those?!? Jane proceeded to give Joyce a quarter and explained how to lie the quarter flat in the slot and then turn the metal knob all the way around, and then some. Joyce was so excited to hold her hand under the mouth of the machine and release into it half a dozen jelly beans! Irene tried it as well, choosing chocolate covered peanuts. They are small details, but there were moments of simple delight and newness throughout the weekend.
We drove for 45 minutes from the airport to St. Margaret?s Bay. Irene laughed as she went to get in the car. She was inclined to sit in the driver?s seat because Kenyans and Canadians drive on opposite sides of the road. Joyce and Irene found it surprisingly colder in Nova Scotia compared to the city heat of Toronto, so their red fleecy donated jackets from Mark?s Work Wearhouse were much appreciated. Joyce wore her XS jacket to almost every event. From the back seat, Joyce asked Jane many questions about the natural landscape as we drove along, to which Jane could easily answer given her deep knowledge of the area.
We arrived at a community ?tea party?, a traditional event in rural Nova Scotia, organized by the St. Margaret?s Bay grandmothers? group. The grandmothers had no sooner stepped out of the car, when they were asked for interviews by the Chronicle Herald and the Daily News, the two Halifax-based regional papers for the Maritimes. Both articles appeared in the newspapers the next day, on Mothers? Day, including a photo of Joyce on the front page of the Chronicle Herald, the most well read paper in all of Eastern Canada.
Joyce and Irene were overwhelmed with joy to find over 200 people, (almost exclusively women!) crammed into the local St. Andrew?s Anglican Church hall. There were balloons, streamers, Ghanaian drumming and singing, and booths of home-made goods and plants being sold with proceeds going to the Foundation?s Grandmothers Campaign. The grandmothers groups had mounted pictures of their own grandchildren on the wall and they were also selling black t-shirts with a beautiful South African embroidered picture of a granny with two of her grandchildren. The grannies from the St. Margaret?s Bay group must have spent days and nights baking the delicious sweets and sandwiches that covered every single table. They really out did themselves!!
One of the highlights of the tea party was the Halifax Raging Grannies choir. They are an infamous group of 50 to 90 year-old grannies who are veteran activists that sing at every social justice event in the area. With Joyce and Irene sitting at the front of the room as the guests of honour, the Raging Grannies came out singing the song by the Busy Bees, a grandmothers? group in Zambia, featured in the Foundation?s film, Grandmothers: The Unsung Heroes of Africa. The significance wasn?t lost on Joyce, who knew the song well from singing it at the Gathering, and her eyes (and mine) filled with tears as soon as she heard it.
Equally meaningful, one of the raging grannies, Molly Austen, wrote a special song for the occasion and they sang it to Joyce and Irene. Of their own volition, Joyce and Irene spoke to the attentive audience. Irene spoke first, to thank the grannies for the special afternoon. She told them how shocked she was to realize that it was all for them. ?When Jane told us we were coming to a tea party, we didn?t expect this. She never told us!? Irene said that she and Joyce were touched and on behalf of all the grannies in Africa, she thanked them for caring. She wanted to let them know that the SLF funds really reach the people it intends to reach. Joyce then spoke in detail about her own life and about the work of PDI and how both she and Irene were benefiting from their small loans programme ? a revolving fund ? through support from the Foundation and the Canadians donors who make it possible.
When Joyce sat down, Irene spontaneously stood up again, much to the delight of the audience, and told the crowd, ?Oh, I forgot to tell you I?m a grandmother.? After much laughter, Irene explained that she looks much younger than Joyce because Joyce is sixty-five years old and she is only fifty-two years old. She was here in Canada representing the ?younger grannies?.
For the rest of the afternoon, Joyce and Irene moved around the room like seasoned politicians, greeting everyone they met. They didn?t get to move very far from their seats because people clamored around them at all times, eager to meet them, to give them a hug, or to just tell them how much it meant for them to be there in person.
That Saturday evening, Jane and Gordon Earle welcomed a group of African-Nova Scotian community leaders from Hammond Plains into their home for an intimate evening. We had blueberry pie (Joyce and Irene?s first time!) and watched the Orphans film together. This was a moving and eye-opening experience for these Hammond Plains grandmothers as they found it hard to imagine what was happening to their sisters in Africa ? they were inspired beyond belief by Joyce and Irene. We went to bed that night with a full stomach and heart.
Sunday, May 13th, 2007 ? MOTHERS? DAY
On Sunday ? Mother?s Day ? we went to the First Baptist church in Halifax. Joyce and Irene shook hands with every single member who filed into the church. The Associate Pastor, Rev. Timothy McFarland, dedicated the entire church service to grandmothers. It was a youth service, so three local children stood up and read their own personal stories about the importance of their grandmothers in their lives, which were very sweet and touching. Both Joyce and Irene spoke from the pulpit about their experiences ? you would have thought they both had years of doing these sermons. They were fantastic! The other grannies in Toronto teasingly referred to Irene as ?their Pastor? because she is so religious, so you can imagine how much of an honour it was for Irene to speak in a church. This church has already begun to mount a huge fundraising campaign for the SLF?s Grandmothers? Campaign. CBC Radio attended the service and interviewed both grannies. The following morning, Irene was shocked to hear herself on the radio, and was radiant with pride and as she put it, with a ?new sense of self-esteem and purpose?.
That Sunday afternoon, we went to the lounge in MP Alexa McDonough?s apartment building for a potluck. ATV (CTV in the Atlantic Canada) followed the grannies from the church to the potluck, and it aired that evening on the 6 o?clock news. Over thirty women were invited to this event, primarily those who had started grandmothers? groups in the Halifax area or those who were starting a group.
Joyce gave one of her best speeches yet ? it focused on the women?s movement and how the grandmothers? campaign is an extension of this. It was jarring to hear her say in her soft voice, ?What about when Joyce goes to sleep, and doesn?t wake up? What will happen to my grandchildren?? Joyce is a grandmother of five adopted grandchildren who were left in her care after her dear friend died of AIDS. After nursing her friend to the end, Joyce took on the role of caring for the woman?s young children who are the same age as Joyce?s own grandchildren.
It is hard to imagine anything stopping this woman. She is a diminutive dynamo. Joyce?s small stature makes you want to hug her endlessly, but she is fiery and independent. She is fond of telling people that ?precious gifts come in small packages.? Irene also made everyone cry at this event. She was astonished to realize that she was visiting the home of a Member of Parliament. She said, ?I can?t believe the way that you are treating us here, given our status back in Kenya. We are just grandmothers back in Kenya, with barely any income, but here we are being treated like dignitaries. We can?t believe that you really want to hear what we have to say, that you respect us so much.?
Alexa McDonough?s speech reflected this profound admiration and respect for the work of African grandmothers. She admitted that she wasn?t quite sure what to expect when she went to the Grandmothers? Gathering in August, but it blew her away. It was an emotional lunch.
With the help of Frances and Bonnie, two Darmouth grannies, we rushed from that event to the Cherry Brook Baptist church, in one of the oldest black communities in Nova Scotia. They were having an afternoon service for Mothers? Day and they were honouring grandmothers in that community who had been raising their own grandchildren. This service was exceptionally beautiful with its gospel music and warm reception. Each grandmother attending the service received a red rose. Joyce and Irene spoke again from the pulpit with many welcoming shouts of ?Amen? from the congregation. Joyce again spoke like a pro ? thanking the community members by name. They donated the collection (taken twice!) to the Foundation, which came to over $700. This was a very, very generous contribution.
That evening, I was able to spend Mother?s Day with my brother and mother while Joyce and Irene spent it with Jane?s grandchildren.
Monday, May 14th, 2007
On Monday morning, Joyce and Irene went to St. Patrick?s High School in downtown Halifax. The grannies were proud to stand in front of the massive sign on the school property, which is on one of the busiest streets in Halifax, which read: ?St. Pat?s welcomes Grannies Irene and Joyce from Kenya.? When they arrived at the school, the choir welcomed them. They proceeded to the school auditorium which was at capacity with almost 500 high school students to watch the Orphans film.
The choir sang another song ?The Storm Will Pass By.? Joyce and Irene delighted the students when they got up to dance with the choir. The teacher who had arranged the entire event at the school (and the church service the morning before), Mrs. Kathy Reid, also made a PowerPoint presentation to show the students. The students then watched the documentary in complete silence ? it clearly captured their attention like nothing before. The grannies spoke afterwards, for which they received a standing ovation!
After the interviews we had an intimate gathering of students for a question and answer period. One of the students broke down sobbing because she was so upset by the injustice these children are enduring. We learned later that this particular young woman is quite a tough character in school, and significance of her empathy and expression of emotion was not lost on her schoolfellows. The school is very interested in starting a campaign for the African grandmothers, to incorporate it into their new international issues programmes.
ATV showed up with two television crews, one for LIVE AT FIVE and another for Breakfast Television, as did CBC Television and CBC Radio Canada. They even watched the entire film and then interviewed all three of us. There was a short clip on both CBC and ATV that night. The Weekly Daily News also published an article in their weekly paper.
On Monday afternoon we were very tired, but we spent some time looking at the Waterfront. Joyce and Irene tried Beaver Tails and the young girls making them let us go in the shop and watch how they were made. We went up Halifax Citadel to get a view of the city. Joyce was fascinated by the non-responsive and non-expressive British royal foot guard. She exclaimed to us, ?He was real. I saw him blink!?
We drove out to Peggy?s Cove, the spectacular natural wonder of Nova Scotia. The grannies were awed by the rugged beauty, particularly Joyce. It was so windy that Joyce had to wear Jane?s husband?s mother?s old fur coat. It wasn?t politically correct, but perfectly warm for the occasion! Jane was worried about the grannies slipping on the rocks, but that only spurred Joyce on to make her way down as far as she could.
That evening, we were giddy from exhaustion. We had a lovely last meal with our hosts Jane and Gordon. They gave Joyce and Irene copies of photos from the past few days and souvenirs.
PERSONAL ANECDOTES
Irene
Irene started crying in the Halifax airport, as we waited to board the flight, because she was overwhelmed with gratitude for this experience. She had been so proud to tell people in her community (especially those who mocked her) that she was going to Toronto. When it looked like she couldn?t get a Canadian visa, Sarah (the PDI Coordinator) told her that they might have to choose someone else. Irene had been devastated. It meant so much to her that the Foundation worked hard to make sure the visa came through. Irene was also crying from the memory of the painful gossip and stigma that she faces at home by her neighbours. She went through a really difficult time not too long ago, when she couldn?t find even one shilling to feed the children in her care. She had lost so much weight that everyone thought that she had AIDS. She said she felt entirely rejuvenated from this Canada trip and that she?d be an even stronger person when she went back to Kenya. I couldn?t agree more. It seemed to be a transformative experience for her. I know it was for me.
GAPA (Grandmothers Against Poverty and AIDS) Grannies in Ottawa
By Aissatou Diajhate, SLF Senior Programme Officer
On Saturday May 12th, I left for Ottawa with the GAPA grannies: Alicia Mdaka, Constance Sohena and Rita Hoza
The flight to Ottawa was smooth, and we arrived 25 minutes earlier than scheduled ? nevertheless, we found the Ottawa grannies? ?welcome committee? waiting for us. As we walked to the airport lobby, we heard one passenger in front of us say: ?Oh my God, look at these grannies!? Before us all ? a large group of grannies in their various granny group t-Shirts waiting for GAPA with beautiful bouquets of flowers. Their excitement was palpable, and the GAPA grannies even more so! They laughed, hugged, kissed! The Ottawa grannies were very organized with a thoughtful agenda covering each of the activities planned for this two-day visit.
Key Moments
Church service on Sunday morning with Riverside grannies:Granny Rita and I were asked to speak during the service. Granny Rita spoke very eloquently about GAPA?s work, her role at GAPA and the situation of the many orphaned children in Africa. The church members were very touched; they gave her a standing ovation. The minister said granny Rita will ?go down in history as the woman who received a standing ovation during service. I?ve been speaking for ever and had all kind of visitors but we never had a standing ovation!?
This was followed by a clip of the Grandmothers film ? Matilda?s story. It was such a beautiful and emotional moment. Because it was Mother?s Day, the theme of the service was mothers and grandmothers, their heroic acts and enduring love and hope for their families and communities! The Riverside Grannies put into motion a marvelous idea: they asked everyone coming to church that Sunday to donate a loonie for each grandchild they have/had or knew or cared about and a toonie for each great-grandchild they have /had, knew or cared about. It was such a lovely gesture. I later heard that between the three churches, they raised quite a lot of funds, all to be sent to grandmothers in Africa through SLF.While Rita and I were at Riverside Church, grannies Alicia and Constance were at the First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa Church with Sue Bryant and May Chazan This service started with the church choir greeting the grannies outside with ?Siya hamba/ We are marching in the light of God?. During the service, Jane Lindsey from the First Unitarian grandmothers group gave a very touching talk about AIDS orphans and the roles grandmothers are playing. Her message brought many in the congregation to tears. The reverend warmly welcomed the grannies in his sermon, which raised equally strong emotions. At the end of the service, the Reverend asked the choir to sing ?We Shall Overcome? in honor of the grannies? struggle. Members of the congregation spontaneously joined hands across the pews as they sang, with Alicia and Constance in the centre.
Northwestern grannies? concert at the First Unitarian Church: This was a beautiful event organized by the grannies with various young Ottawa musicians who volunteered their time to honor the GAPA grannies with a beautiful Mother?s Day celebration. It was very moving for grannies Rita, Constance and Alicia to see that ?young high school students in Ottawa know and care about our struggle, and wanted to honor us through music?. The emotions were even more intense when the church choir dedicated a song titled ?How Could Anyone Tell You? by Libby Roderick, to the grannies:
How could anyone ever tell you
You were anything less than beautiful
How could anyone ever tell you
You were less than whole
How could anyone fail to notice
That your loving is a miracle
How deeply you're connected to my soul
Overall FeelingCanadians and Africans alike were so generous with one another and enthusiastically engaged throughout this weekend of sharing, caring and learning from one another. The African grannies were amazed and gratified to discover that they had similar fundraising strategies to the Ottawa grannies: gardening, arts and crafts, knitting and sewing. Canadian grannies were eager to gain in-depth knowledge of the African grandmothers? challenges in raising their grandchildren. Unsurprisingly, many of the grandmothers? challenges were similar to those of many parents in today?s world ? but then deeply complicated by the ravages of the pandemic and extreme poverty. The grannies shared their conviction that they must remain strong and boost their grandchildren?s self- esteem and confidence in order to help them deal with stigma and rejection. Granny Constance said that ?despite the hard work and the frustration that comes with raising teenage orphans, [we] must not give up, because we must make sure that the children have a better future?.
The GAPA grannies were deeply touched and honoured to find out that they were not alone in their struggle. They arrived here to find over 150 Canadian grandmothers? groups working hard to raise awareness and funds to support the efforts of many more grandmothers groups in Africa, doing similar work to GAPA.

