| Description |
1 online resource (streaming video file) (26 min. 54 sec.) ; 163035998 bytes |
| Summary |
The women of the small town of Wakefield in Canada have started a social revolution which has spread across Canada and changed the lives of thousands of African grandmothers.'It's become a social movement in Canada. The grandmothers are serious and they have a lot to say'. - Ilana Landsberg-Lewis, Stephen Lewis Foundation.Lively 89 year-old Australian turned Canadian, Norma Geggie started the campaign. She took action after hearing the heart breaking stories of grannies in South Africa, who lost their adult children to AIDS and were left to care for their HIV positive grandchildren. 'Oh, nothing is too difficult ... if you throw yourself into something like this, I think it's enriching'. - Norma Geggie, Wakefield Grannies.This is a story about making a difference - and it began with ten Canadian grandmothers. The women decided to raise money and write letters to ten South African grandmothers, who were battling to raise grandchildren, orphaned by AIDS. It was a simple idea - to offer partnership, rather than charity.'All the grannies are so active ... I wonder where they get the energy'. - Diana Teffo, Alexandra AIDS Orphans Trust.The South African grannies, were living in the rat infested township of Alexandra. Many were shunned by their neighbours, because of the fear and stigma surrounding HIV. The letters and friendship from Canada, became a lifeline and a source of strength.'When you get a letter from Canada, hey you are just like the big boss. Yeah you have got (a) letter from overseas and you just call your kids and say, hey I've got a letter. You read it.' - Lucia Mazibuko, Grandmother, Alexandra. 'So the partnering thing has been the secret of course I think...because I think each of those women just felt rather special ...having come from a stage of being very stigmatized, they felt that perhaps they were ..somebody and that the women on the other side of the world actually were their friends.' - Norma Geggie, Wakefield Grannies, Canada.The grandmothers in Alexandra township endured apartheid, poverty and rising crime, only to be struck by the devastation of AIDS on their families. What made it worse, was the South African government's refusal to provide life saving AIDS medication. It's estimated that up to 330,000 South Africans, including many children, died needlessly, because the government failed to act. The grandmothers from Canada and South Africa have formed a powerful partnership. It's a model which has now raised millions of dollars and much needed awareness. It's also shown the power of older women, with so much to offer their communities. Foreign Correspondent's Sally Sara has followed this phenomenon from the living rooms of Wakefield in Canada to the dusty backstreets of Alexandria in South Africa.'Grandmothers in Canada have given real meaning to global citizenship.....and for older women taking the initiative and showing everyone else that it's not just possible but an absolute necessity , that's an important political point.' - Ilana Landsberg Lewis, Steven Lewis Foundation |
| Event |
Broadcast 2014-04-22 at 20:00:00 |
| Notes |
Classification: NC |
| Subject |
AIDS (Disease) -- Patients.
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AIDS (Disease) in children.
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Children -- Death.
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Grandmothers.
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Orphans -- Services for.
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South Africa.
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Quebec.
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| Form |
Streaming video
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| Author |
Sara, Sally, host
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Geggie, Norma, contributor
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Letwaba, Rose, contributor
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Landsberg-Lewis, Ilana, contributor
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Mazibuko, Lucia, contributor
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Teffo, Diana, contributor
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