Beyond Scrabble
Gogo Grannies support African AIDS orphans
By Dagmar McKenzie
Several years ago I found myself moved to tears over a television news item. It showed grandmothers in Africa burying their children who had died of AIDS and becoming "parents" to their orphaned grandchildren. Some had as many as 20 children in their care. I couldnt imagine such a burden.
Later I heard about a group of grannies in Canada who were supporting these heroic women in Africa. They did this through the Stephen Lewis Foundation. Its mandate is to turn the tide of HIV/AIDS in Africa by providing care and support to women, orphans and people living with HIV and AIDS.
"Oh wow!" I thought, "Im going to get involved with these wonderful people just as soon as I become a grandmother." Thoughts of joining were shelved until my good friend, Lynda Harris, told me that she and Libba Padgett wanted to start a "Grandmothers and Grandothers" chapter in Powell River. "Count me in," said I, bursting with enthusiasm. I didnt need to wait to be a grandmother but incidentally, my adorable grandson just happened to be on the way.
When Lynda and Libba contacted the Stephen Lewis Foundation they were connected to Joan Briggs, a Powell Riverite who was already involved in the foundation. By the spring of 2009 a local group was formed and named the Sunshine Gogos. Gogo is a Zulu word meaning grandmother. In less than a year this group has grown to 65 members. They are one of over 240 grandmother-to-grandmother groups across Canada. I am so proud of grandmas in Powell River and across this country for taking this on.
Last fall I attended my first gogos meeting. Armed with tissues I headed for what I expected to be a gut-wrenching evening. After all, we would be discussing orphans, 14 million to date. It turned out to be an exciting meeting of wonderful people--grannies on a mission. There was work to be done, no time for wallowing. These people were bright, positive and laughed a lot. They had an agenda and they stuck to it.
Their mission?
To raise awareness in Canada about the struggle of African grandmothers; to build solidarity amongst African and Canadian grandmothers in the fight against HIV/AIDS; to actively support grandmothers with funds for food, schooling, income-generating projects, and yes, coffins to allow for dignified burials of loved ones.
In just a few months our Sunshine Gogos have raised a remarkable amount of money for the campaign. You may have noticed people sporting colourful, bead-trimmed bags about town. I attended one of the sewing bees where an army of chatty local women cut and pinned and stitched for the better part of a day to create these bags. There have been many such bees and local women spend countless hours sewing happily away in their homes to create these African-looking bags for sale. I never leave home without mine. On May 15 the Sunshine Gogo Grannies are hosting their first ever "Beyond Scrabble" tournament at the United Churchs Trinity Hall from 1 to 4 pm. It promises to be a riotous affair where serious players may play "real" scrabble but the majority are invited to participate in teams where one can purchase extra letters, trade, phone a friend, rent a dictionary, get pledges from friends, enjoy tea, coffee and goodies.
To register for the scrabble tournament or get more information about the Sunshine Gogos and their events call 604 485-7210 or 604 485-0132 or e-mail sunshinegogos@gmail.com.
Information about the campaign in general can be found at www.grandmotherscampaign.org.