Theresa Randles' website

2007-06-15T06:28:00.001-07:00

http://www.art-in-canada.com/theresarandles/

Granny Bulletin

2007-06-14T13:05:00.000-07:00

Granny Bulletin
May 24, 2007
The Granny Bulletin is a bi-weekly update on the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign, intended to keep grandmother's groups across Canada informed about, and connected to, the grandmothers and grassroots projects in Africa, that are supported through their dedicated fundraising and awareness-raising efforts.
Inside this Bulletin:

1. Introduction
2. Tax Receipting Clarification
3. National Fundraising Initiatives
4. Project Highlights: COTLANDS Grandmothers? Project, South Africa

Introduction
Good afternoon!
This edition of the Granny Bulletin is packed with interesting information on national fundraising initiatives and a moving update from the Granny Project at Cotlands Baby Sanctuary in South Africa.
We are departing from our usual tradition of sending a text-only Granny Bulletin, and including an attachment with this bulletin because we were fortunate enough to receive a wonderfully touching update from Cotlands which includes pictures and letters from grandmothers benefiting from funds sent through the SLF as a result of your dedication and hard work. As you are no doubt aware, the majority of the African grandmothers supported through the SLF cannot read or write in English ?
which is why we thought this particular update from Cotlands was so special. Also, since the grandmothers rarely have the time to write, even when they are able, Cotlands felt especially grateful for this direct testimonial.
The Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign has now grown to include more than 150 groups across Canada! The media attention and events you hold raise valuable funds for grandmothers in Africa, but also inspire other Canadians to speak out and make a difference as well. Of course, among those inspired Canadians are all of the staff and volunteers at the Stephen Lewis Foundation. We remain in awe of your initiative and commitment to honouring the lives of African grandmothers and the orphans in their care, and we are deeply grateful for your perseverance and support.
A special Granny Bulletin will follow this one in only a few days, with stories and pictures from the recent visit of grandmothers from Kenya, South Africa and Uganda to Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax, Saskatoon, and Calgary!
Warmest wishes,
Julie and Ilana

Tax Receipting Clarification
You?re all doing such an incredible and inspiring job raising funds for African grandmothers, and we are especially appreciative of your outstanding efforts to help us to stay within the guidelines and regulations for tax receipting. We wanted to follow-up on the issue of tickets and tax receipts ? as we have received a number of questions on this topic. We hope the following provides some further clarification!
If you would like to sell tickets for your event:
· Set the ticket price at the amount which you will need to cover costs. Payment for tickets is then made out to you as the organizer. None of this can be receipted.
· You may suggest/encourage/invite attendees to make a donation in addition to and separate from the ticket price. This suggested donation should be made payable to the Stephen Lewis Foundation directly and is tax receiptable.
We cannot issue tax receipts where a donation has been made as a condition of attending an event. In order to issue a tax receipt, donations must be entirely voluntary and donors must not receive a product or service (i.e. speeches, entertainment, dinners, etc. ? any kind of "advantage") in return for a donation.
We also cannot issue tax receipts for a portion of the amount paid for a ticket. If we were to try and do this, the Foundation would have a legal obligation to obtain original invoices for all catering and other expenses and to obtain valuations for any "giveaways" occurring at an event from which organizers would like to obtain tax receipts for a portion of ticket sales. As you can imagine, all this involves a tremendous amount of work and our current staffing compliment makes it impossible for us to issue tax receipts for proceeds from ticket sales.

