Foreign Correspondent: Apr 22

On Foreign Correspondent an ex-pat Australian grandmother in Canada found a way to help women in South Africa, surrounded by the brutality of HIV.

We meet 89-year-old Norma Geggie who came up with a plan to support grandmothers in South Africa who have lost their children to AIDS. Whole generations have been wiped out. Now the Canadian grannies fill the void, offering meaningful support to those living in poverty in the townships. It’s a tale of connection crossing thousands of kilometers.

The women of the small town of Wakefield have started a social revolution which has spread across Canada and changed the lives of thousands of African grandmothers.

This is a story about making a difference – 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.

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.

“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 or 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.

8pm Tuesday ABC1.