G4G EMPOWERS AFRICAN GRANDMOTHERS

will take place on Oct. 31 and Apr. 30 respectively.

Meanwhile, the Saskatoon group is preparing for its Fabric Sale fundraiser on Oct. 17 at St. Martin’s United Church. “It’s a big event for us,” said Brown. “They’ve donated fabric, and we sell it, and the money we raise goes to the Stephen Lewis Foundation … A lot of the people who buy it are buying it to use in some sort of charitable organization as well, so you’re giving twice.”

Following that, Saskatoon’s fundraising dinner will be on Mar. 3, its Art from the Attic will be on May 27, and members will be participating in the Stride to Turn the Tide walks in June.

Brown said that these efforts are important because, rather than making African grandmothers dependent on donations, the money raised will help them to empower themselves. “The Stephen Lewis Foundation doesn’t give somebody a fish — they teach them how to fish … These ideas aren’t told to the African people. They come up with the ideas because they know what’s going to work in those communities.”

This summer, Greenberg had the opportunity to confirm that for herself when the SLF arranged for her and several other Canadian members to visit Zambia, to see examples of how their fundraising dollars are spent, and South Africa, to attend a gathering of grandmothers from across that country. “The one thing that resonates with me is that they’re grassroots organizations,” she said. “It makes it really real, and you come back thinking, ‘We’re going to keep doing this, because our job is to raise funds, and their job is to care for their kids and do everything else that they need to do in order to stay on top of the pandemic.’”