National Fundraising Initiatives
There are so many incredible local events and initiatives underway and we will feature some of those in future Granny Bulletins, however we wanted to take this opportunity to share some of the innovative and exciting national projects underway that all grandmothers? groups can support and take part in. We have included descriptions from the grandmothers organizing each initiative ? in their own words - however this is not an exhaustive list, so if you feel we?ve missed an important national grandmothers? campaign fundraising initiative, please let us know at: campaign@stephenlewisfoundation.org.
GREAT CANADIAN QUILT
For two years the CanGo Grannies of Kamloops have dilgently researched and stitched together The Great Canadian Quilt, a wonderful 7' X 6' piece of Canadiana that is red and white and flag-like in design with more than 200 signatures of Canadians who have made important contributions in many facets of life -- from artists to athletes, from journalists to scientists, from entertainment personalities to politicians. Take a look!
www.greatcanadianquilt.com
It is our ultimate goal to find a buyer for The Quilt but first, between May and November 30, we would like to share it with other Canadian Granny groups to promote greater awareness of our collective work benefiting the African grandmothers and orphans through the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign.
If your group (or a coalition of groups in your area) is interested in hosting The Quilt, we would like to hear from you. A 'quilt hosting event' could help promote the work you do as well as draw customers to your products and invite donations to the Foundation. We would need you to identify a location such as a gallery, museum or university to which the
quilt may be shipped and where the staff have the expertise to install and protect the security of this valuable property.
We can help you identify Quilt signers from your area who might help promote your event. We could also provide you with a sample press release, protocols and suggestions to assist you in staging a successful event. The TV, radio and print media in our area have given us considerable time and ink and we think they will do the same in yours. The news media from
Newfoundland to British Columbia are already asking us for more stories.
We hope the buyer will purchase The Quilt (insured for $100,000) for a substantial sum and donate it to a museum or similar venue where many Canadians and visitors will enjoy it for years to come. Regardless of purchase negotiations, The Quilt will complete its itinerary.
The tour will end on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2007. Although we may not be able to accommodate all requests to host The Quilt, we hope it will travel from sea to sea to sea and that some groups will collaborate to make this happen. At this point, Granny groups in the Ottawa area are collaborating to host The Quilt at the National Arts Centre on Canada Day.
Please consult your group and let us know if and when The Quilt might work for you. We hope to hear from you before the end of May and we will keep interested groups posted on the quilt's proposed itinerary.
Elyse DeBelser, at elyse@debelser.com
Quilt Marketing Chair, CanGo Grannies, Kamloops

EMBELLISHED QUILT
Quilts are being built all over Canada, and now in the United Kingdom. We are having inquiries from other countries as well! All quilts will be displayed then sold by auction in 2008, in regions across Canada and in countries of origin, to further the Grandmothers To Grandmothers goals : to raise awareness about and funds to feed, house, school, give healthier happier lives to orphans of HIV/AIDS in Sub-Sahara Africa.

Women, men, children of all ages are contributing materials, stitches, funds, time to make the quilts. Some people are making small patches, not squares. They may do some stitches on a patch, or on a square. They may make one square. They may make many squares. Some will make a whole quilt. They are people like you and like me who see this as a worthy, do-able project we want to participate in out of love. We can pass this information on to others, and by all means ask them to continue passing it on. Soon there will be many people, in many places, making bits and pieces for the quilts. This is a pass-it-on project. Remember, a quilt may be that : a quilt. No embellishment. A lovely quilt, plain and simple. Or it may be embellished with special threads, beads, sequins. However, plain or with add-ons, the funds from each quilt will go to embellish and add to the lives of the children and grandmothers who care for them. What a wonderful thing we can do for these worthy people we may never meet. For more information visit: www.gogofriends.org or contact:

Dr. Diana L. Mitchell, Coordinator Go Go Friends Embellished Quilt Project
embellishedquilts@gogofriends.org
John Gardner, UK Coordinator Go Go Friends Embellished Quilt Project
johngardner93@gogofriends.org

MORE THAN AN AFRICAN COOKBOOK
In every culture grandmothers and their grandchildren share a unique bond often nurtured by the warmth and comfort of food. Our favourite recipes carry with them the traditions and memories of our heritage, our families and our intimate personal moments. For the African grandmothers food is also a focus, though a much, much more urgent one - will they have the money to buy enough to quell their grandchildren's hunger today?
We plan to create a collection of recipes, stories and pictures that celebrate and support the grandmothers of Sub-Saharan Africa who are raising their HIV/AIDS affected grandchildren. More-than-an-African-Cookbook (working title only), we believe this will be a small window into the lives of the African grandmothers to whom we are reaching out. We will weave the recipes into stories, photos, sketches, and information in order to help others understand more about these quiet heroines.
The primary goal of this national initiative is to raise awareness and money for the Stephen Lewis Foundation's Grandmothers Campaign, in support of its community-based initiatives addressing the HIV/AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa.
Other objectives of this initiative are to:
Bring together a community of caring grandmothers (Canadian and African) through the creation and distribution of the cookbook;Increase awareness of the plight and incredible courage of African grandmothers;Share stories and photos of intimate moments of both African and Canadian grandmothers;Build on the solidarity already initiated in The Grandmothers to Grandmothers Gathering of 2006Create a memorable document aimed at bringing wisdom to all of us
A national More-than-an-African-Cookbook Steering has been formed to coordinate this project from inception to publication. This advisory team is collaboratively working together, soliciting support and sponsorship and consulting others where necessary in order to achieve the project objectives. An extended network of Grandmother Groups, friends and contacts across Canada and in Africa are supporting this project through the submission of recipes, stories, anecdotes, photos, artwork and/or information as well as the testing of recipes.
For more information, or if you would like to make a donation or submission please contact Liz Rose at erose34@rogers.com
LINKS OF LOVE
The Links of Love concept has caught the attention of many groups that are involved with Grandmothers to Grandmothers, a campaign to raise awareness and mobilize support in Canada for Africa?s grandmothers. With an estimated 13 million orphans, projected to reach 18-20 million by the year 2010 these grandmother groups know they must act quickly.
Impoverished communities simply cannot cope without assistance. Raised funds will provide much needed support such as, food, opportunities to earn a living, school fees, counselling and more. Many Grandmothers to Grandmothers groups will be bringing the Links of Love to the attention of their local clubs, churches, schools and business. The idea is to get their
communities involved in building the longest paper chain in the world to symbolize their linked love and support for such a worthy cause. As of March 2007, there were five Grandmothers to Grandmothers groups across Ontario planning to start Links of Love in their communities. The longest paper chain in the world concept has already attracted media
attention; this has offered Grandmothers groups an opportunity to have their concerns and plea for help heard. Ideally, as long as there is a need the Chain of Love will continue to grow, and more Canadians will take action to make the world a little better place.
For more information or to get involved, contact: Evelyn Gould at egould@bellnet.ca

CARRY THE CAUSE TOTE BAGS
Isn?t the Grandmother to Grandmother phenomenon an amazing way to make a difference in the lives of woman and children with HIV/AIDS in Africa!! As a co leader and member of the Mississippi Grannies in Almonte Ontario I am inspired by our members who find creative ways to raise funds for The Stephen Lewis Foundation. I was compelled to do more on a personal level. I turned 60 in October and decided to designate my Canada Pension cheques to fund the production of tote bags. It took five months to bring this endeavour to fruition but indeed, GRANNY GEAR tote bags are now a reality. If you would like to "Carry the Cause" and join me in raising funds for the Stephen Lewis Foundation, you may inquire about my tote bags which sell for $20 at: ladylesley60@hotmail.com .

Project Highlights: COTLANDS Grandmothers? Project, South Africa
The following contains excerpts from Cotlands last quarterly report to the SLF, including pictures and letters.
Report
We bought groceries for 60 families and we still have some money left. We shall do a second round of grocery distribution again. We chose a large retail store because we realised that it was more reasonable with prices so we managed to save. In relation to stationery we received a good donation at the beginning of the year so we managed to supply more than 60 children as we care for more than one child in some of the families. We have not yet finished buying uniforms, it is not easy because schools have different uniforms that are sold by different stores and the children are many. It is going to take a long time before we complete this process.
The grannies were very happy with the goods they received. On behalf of Cotlands I would like to thank you very much for this good gesture. You have made a difference in these children?s lives and their families.
New Proposal
In an effort to help the grannies make some money, we initiated income- generating activities that they could participate in. They make a variety of things e.g. pyjamas, tablemats, jewellery, etc. They meet twice a week at the Cotlands venue which is quite a distance from where they live. They need to catch two taxis to get to the place and we provide them with transport money. This exercise is quite expensive to maintain but we are looking for a place which is centrally situated for them so that they can walk or at least catch one taxi. Our proposal is can we use the remaining funds from the stationery budget for this purpose? Can we also buy one sewing machine as they are short of one? All the used funds will be accounted for in the usual manner.
Financial statement
Item
Actual cost
In Canadian dollars?
Groceries
R23 868.60
$3,620
School uniforms
R14 249.52
$2,161
Stationary
R2 888.74
$438

Minutes from June Meeting

2007-06-14T07:27:00.001-07:00

GRANDMOTHERS OF STEEL MEETING
Tuesday, June 12, 2007, 7:00 pm
192 Sherwood Rise, Hamilton
Members present- Rose Janson, Jessie Kaye, Mary Beech, Kay O'Sullivan, Maggie Thomas, Leslie Wiens, Shelley Porteous, Lisbie Rae, Eileen Benson, Georgina Hewitt, Anne Philpot,Theresa Randles
The meeting was informal, and we had a potluck dinner.
Anne went through a few things:
-at the meeting in May the topic of a speaker's package had come up. Jan was looking into putting one together during the summer. Theresa has contacted Mary Partridge of the Toronto Regional group to inquire as to whether the SLF had a package on the go. Mary replied that yes Mary Anna Beer of the SLF was making one that would be available soon.
-Anne said she saw the Great Canadian Quilt in Nova Scotia. It is filled with signatures of well-known Canadians. It was not the quilt that Georgina had mentioned at the May meeting. Anne did not feel it would draw large sums as a fundraiser.
-Blooms for Africa have 2 events coming up: the Garden Tour late in July, and a celebration of the 25th anniversary of Today's Family Early Learning and Child Care. Anne Craig is going to meet with Theresa re. the sale of cards and prints at these events.
-coloured prints and cards of the Masai mother and children are now printed. The cards will sell individually for $5.00, and the prints will sell for $50.00. A new set of cards with the 6 new drawings is in the making. These packages will contain 12 cards and sell for $20.00. Theresa found a printing company that will print the cards for $290.00. Anne will look into finding the best price for envelopes.
-Kay went through our accounts. A cheque for $2,930.00 went to the SLF, and there is a balance of $2,113.18 in the account. This means that we have raised over $10,000.00! Kay also brought record books so that money transactions can be handled more efficiently. She will meet with Anne and Theresa to get the new system started.
-venues for meetings was discussed. Maureen Godden has confirmed that the Church of the Resurrection on the West Hamilton mountain will be available on Thursdays. Jessie said that St Paul's Anglican in Westdale has rooms available on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. The venue for September's meeting will be chosen later. The next meeting will be later on in September.
-Shelley sold raffle tickets for the quilt and the draw was made- Jessie won the quilt.
-Theresa is planning a musical evening fundraiser at her school in November.
-Lisbie showed the group a CD of Canadian roots music produced by a Toronto group as a fundraiser they call the tia anita project. The CD sells for $20.00. All group members ordered one from Lisbie. Any other members interested in ordering one can contact Lisbie.
-Lisbie mentioned the tote bags produced by the Mississippi Grannies of Almonte, Ontario. She will bring one to the September meeting.
-Lisbie also announced that the Village Theatre in Waterdown is putting on The Hobbit in September, and taht the preview night (Sept. 20?) will be a Grandmothers of Steel fundraiser. Members will be encouraged to bring their grandchildren out to enjoy this production.
-Rotary in Waterdown meets Monday nights and would like a speaker to present information on the Grandmothers to Grandmothers campaign some time in July. Lisbie cannot make it. Anne and Maggie will do it.
-Anne announced that she will be stepping down as Chair-person of the group to be able to work on fundraising at the SLF. She will remain a member of Grandmothers of Steel and chair September's meeting. She recommended co-chairs be selected then.
-meeting adjourned

