OAKVILLE, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 06/12/10 -- Editors Note: A photo for this release will be available via Marketwire on the picture wire of The Canadian Press.
On June 12th and 13th, the Stephen Lewis Foundation's Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign held its first annual Stride to Turn the Tide national fundraising walk in Canadian communities from coast to coast with the hopes of generating $300,000 in support of courageous and resilient grandmothers in sub-Saharan Africa on the frontlines of the AIDS pandemic.
Approximately 150 Grandmothers Groups representing more than 5000 grandmothers and grand "others" took part in the Walk covering the combined distance of 8,000 kilometres, representing the size of our country and the scale of their commitment to raising awareness and much needed funds. The monies raised benefit the Stephen Lewis Foundation's community-level projects in 15 African countries providing tens of thousands of African grandmothers with support like food, housing, income generating grants, grief counselling and school fees for their grandchildren.
"Stride to Turn the Tide national walk is a growing movement by grandmothers across Canada to show solidarity with our sisters in Africa," says Pam Farron, Stride to Turn the Tide Chair. "African Grandmothers are burying their children who have died as a result of HIV/AIDS and taking on responsibility for their grandchildren and other orphaned children in the community. They are the unsung heroes of the pandemic and we will not rest until they can rest."
"The African grandmothers have issued a call to the international community to recognize the role of grandmothers in the fight against AIDS and to deliver on the promises that will allow us to turn the tide on this pandemic," says Mama Darlina Tyawana, Treatment Action Campaign, South Africa. "The Canadian grandmothers have answered our call and stand by our side in this fight."
In 2008, more than 14.1 million children in sub-Saharan Africa were estimated to have lost one or both parents to AIDS.(1) A recent study on maternal mortality indicated that maternal deaths are declining everywhere in the world except sub-Saharan Africa where, over the last few years, the annual number of maternal deaths has increased by 61,000, overwhelmingly due to AIDS. The great majority of orphans left behind will fall to the care of their grandmothers.
Stride to Turn the Tide is a grassroots initiative brought forward by a grandmothers group in Canmore, Alberta and embraced by groups across the country to bring greater visibility to the critical role of grandmothers in the struggle against AIDS in Africa.
The Grandmothers Committee organizing Stride to Turn the Tide has welcomed Revera Inc. as a founding sponsor.
"At Revera we care for Canadian seniors every day and are proud to support the first ever national walk to show our support for the hardworking grandmothers in Africa," says Jeffery Lozon, President and Chief Executive Officer, Revera Inc. "Not only does the walk raise awareness to the struggles African grandmothers face every day, but we are also highlighting the significant role seniors play in our society as active members of the community, committed to giving back."
Donations to Stride to Turn the Tide can be made until July 30th directly to participants or online at www.grandmotherscampaign.org/nationalwalk.html.
About the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign
The Stephen Lewis Foundation's Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign was launched on March 7, 2006, on the eve of International Women's Day. Since the launch, more than 250 groups across Canada - more than 5000 grandmothers - have answered the call to action raising funds, awareness and support for African grandmothers and the orphans in their care. The Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign supports African grandmothers in turning the tide of the AIDS pandemic by raising funds to meet the immediate needs of African grandmothers and the children in their care; building solidarity amongst and between African and Canadian grandmothers; and stimulating action in Canada at the national level in order to amplify the voices and expertise of the African grandmothers in addressing the AIDS pandemic. The Campaign has raised more than $9 million to date.
About The Stephen Lewis Foundation
The Stephen Lewis Foundation supports community-based organizations working to turn the tide of HIV/AIDS in Africa. Since 2003, we have funded more than 300 projects in 15 countries. These grassroots groups are the lifeline for their communities: they provide counselling and education about HIV prevention, care and treatment; distribute food, medication and other necessities; reach the sick and vulnerable through home-based health care; help orphans and vulnerable children access education and work through their grief; and support grandmothers caring for their orphaned grandchildren.
(1) UNAIDS. 2009 Aids Epidemic Update. Geneva: UNAIDS, November 2009, p. 21.
Contacts:
For more information and interviews:
Stride to Turn the Tide
Carole Holmes, Co-Chair
289-837-0521
Cjholmes46@gmail.com
Stephen Lewis Foundation
Nikki Gentles, Communications Consultant
416-737-6801
Nikki.Gentles@hotmail.com