Elect More Women Conference

2007-05-24T06:54:00.000-07:00

Elect More Women Conference
Saturday, May 26, 2007 at Hamilton City Hall

Elect More Women's very first all-day multi-partisan conference will provide women with the tools to run for office, manage a campaign, and influence the political arena. All women are welcome to participate in this positive and dynamic opportunity to network and learn.

WHAT: Elect More Women ConferenceWHY: Women make up 52% of the Canadian population but only make up 21% per cent of municipal councils, 21% of Provincial Parliaments, 20% of The House of Commons, and 13% of our nation's Mayors. Canada's international ranking on the Inter-Parliamentary Union, "List of Women in National Parliaments," is 48th in the world. Despite enjoying economic prosperity and political stability, Canada now has fewer women in parliament than most of Europe and many less developed countries such as Mauritania, Uganda, Rwanda, Afghanistan and Iraq.

WHEN: Saturday, May 26, 2007TIME: 9:00am to 3:30pm (Registration starts at 8:30am)

WHERE: Hamilton City Hall - 71 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario

ADMISSION: Pay What You Can

CONFERENCE EVENTS: Opening Address from our Keynote Speaker, Q&A Lunch Session with women politicians past and present, Panel Discussions (Being a Woman in The World of Politics and Women, Politics and Media Relations), and Workshops (The ABC's of Government, Making The Decision to Run, Outreach to Diverse Communities, Work and Life Balance, Public Speaking, and Campaign Organizing).

RSVP DATE: Monday, May 14, 2007 if you require childcare at the event.

PRE-REG FORM: http://www.myhamilton.ca/myhamilton/CityandGovernment/HotTopics/ElectMoreWomen.htm

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Donna Dasko is one of Canada's best-known pollsters and analysts of public opinion. She is a frequent commentator in the media on politics and current events. She is Senior Vice President of Environics Research Group Ltd. Donna is a co-founder of Equal Voice. The founding meeting of Equal Voice was held in Donna's house in Toronto in May 2001, when about 50 women met to create the group. Donna is now the chair of the Founder's Chapter of Equal Voice and active in public speaking, fund-raising and other Equal Voice initiatives.

PANELISTS AND FACILITATORS: Hon. Marie Bountrogianni (Minister Responsible for Democratic Renewal and Intergovernmental Affairs, Liberal MPP - Hamilton Mountain), Jessica Brennan (Hamilton School Board Trustee), Chris Charlton (NDP MP - Hamilton Mountain), Susan Clairmont (City Reporter - Hamilton Spectator), Tara Crugnale (Conservative Provincial Candidate), Elizabeth Dubec (Producer - Cable 14), Diane Elms (Hamilton Mayoral Candidate), Shiona Thompson (On-Air Radio Personality and Producer - CHML) Andrea Horwath (NDP MPP - Hamilton East), Anne Jones (Former Regional Chair), Sandra Lemus (Diverse Communities Outreach Program Coordinator - SACHA), Joan Lougheed (Former Burlington City Councilor), Judy Marsales (Liberal MPP - Hamilton West), Jennifer Mossop (Liberal MPP - Hamilton East), Jo Pavlov (Green Provincial and Federal Candidate), Beth Phinney (Former Liberal MP - Hamilton Mountain), Cathy Wellwood (Good Shepherd Centre) Deirdre Pike (Chair - Hamilton's LGBTQ Community Wellness Centre), Ann Sloat (Former Mayor of Ancaster), Madina Wasuge (Executive Director - HCCI)Susan Clairmont (Hamilton Spectator) Laura Babcock (Power Group Communications) and Renée Wetselaar (Executive Director - WAHC).

CONFERENCE SPONSORS: Canadian Labour Congress, City of Hamilton Status of Women Committee, Hamilton-Wentworth Elementary Teachers Union, OSSTF and YWCA Hamilton.

ELECT MORE WOMEN: Elect More Women (EMW) believes that more women must be elected to every level of government in Canada. EMW, established in Spring 2006, is a Hamilton based task force. EMW's mission is to politically empower and educate women. EMW is committed to diversity and welcomes women from all political affiliations. - 30 -

Contacts: Denise Doyle & Kelly Hayes - Co-Chairs, Elect More Women Conference CommitteeE-Mail: electmorewomen@yahoo.caPhone: (905) 928-4686

Minutes from May mtg

2007-05-18T07:06:00.000-07:00

GRANDMOTHERS OF STEEL
MEETING- MAY 16, 2007, 7:00
WILHELM ROOM, STS PETER AND PAUL CHURCH, 50 BRUCEDALE AVE. E., HAMILTON
Members present- Leslie Wiens, Georgina Hewitt, Pamela Petz, Maureen Godden, Jesse Kaye, Bithika Raychaudhuri, Marie Barclay, Jan Lukas, Ruth Pearson, Lynda Clark, Mary Beech, Marion Quirk, Mary Dayman, Kay O'Sullivan, Diane Keesmaat, Ellen Ryan, Theresa Randles
Regrets- Ellen Ryan, Judian Shardlow, Lisbie Rae, Anne Philpot, Shirley Routliffe, Martha Paynter, Barb Benjamin, Eileen Benson, Kathy Clark
Pre-meeting jewellery sale, card distribution, print sale
Updates
-Proceeds from the Half Life fundraiser on April 26- $1,700 in ticket sales, $245 in card sales, $350 in donations
-Jan filled us in on the Oomama fundraiser on May 10. There was $100,000 made, and 1,400 letters were filled to send to Stephen Harper urging Canada to act on the commitment to send anti-retroviral drugs to Africa. Stephen Lewis was wonderful as usual. Our card sales made $520 and Kay was asked to send a cheque for this amount to the SLF with a memo note indicating that this amount was made at the May 10 Oomama event.
-The Mother's Day fundraiser on May 13- $710 in ticket sales, $248 in card/print sales, hall cost was $40
We then had the DVD viewing "The Man Who Couldn't Sleep"
New Business
-in order to get more card sets printed we need to look around for printers that will give us the best deal. Lisbie is looking into one possibility. Ellen suggested that if we acknowledge the printing company on the cards we might get a discount. Also if we offer the company a chance to claim for charitable donation. The possibility of using the charitable donation number of the SLF was raised, and needs to be looked into.
-we need a new venue for meetings. Sts Peter and Paul is no longer going to be made available to us. Lisbie had prevoiusly suggested the Unitarian Church on Dundurn and several members thought this would be a good possibility. Georgina mentioned that Joy Warner could look into this as well. Maureen said she, as secretary of Church of the Resurrection on Garth and Mohawk would look into it as an option. The possibility of using two venues means that long travelling distances will not always be for the same members.
-hosting the Great Canadian Quilt- Georgina explained what this is. The quilt is made up of squares representing several different cultures in Canada and spans three walls. It is being shown across the country and will eventually settle in Ottawa. Should any member want to arrange to host the Quilt for a showing (as a fundraiser), Theresa has the contact information.
-Blooms for Africa- Shelley explained that this event is being planned for July, by a group of women including Carolyn Leman and Gloria Geller of the Unitarian Church and on the G of S contact list. It will involve 12-15 homes with garden tours, crafts to sell, refreshments. The G of S will gladly get information out to the members for this fundraising event.
-speaking engagements- Lisbie will be speaking to the Flamborough Rotary on June 20. Jan mentioned that on Sept. 19, she, Anne and possibly Theresa will have an opportunity to speak to a gathering of Secondary School Student council presidents about fundraising for our cause. Anne will be speaking to the Retired Women Teachers Organization on Oct. 17. Kay asked whether a package had been made up for members who have speaking engagements. Jan offered to work on this over the summer. Theresa will give Jan the presentation format she has, plus HIV/AIDS information from the SLF and statistics. Georgina added that an effective addition to this package would be the significant effects of anti-retroviral drugs.
-the group was informed that Anne was reimbursed for printing costs from money made by print sales. The group was asked for their approval for this to continue should there be more costs. The group agreed.
-Shelley brought in a quilt to raffle. It comes from Mexico, from a women's support group called 'Walking Together', and she has offered to split the proceeds between that group and G of S. The draw will be at the June meeting.
-Maureen offered to look into obtaining a registration number on line for cards that could be used by our members to buy groceries. The number would mean that a % of every purchase would go to fundraising.
-next meeting is Tuesday, June 12 at Theresa's. It is a pot luck. Directions will be sent with the meeting reminder early in June. Members are asked to inform Theresa that they are coming.
-meeting adjourned

Book series- invitation to participate

2007-05-09T09:11:00.000-07:00

Through the McMaster Centre for Gerontological Studies, I am editing a book series "Writing Down Our Years". For a due date of June 30th I am recruiting stories and poems about family caregiving. It would be great to have a story/poem (or multiple stories) about one or more grandmothers raising orphans in Africa to provide an international perspective on caregiving and to honour these heroes of Africa. It could be written by a Canadian grandmother or recruited directly from some of the grandmothers connected to the SLF - perhaps something already on the web reshaped for the anthology. It could also be fiction based on the many stories of the grandmothers.

Grandmothers of Steel member Ellen Ryan

Grandmothers of Steel in the Spectator

2007-05-09T09:07:00.000-07:00

Front page:
http://www.thespec.com/pdfs/20070508/A1.pdf

GO Section Front Page (Theresa's beautiful illustration):
http://www.thespec.com/pdfs/20070508/G1.pdf

Story on Grandmothers of Steel:
http://www.thespec.com/pdfs/20070508/G11.pdf

Film screening in TO

2007-05-09T08:54:00.000-07:00

Friday, May 11, 2007

7:30 pm (doors open at 7:00 pm)

Isabel Bader Theatre

93 Charles St. West, Toronto

Thirteen million children have been orphaned by AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. This Mother's Day, we honour the millions of mothers who have died unnecessarily and the hundreds of thousands of grandmothers who have become mothers again to their orphan grandchildren.
The Stephen Lewis Foundation invites you to attend the premiere of A Generation of Orphans. This half-hour documentary gives voice to six orphans and the grassroots organizations that work valiantly on their behalf; highlighting their hardship, hope and courage as they struggle with the loss of their parents to AIDS.

Following the screening, Stephen Lewis and African grandmothers from SLF-supported projects will discuss the lives of orphans and vulnerable children in Africa.

RSVP required by May 1st to rsvp@stephenlewisfoundation.org. Questions? Call (416)533-9292 ext. 0. Seating for this event is general admission. This event is by invitation only and is not open to the public.

The Isabel Bader Theatre is located next to Museum subway station. Limited parking is available under Rowell Jackman Hall at 85 Charles St. West and surrounding area.

A Generation of Orphans is the second film in a trilogy about the Stephen Lewis Foundation's work to support grandmothers, orphans and women in sub-Saharan Africa

Help improve access to HIV/AIDS medicines

2007-05-09T08:53:00.000-07:00

Three years ago, Canada passed a law to make essential, generic medicines available to countries being ravished by the effect of HIV/AIDS

Since then, close to 6-million more people have died of HIV/AIDS-related causes, more than 8.6-million women, men and children have become infected and not a single pill has left Canada

Find out what you can do to help improve access to HIV/AIDS medicines

Join Global Citizens for Change for a live conversation about how Canada is falling short of our promise to improve access to HIV/AIDS medicines for Southern populations and how Canadians citizens can make a difference to help curb this global crisis.

Date: Wednesday May 23rd
Time: 7:00PM (EDT - be sure to calculate what that means for your time zone)

This will be a coast to coast phone conference, accessible from anywhere in Canada. Anyone is welcome - you can participate from your home.

All you need to do is:
Step one: Email hharding@cciorg.ca and let us know you will be calling
Step two: On May 23rd, call: Toll Free (from anywhere in Canada only) 1-866-322-8798 (Toronto area: 416-640-3407)

Make Change Happen. You can find out more information about the call on our website: https://univmail.cis.mcmaster.ca/Redirect/www.globalcitizensforchange.ca/

Participate in our card fundraising

2007-05-07T06:16:00.000-07:00

Grandmothers groups are invited to purchase a disc from the Grandmothers of Steel with the card designs by Theresa Randles that we have been using to print cards to sell as a fundraiser. Our card sales have been very successful. The disc comes with a set of cards and will be mailed to you. The cost is just $20. 6 Grandmothers groups have bought the package so far so they can make their own cards to sell and raise money for the Grandmothers Campaign.

Cheque presentation

2007-05-07T06:13:00.000-07:00

SSND Waterdown - Anne & Theresa visited the Notre Dame nuns just over a week ago and Julie Coultas (short hair) who is the Grandmothers Campaign one and only staff person, and Ilana Landsberg-Lewis, Exec. Dir. of the Stephen Lewis Foundation received our 2nd cheque for $2500. We spoke to the nuns about the Grandmothers and Theresa sold lots of cards and many prints.

Love and laughter ageless in the nursing home

2007-05-07T06:11:00.000-07:00

From 'FlamboroughReview.com: Article: Love and laughter ageless in the nursing home';

By Catherine O'Hara
News
May 04, 2007
Rediscovering beauty and love, Half Life characters Patrick and Clara have fading memories. As the couple falls in love, both believe they are rekindling an old flame, but are they really, or did they know each other in the past?
Half Life is a humorous and touching play set in a nursing home for veterans. The talented cast for this production enables the audience not only to have a good laugh, but also wonder what is left in life if there are no memories to fall back on.
Directed by George Thomas, Half Life is not a "memory play," he explained, but a play about memory and forgetting.
The acting skills of Maggie Thomas and Ray Jenkins (Clara and Patrick) were in fine tune last Friday for the play's opening at Memorial Hall; their soft and gentle affection for one another resonated through to the audience.
As Clara suffers from Alzheimer's, she seems to recognize Patrick as an old flame from before the war. As their relationship and feelings for one another grow, Patrick advises his daughter Anna of his plans to ask for Clara's hand in marriage.
Clara's son Donald, played by Steve O'Brien, does not think his mother is mentally fit to understand this proposal and objects to the union.
Caregiver Tammy (Tamara Kamermans) shows her kindhearted side to the elderly she cares for in the production, but portrays a dry and abrupt attitude towards others, including Donald and Anna - a source of much of the play's humor.
Written by Hamilton native, award-winning playwright, John Mighton, Half Life is currently in production until May 12.
Members of Village Theatre Waterdown were also pleased to announce their new partnership with the Grandmothers of Steel, the Hamilton Branch of the Grandmothers to Grandmothers campaign of the Stephen Lewis Foundation.
In light of this new collaboration, the cast and crew of the VT production staged an additional benefit performance, last Thursday. The benefit performance raised $2,000 and awareness for grandmothers in Africa who are currently raising their grandchildren orphaned by AIDS. Sales of notecards and prints featuring images by artist Theresa Randles raised an additional $105 for the cause.
Half Life will continue to run on May 3-5 and May 10-12 at 8 p.m. Tickets for these performances are $20 at the door. Advance tickets, $18, are available via email at mail@villagetheatrewaterdown.com, by calling (905) 690-7889, or at the Jitterbug Java Café, 35 Main St.

Cheque presentation

2007-05-03T09:28:00.000-07:00

Anne and theresa presenting our second chq for $2500 to Julie Coultas and Ilana Landsberg-Lewis ( SSND in Waterdown last week)

May Fundraiser

2007-05-03T08:20:00.000-07:00

Please spread the word about the Dessert/Card party to be held on May 22nd, at 1:30 at Port Nelson United Church in the O'Brian Room. The cost is $15.00. To date 8 tables are still available. Get your players ready to play!
Contact Joan Cassidy, 905 681-3326 or Susanne Zinkie, 905-331-7154.

Template for letters to MPs re access to HIV drugs

2007-05-02T06:20:00.000-07:00

May 1, 2007

Name, MP
House of Commons
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa, Ontario,
K1A 0A6

Dear Name:

I am writing as a member of Grandmothers of Steel, a group of women in the Hamilton area who raise awareness and money for African grandmothers caring for AIDS orphans. We belong to a network of more than 150 groups across Canada who support the Stephen Lewis Foundation's Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign. We are deeply concerned about the HIV/AIDS pandemic, especially as it affects sub-Saharan Africa. Our goals are awareness, advocacy and fundraising for more than 13 million African orphans who are being cared for by grandmothers in desperate need of assistance. Our members are distressed that millions of adults and children with AIDS in Africa and other developing countries are dying because they do not have access to cheaper generic anti-retroviral drugs. The Canadian Access to Medicines Regime is not working. Since being unanimously supported by Parliament in May 2004, not a single drug has left Canada. We ask that you urge the Prime Minister, members of your caucus, and members of the Standing Committee on Industry to find a way to speed the export of less expensive generic anti-retroviral drugs to developing countries.Please direct your efforts to ensuring that the government adopts the specific proposals contained in the document "Delivering on the Pledge". These proposals for fixing the legislation have been endorsed by many credible Canadian non-governmental organizations and academic and other experts.Under the proposed changes, Canada would:? Implement a "one licence solution" to the current complexity of the legislation. This would allow the manufacture and export of generic medicines to eligible developing countries based on one simple licence, without needing to specify predetermined quantities of medications, while still requiring that royalties be paid to patent-holders based on the amount exported and the countries to which medicines are exported. UnderCAMR, generic drug companies are restricted to exporting specified amounts to just one country at a time, and only as outlined in any single contract with the developing country.? Ensure that there is no requirement to disclose recipient countries that are on the eligible list until contracts have been signed. Currently, eligible countries are unwilling to be identified and enter negotiations because of fear of reprisals.? Eliminate the current two-year time limit on licences, and instead allow licences to run for the remaining duration of the patent. We are doing what we can as citizens. What is desperately needed is for our government and other governments to do much more. We appeal to you to ensure that our Canadian government does all that it can to halt the AIDS pandemic, including immediately fixing the CAMR legislation and regulations.

Yours sincerely,

Your Name

Mother's Day Event

2007-05-01T06:42:00.000-07:00

Showing of the new Stephen Lewis Foundation's A Generation of Orphans DVD A film by Liz Marshall

Sunday May 13 "Mother's Day"

Sky Dragon, 27 King William St. Hamilton

At 1:00 P.M.

Cost is $20 per ticket

Tickets are available from Theresa Randle at (905) 389-1405 or trandles@sympatico.ca. Tickets for the film screening are also available at OPIRG McMaster, Room 229 of the McMaster University Student Centre, 905-525-9140 ext. 27289, or email shelley@opirg.

Fundraising progress notes

2007-05-01T06:41:00.000-07:00

We raised $2000 at a benefit performance of Half Life by the Village Theatre in Waterdown. $5000 has been raised through card sales and large prints of the card sketches

Lady Comfort Ani

2007-04-23T06:49:00.001-07:00

Lady Comfort Ani
National President of YWCA Nigeria
Wednesday April 25, 2007 ? 3:30 ? 5:00 pm
75 MacNab Street South, Hamilton
5R Conference Room
Lady Comfort Ani will speak about the HIV and AIDS crisis in Africa, and its impact on
women and girls. Q&A session to follow. Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP your
attendance to YWCA Hamilton Development Department at 905-522-9922 ext.111 or by
email at lynnemb@ywcahamilton.org.
HIV and AIDS is the largest global emergency to face women and girls in our lifetime. In
Sub-Saharan Africa, the region most devastated by HIV and AIDS, three out of four people
under the age of 25 years living with HIV are young women, and 59% of infected adults
are women. Globally, women make up almost half of the 39.5 million people living with
HIV, and this figure is rising. Since 1999, the World YWCA, one of the world?s largest
organizations for women and girls, with a membership and outreach of millions, has been
aggressively tackling this deadly disease. At the heart of the World YWCA?s global
strategy is the mobilization of women in local villages and communities to lead the fight
against HIV and AIDS.

Minutes of last mtg

2007-04-19T06:14:00.000-07:00

GRANDMOTHERS OF STEEL MEETING
Tuesday, April 17, 7:00
Michael DeGroote Centre of Learning building, McMaster
Members present- Anne Philpot, Georgina Hewitt, Jan Lukas, Bithika Raychaudhuri, Shirley Routliffe, Kay O'Sullivan, Sue Hanna, Maureen Godden, Mane Arratia, Heather Johnston, Ruth Pearson, Barb Benjamin, Mary Beech, Jessie Kaye, Eileen Benson, Shelley Porteous, Rose Janson, Theresa Randles, Amita Raha, Aditi Raha
Regrets- Martha Paynter, Maggie Thomas, Judian Shardlow, Lisbie Rae
Pre-meeting scarf/jewelry/print sale
Anne introduced the guest speaker, Dr. Basanti Majumdar.
Key points of Dr. Majumdar's presentation on Empowerment: -the women are very active, creative and industrious in Africa, so the focus of strategies for Income generation is local business women.
-empowerment in terms of primary health care involves providing basic knowledge about major diseases (signs, symptoms), malnutrition, infection
-the impact on women is improved nutrition, increased assets, household stability, improved intra-family relationships and increased social status
-HIV/AIDS can't be considered in a vacuum. Biological determinants are one thing, social determinants are another. Poverty (which often connects to war), education, access to health care, depression, women's status all have a strong co-relation to HIV/AIDS
Dr. Majumdar then showed slides of Income generation and Health and Lifestyle from Zambia and South Africa.
The rest of the meeting mostly dealt with updates and information.
-a reminder that the production of Half Life in Waterdown on April 26 is a Grandmothers of Steel fundraiser and could generate $4,000.00+.
-Theresa spoke to a group at Christ Church in Flamborough, and received $96.00 in donations plus sold 6 sets of cards. She also held a scarf/jewelry fundraiser at her school and raised $246.00. She, her daughter and Barb made a banner that was presented to the group. Proofs of some of the drawings were also presented to the group.
-Anne offered to have any interested members put their names into a draw for the May 11 premier of "A Generation of Orphans" in Toronto. Since we will be having a showing of the DVD in Hamilton, Theresa and Anne will go to the premier.
-Anne reminded the group that Stephanie Nolan is speaking at the AGH on Monday, April 23. She encouraged members to send letters and petitions to the government re. Bill C9.
-Anne then showed the group the package she has produced for Canada-wide distribution of the card design discs (for grandmother groups interested in producing cards for fundraising). These will be available at the price of $20.00 which covers the cost of making and sending them.
-She will be speaking to the Retired Women Teachers on Oct. 17. Jan offered to sell cards at this event.
-There are plans in the making for a Grandmother March in Ottawa on Grandparents' Day, Sept. 9. More information will come from a meeting of Toronto and Region Grandmothers on Sunday, April 22. One member from each group is asked to attend. Theresa is going.
-Plans for the Mother's Day showing of 'A Generation of Orphans' is set for the Sky Dragon at 1:00, May 13. Theresa has tickets made, at $10.00 for members and $20.00 for public. Barb gave background information about the Sky Dragon. Leah Campbell has agreed to host, and since she was involved with the Grandmothers to Grandmothers campaign at the SLF, has indepth knowledge. Barb has volunteered to help set up and attend door. Shelley has agreed to help Theresa sell tickets through OPIRG at McMaster.
-Shirley gave a financial update and announced that a second cheque for $2,500.00 has been given to Anne to present to Julie and Ilana tomorrow. She and Theresa will meet them at Sisters of Notre Dame in Waterdown.
-Ruth mentioned an article about Canadian Grandmothers' support of African Grandmothers in a recent CARP magazine, and will look into getting permission to reprint the article.
-Our next meeting is May 16. Location to come. We will be viewing the uncut version of 'The man who wouldn't sleep'. Anne mentioned that Liz Marshall got copies of this DVD for all grandmother groups. All grandmother groups have also been given a DVD of the Gathering in August 2006. (80 minutes long).
-Tentative date for the June potluck meeting at Theresa's is June 14.
-Rose asked the group to use the coming election time as an opportunity to push for Canada's unmet promise of .7%.
-meeting adjourned

Bill C-9- petition & letter-writing

2007-04-16T13:25:00.001-07:00

We from Grandmother to Grandmother groups and our friends urge all Members of Parliament to put in place the changes that are necessary to Canada’s Access to Medicines Regime to ensure that antiretroviral drugs are available to the people and countries of Africa that need them so desperately.

A sample letter to send to MPs:

Your address

April ?, 2007

Dear

I am a member of Grandmothers Embrace, the South Simcoe group of Grandmothers to Grandmothers. There are now over 150 Grandmother Groups across Canada, working to raise awareness and provide support for our counterparts, the grandmothers of Africa who are raising the millions of children orphaned by the AIDS pandemic.
As you are no doubt aware, Canada’s Access to Medicines Regime came into effect in 2004 with the admirable goal of making it possible for Canadian companies to obtain “compulsory licences” that would authorize the manufacture and export of the lower-cost, generic versions of patented drugs needed by people in developing countries. Unfortunately, the law as it now stands is not working: no drugs have been exported under this Regime. The federal government is currently reviewing the legislation and will report to Parliament in May.
The World Health Organization estimates that, in the period between the passage of the Access to Medicines Regime and the present, more than 25 million people have died because they did not have access to existing medicines and vaccines.* I urge you to act quickly and do everything in your power to ensure that changes to the Regime are made so that antiretroviral drugs are available to people who desperately need them.

Yours sincerely,

*Instead of this sentence you might say:
In 2006 UNICEF reports that 530,000 African children under 15 have been newly infected with HIV/AIDS and 9 out of 10 are not getting treatment.
OR
Since the law was enacted in 2004, between 1.7 and 2.3 million people per year have lost their battle with AIDS.

Mother's Day Event

2007-04-13T10:47:00.000-07:00

The new SLF's Orphans DVD is promised to be released in time for Mother's Day.
I have booked a venue for a Mother's Day showing of this new DVD. It will be at the Sky Dragon, 27 King William St. Hamilton, at 1:00 in the afternoon on Sunday May 13.

This event will be publicized. Tickets will be $10.00 for members of Grandmothers of Steel, and $20.00 for members of the public. Tickets will be available at our meeting on April 17, or you can call me at 905-389-1405. We are hoping that there will be a strong showing from the public so that this will become a significant fund-raiser for the Grandmothers to Grandmothers campaign.

Theresa

Half Life- A benefit show

2007-04-10T07:14:00.000-07:00

Village Theatre (Waterdown) Inc. is staging a benefit performance for Grandmothers of Steel on Thursday, April 26th at 8:00 p.m. The show is Half Life, by Hamilton playwright John Mighton. Tickets are $25 and may be ordered in advance by phoning 905 690 7889.

This is a wonderful opportunity for us to raise a great deal of money in a short space of time, and enjoy a production featuring the crème de la crème of local community actors, and starring our own member, Maggie Thomas. I challenge us all not only to come to this exciting event, but to bring three friends. What an enjoyable way for us each to send $100 to support grandmothers in Africa, and the hall holds 176! Come see the play, which appropriately enough features grandmothers and their offspring.

What shines through when memory fades away? Clara and Patrick meet in a nursing home for veterans. They begin to fall in love, thinking they are rekindling an old flame. Have they ever met before? As Clara and Patrick’s middle-aged children watch their faltering parents, the older couple discovers beauty and love in the twilight of their lives.

If you require more information, please call me or Maggie Thomas at the numbers below. You can also find more about our theatre group at www.villagetheatrewaterdown.ca

See you at the show!

Lisbie Rae
Member, Village Theatre and Grandmothers of Steel

Lisbie Rae Maggie Thomas
905 659 7213 905 627 2164
lisbie@xplornet.com magmum80@hotmail.com

Lecture April 4

2007-03-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

**Wednesday, April 4th, 2007, 9:30 am - 11:30 am, ROOM 208N Munk Centre

**UNIVERSITY OF TORONTOThe Lupina Foundation & Comparative Program on Health and Society at the Munk Centre for International Studies in the University of Torontopresent***

"It Takes a Village to Raise a Child: Youth Perceptions of Vulnerability and Harm-Reduction Behaviour in the Context of HIV/AIDS in Rural Malawi"***

byLauren Classen (Lupina/OGS Doctoral Fellow, PhD Candidate, Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto)

Lauren Classen is a Lupina/OGS Doctoral Fellow and a doctoral candidate in the Department of Anthropology at University of Toronto. She studies the field of Medical Anthropology, which emphasizes the value of a multidisciplinary approach to examining global health issues. Lauren works at the interface of natural resource management, agriculture and health. She has worked as an impact assessment consultant in Honduras for the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture and is currently involved with a participatory agricultural project in north-central Honduras. In collaborating with farmers in Honduras, Lauren is writing a book chapter on their experiences and perceptions of 'participatory development', due for publication in fall 2007. Through her doctoral research, she also aims to enhance livelihoods, food security, and health for HIV/AIDS-affected youth in Malawi.Wednesday, April 4th, 2007, 9:30 am - 11:30 am, Room 208NMunk Centre for International Studies at the University of Toronto1 Devonshire Pl., Toronto, ON.Light refreshments will be provided.If you are planning to attend, please register using the Munk Centre new e-registration system by visiting:http://webapp.mcis.utoronto.ca/EventDetails.aspx?eventid=4273

If you have any difficulties registering, please e-mail cphs.munk@utoronto.ca or call 416-946-8891

Dr. Basanti Majumdar

2007-03-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

MAJUMDAR, BASANTM. Sc. 1987INDUCTED: 2002
Dr. Basanti Majumdar is known nationally and internationally for her research and teaching about HIV/AIDS, the empowerment of women, problem-based learning, and self-directed learning methods. These interests stem from her background in nursing, having earned Bachelor and Masters degrees from Delhi University. She has been interested in improving the quality of life for under-privileged people around the world since she left her native India to study at Columbia University. She was able to get more actively involved in helping under-privileged people and researching the socio-economic factors of health care as her sons grew.After completing her second Masters degree at McMaster, she completed her Ph.D. in Adult Education at the Michigan State University in 1990. Currently, she is a Professor in the School of Nursing and the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University. She has also played a leading role in the bridging the university and ethnocultural communities through the development of "Culture and Health," a course designed to benefit students of multidisciplinary faculties.As one of the founders of the Ethnocultural Research Division, Basanti developed the first Canadian Cultural Sensitivity Training Manual for health and social service workers. She also continues to research transcultural communication and learning methods. Additionally, her research in HIV/AIDS care has looked at home-based and community-based care in Canada and South Africa. She is the Director of a five-year development project between McMaster and the University of Natal in Durban, South Africa to train nurses, birth attendants, and lay women in primary health care concepts and human rights in order to empower disadvantaged women. She has been a consultant for the World Health Organization and the Canadian International Development Agency. Clinically, she is involved in community health with immigrants and refugees and in primary health care. In 1998, Basu was nominated for the Ontario Outstanding Achievements in Human Rights award.

Text from http://www.mcmaster.ca/ua/alumni/gallery/majumdar.htm

Gift ideas for Spring

2007-03-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day, Wedding showers, engagement parties, baby showers, Wedding gifts, graduations...

Spring and summer come with many opportunities to make donations to AIDS organizations, icnluding Grandmothers of Steel as gifts.

Upcoming meetings

2007-03-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

Next meeting is Tues., April 17. Guest speaker is Dr. Basanti Majumdar.

Tentative date for our May meeting is Weds., May 16. It would be in the Wilhelm Room of Sts Peter and Paul church, and we would be viewing the DVD 'The Man Who Couldn't Sleep' (provided free from the CBC) , the uncut version

June meeting will be Thurs., June 14. This will be a pot-luck at Theresa's.

Minutes of last mtg

2007-03-28T07:24:00.000-07:00

Grandmothers of Steel Meeting
Monday, March 19, 7:00 pm
West Hall, Sts Peter and Paul Church
Members present- Anne Philpot, Theresa Randles, Barb Benjamin, Jan Lukas, Mary Dayman, Joan Field, Heather Johnston, Georgina Hewitt, Ruth Pearson, Diane Keesmaat, Leslie Wiens, Mary Beech, Bithika Raychaudhuri, Eileen Benson
Regrets- Jessie Kaye, Martha Paynter, Shelley Porteous, Lisbie Rae, Shirley Routliffe, Mane Arratia, Rosemary Aswani, Patricia Reid
Meeting started with a jewelry/scarf sale.
Anne introduced the first speaker: Nancy Lemay of the Public Health Department (STD Clinics and Sexual Health Services) who did a power-point presentation on HIV/AIDS. Key points dealt with basic HIV/AIDS information (definitions, how HIV can and cannot be contracted, testing, rapid testing, prevention, risk factors, disclosure and pre-natal screening)
Anne then introduced the second speaker: Irene Banda-Beer, a guest from Zambia. Key points from her talk include an explanation of the two types of HIV: Type 1 being prevalent in South Africa, Zambia, Lesotho and Botswana, and Type 2 being a slower strain. She discussed a project proposal that she is submitting to the SLF, requesting funds for such things as training counsellors, lobbyists, lawmakers, support and treatment personnel. The focus is on providing help for girls ( as young as infants) who are rape victims of male adults. She explained that men believe sex with a virgin will cure them of sexually-transmitted diseases. Though police in Zambia are trained to be empathetic to the problem, and civil societies such as the YWCA do counselling, home visits and hospital care, they are limited by financial restraints and ignorance. The main problem is lack of political will, though punishments for the crimes are becoming more severe. She also fielded questions about mother-to-child spread of HIV and pointed out that women, because of their poverty, have no choice but to nurse their infants thereby spreading the disease.
Anne presented the speakers with card-sets in thanks for their presentations and the meeting began.
The disc with the card-designs is ready and requests are coming in from Grandmother groups across Canada. Information about the cards has been posted on the listserve.
Anne has been invited to Waterdown Notre Dame Sisters on April 18- Ilana and Julie from SLF will be present. Perhaps another cheque from the Grandmothers of Steel could be passed on at that time.
Anne had masters of the Grandmothers of Steel brochure and 1-pager. She identified a cost involved in printing these on good quality card-stock. It was suggested that money from jewelry/ scarf sales etc. be used as a slush-fund to cover these types of costs. The group agreed with this suggestion.
No news regarding Theatre plans.
Financial report- In February there was a balance of over $1,000.00 in the account, and $700.00 was brought in at the meeting.
Anne said there had been no further response from the AIDS organization re. Grandmother participation in the Walk for Life. Anne suggested that on Grandparents Day (Sept. 9) a march in Ottawa for the intent of education and lobbying might be an idea worth pursueing.
There was a report on recent presentations. Lisbie had presented to the Strabane Women's Institute in February and had submitted a $135.00 donation from them. She has also been asked to present to the Women of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Freelton on September 18. Theresa is presenting to a group at Christ Church in Flamborough on Sunday, March 25. Anne will be presenting to the Zonta club in the fall. She also suggested that some members might contact schools/Boards for education opportunities. Diane mentioned that the Retired Women Teachers Org. would be a worthwhile group to present to and that the opportunity might come Oct. 10-17. Jan suggested that student-council presidents should be spoken to now in order for them to plan fundraising events for the fall. They will be meeting in May. Jan will find out more details.
We will have a table to sell cards and prints on May 10 at the Oomama presentation of Stephen Lewis. Anne, Jan and Theresa are attending. Georgina is also getting a ticket.
Anne said that there has been no response from Christine Magill about our request to book Stephen Lewis.
Anne told the group about plans to have prints made of some of the drawings. At this point they will be proofs, and will be presented to the group at the next meeting before they are sold anywhere else. They will be signed and sold for $40.00. The more popular images will then be printed as limited editions.
Materials have come from the SLF: The uncut version (90 minutes) of 'The Man Who Wouldn't Sleep', and the book 'The Dawn of a New Movement', are available from Anne to book or borrow. The women and orphan DVD's are yet to come.
Sunday, Apr. 22 is the next Toronto and area Grandmothers meeting. Theresa is going to try to get more information and go. If anyone is interested in going, let her know.
Barbara has made a donation to Grandmothers of Steel for the SLF as a wedding gift. Jan suggested we put this idea on our blog. We also discussed how members should let Theresa know about such things as member illnesses or family deaths so that a card could be sent on behalf of the group.
Members are asked, if they are willing, to send brief bios to Theresa to add to our membership records. This is meant as a way to identify the resources within our own group. Also members are asked to let her know if they would prefer to be 'Active members' or 'Friends' of Grandmothers of Steel. An Active member would be anyone who wants to be involved in activities, meetings etc. A Friend would be anyone who wants the information that comes from the SLF and to be kept abreast of things, but cannot be actively involved.
Theresa is going to try to find out about the May 11 event in Toronto with the visiting African Grandmothers.
We are looking for a venue to present the Orphan DVD release on Mother's Day. The AGH is being looked into. Barb suggested the Sky Dragon. The Spectator was also mentioned. Jan suggested we find someone to make us a banner for screenings. Anne will contact the person who printed the cards for possible contacts.
Once events are planned, it is hoped that members might be willing to write articles. Two possibilities are 'Too Good to Miss' page in the Hamilton Spec which is for non-profit and fund-raising events. Another is the OpEd page in the Hamilton Spec. Jan mentioned Evelyn Myrie's writing.
Jan asked members for support on Mar. 30, at 10:30 am. There will be a protest against cuts made to such programmes as Outreach, Status of Women. The protest will take place at the Fed. Government Buildings, across from Copps Colisseum.

Event at AGH with Stephanie Nolan

2007-03-28T07:21:00.000-07:00

Bryan Prince, Bookseller and a different drummer books present...
Stephanie Nolen

reading from her new book
28: Stories of AIDS in Africa

"This book is magnificent. It?s probably the best book ever written about AIDS, certainly the best I?ve ever read."
Stephen Lewis

Monday, April 23rd
7:00 pm
Art Gallery of Hamilton
Tickets: $5 (proceeds to Médecins sans Frontières)

For tickets or further information, please contact:
Bryan Prince, Bookseller
905-528-4508, or e-mail: staff@princebooks.net
a different drummer books
905-639-0925, or e-mail: diffdrum@mac.com

Next meetings

2007-03-12T06:56:00.001-07:00

This is just a reminder that our next meeting is Monday, March 19 at 7:00 in the West Hall of Sts. Peter and Paul.

The following meeting will be on Tuesday, April 17, same time and place.

Meeting to plan July Garden Tour

2007-03-01T13:19:00.001-08:00

March 28th, 7:30PM at the Unitarian Church on Dundurn

International Women's Day Events

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The attached poster provides information on upcoming International Women?s Day events taking place in the community.
For Denise Doyle: denisedoyle@sympatico.ca

Monday, March 5, 5:00-7:00pm Beautiful Women Project - Preview Reception Art Gallery of Hamilton (123 King St W), hosted by YWCA Hamilton Contact: Cathie Pead 905-522-9922 ext 101, cpead@ywcahamilton.org

Tuesday, March 6 YWCA Women of Distinction Nominees Announced Gala Dinner May 24, 2007 Contact: Cathie Pead 905-522-9922 ext 101, cpead@ywcahamilton.org

Wednesday, March 7, 2:00pm Feminism In Action - Women?s Community Activism McMaster Women?s Studies Student Society - Panel Discussion and Workshops CIBC banquet hall, Student Centre (McMaster University) Contact: Margi Ende, 905-523-7875, maende@cogeco.ca

Thursday, March 8, 8:30am -11:00am YWCA Totally Awesome Young Women?s Breakfast YWCA Hamilton, 75 MacNab St. South Contact: Marnie Warman 905-522-9922 ext 112, mwarman@ywcahamilton.org

Thursday, March 8, 9:00am International Women's Day Conference Women in Science and Engineering (WISE), McMaster University Council Room Chambers, Rm 111, Gilmour Hall Contact: WISEinitiative@gmail.com

Thursday, March 8, 10:00am-2:00pm Women Unite SACHA International Women's Day Celebration YWCA Hamilton, 52 Ottawa St. North (workshops, entertainment, lunch and child minding for preschool children) Contact: Sandra Lemus 905-525-4573 - Sandra@sacha.ca Media Contact: Lenore Lukasik-Foss 905-525-4573 - lenore@sacha.ca

Thursday, March 8, 7:00-10:00pm Seeds of Hope - Women?s Centre of Hamilton Workers Arts & Heritage Centre (51 Stuart St.) Contact: Peggy Anne, 905 522-0127 - womenscentre@on.aibn.com

Thursday, March 8, 5:30-8:30pm Sisters in Solidarity ? Hamilton District Labour Council United Steelworkers Centre (1031 Barton St. E.) Contact Mary Long at 905-561-2595

Sunday, March 18, 2:00-4:00pm Exhibit Opening: A Woman's Place is Everywhere! Booklet Launch: A Century of Women and Work Workers Arts & Heritage Centre (51 Stuart St.) Contact: Heather McClellan, 905-522-3003 x 22, heather@wahc-museum.ca
International Women?s Day/Week

Play in May

2007-03-01T13:02:00.001-08:00

Maggie Thomas shall be performing 'Half Life' by ex-Hamiltonian playwright John Mighton at the Village Theatre in Waterdown for the weekend of the 10th, 11th and 12th May

Burlington Ubuntu Grandwomen Events

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THE BOOK SALE: the book sale at the Burlington mall is to be held onThursday, Friday and Saturday, the 29th -31st of March contact Marina Lloydat 905-637-6030 THE CRAFT SALE: 10 a.m. -2 p.m. April 28th at Burlington Baptist Church.Mary Peters 905-945-0162 doug_peters@sympatico.ca THE FRIENDSHIP PINS: The friendship pins are now available. Please let meknow how many you will sell. We are charging $10.00 a pin and are paying$65.00 a dozen with all profits going to the SLF.Check the website www.thebug.ca <http://www.thebug.cand> to see the latestset of pictures. Click on the small picture to enlarge it.

Minutes from Mtg 7:00 Thursday, February 15, 2007

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West Hall, Sts Peter and Paul Church, Hamilton

13 members present- Barbara Benjamin, Judian Shardlow, Mane Arratia, Ellen Ryan, Bithika Raychaudhuri, Heather Johnston, Mary Buch, Anne Philpot, Jessie Kaye, Jan Lukas, Kay O'Sullivan, Leslie Wiens, Theresa Randles

Regrets from-Leah Campbell, Joy Warner, Martha Paynter, Kathy Clark, Rose Janson, Shelley Porteous, Shirley Routliffe, Diane Keesmaat

We had a jewelry/scarf sale for the first 10 minutes of the meeting.

The theatre group (Maggie, Lisbie, Shirley and Liz) are trying to find a suitable play for a 2007 fundraiser, have talked to the Old Pearl Factory and are now putting forward a proposal to the Dundas Little Theatre to find a venue that will carry little to no cost. Jan mentioned the Ancaster Theatre may be an option and will e-mail information to Judian. Ellen suggested that Gerontology students might get involved in fundraising or the actual production.

Kay gave a financial report. A cheque for $2,500.00 was given to the SLF at the Toronto and region Grandmothers meeting on Feb. 4. Kay and Shirley are the signing authorities for the account. The bank will issue statements every 3 months. Kay also requested that a secondary person keep records of card sales (as a back-up) Theresa will do this. Jan offered her son's services as a chartered accountant to provide a program that will help in keeping financial records.

In re. to the SLF logo on cards and correspondence, Julie Coultas of the SLF indicated that she wanted "we have chosen to support" placed above the SLF logo.

Anne attended a 60th Alumni luncheon this week at Mac. Stephen Lewis was the speaker. She spoke to him and gave him a set of our cards as a gift. She has contacted Christina Magill who arranges Stephen Lewis' speaking engagements, to set a date for him to speak at a Grandmothers of Steel fundraiser. No reply yet. If we do get a booking, Anne asks for members to get involved with the planning of the event.

Handouts with basic information about HIV/AIDS, statistics and the risk/vulnerability factors were handed out by Theresa. Information about Oomama's night with Stephen Lewis in May were handed out should any members want to buy tickets to attend.

Anne gave the highlights of the Toronto and Area Grandmothers meeting Feb. 4 (She and Theresa attended):

-handouts of the Chain-of-Love were provided and the idea explained. Anyone can copy this sheet, cut strips and sell paper links for $2.00, which are formed into chains. This nation-wide fundraiser is intended to create a link long enough to reach Africa.

-there is a Listserv that anyone can sign up on, which provides contact with Grandmother groups across Canada.

-a call for submissions- an African cookbook filled with stories and recipes. Liz Rose is the contact. Jan mentioned that there are several African women in a group that she meets with. She felt they would feel honoured to contribute recipes. The question of copyright laws came up. Jessie stated that permission is not needed for recipes.

-Grandmother groups have been invited to lead the Sept.16 AIDS Walk-for-Life in Toronto. We could do this for Hamilton's which is on the same day. Anne suggested we could each make a donation to the Hamilton AIDS Network to participate, and gather pledges for the SLF.

-there is an attempt to organize a national Lobbying group with one rep. from each area.

-there are 2 new DVD's- one to be released for International Women's Day, the other for Mother's Day. Anne has asked for copies. Mane and Shelley have been asked to launch the first video at Mac for Int. Women's Day. We need a venue for the Mother's Day DVD showing.

-there are some African grandmothers coming in May and will speak at various venues. Anne mentioned that she has received letters from 2 of the Kabwe grandmothers.

-Anne mentioned that calendars are not selling well, but 2 groups at the Toronto meeting want the card discs to produce cards for fundraising.

Barb mentioned that she works at a wellness center for gays, lesbians etc., and is on a committee that services for people 50+. She wondered if they could help. Anne said that if she could see links that would be good.

Jan raised the issue of a banner for the Walk. Anne pushed to get any work/materials for free.

Bithika talked about Basanti, who will be coming to speak to us at our April meeting. She has travelled to South Africa, Thailand and India on AIDS issues. She will have returned from a trip to Zambia. She deals with more than the medical issues-she deals with the whole picture including socio/political.

Nancy LeMay will speak at our meeting in March.

Anne suggested our June meeting be a pot-luck and that we do not meet for the summer months.

At this point we had a guest speaker, Debbie Simpson, the education co-ordinator of the Hamilton AIDS Network.

Below are some key points of her talk:

-the organization's aim is to provide support to help both the infected and affected with the disease.

-there are 58,000 HIV+ in Canada, with 3,000 new infections a year

-the main problem is that though there is information, there is not a behavioural change

-there are significant changes in statistics. Over the last 10 years, infections from man-to-man contact and drug use have dropped, while infections in heterosexual females aged 15-29 have significantly increased. This is due to unprotected sex and the fact that they don't see themselves at risk. The larger community does not understand that it is no longer a gay/drug-user disease. Sexual acts other than vaginal intercourse are not seen as sex and thus not seen as dangerous.

-the process of testing for HIV was explained

-the cost and problems of the medication regimen was discussed

Theresa has statistics if anyone should want them.

Meeting was adjourned

Announcing our blog

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The next meeting of the Grandmothers of Steel will be held this Thursday, Feb 15, at 7:30pm. Check out the Stephen Lewis Foundation at http://www.stephenlewisfoundation.org/