Grandmas helping African orphans

May 14, 2007

The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon), by Michelle Martin

Two Ugandan grandmothers who have experienced the devastating impact of the HIV-AIDS pandemic in Africa arrived in Saskatoon Mother's Day weekend.

Uganda, a small country in East Africa with a population nearing 30 million, is home to about one million AIDS orphans. The estimated total of AIDS orphans on the African continent is 13 million.

In response to the need, Matrida Nyinebirungi, 73, and Freda Byaburakirya, 67, have taken AIDS orphans into their care.

The phenomenon of grandparents becoming the primary caretakers of their grandchildren, and unrelated children, is common in African countries that have been hard hit by HIV-AIDS.

"It is hard because the income is little," said Byaburakirya, who cares for four orphans. "Secondly, we are weak now. We are old. We can't do much work to be able to raise the money (to care for the children)."

From the comfort of a local grandmother's living room, she said the problems in Uganda are always the same: "No food, no money, no strength, everything near is in amiss."

The pivotal role that grandmothers like Nyinebirungi and Byaburakirya play in their communities has been noticed by the Stephen Lewis Foundation and, in turn, groups of Canadian grandmothers.

Since the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign launched in March last year, grandmothers from across Canada have formed 150 groups to fundraise for African grandmothers. They have raised $1 million in total, with $40,000 coming from the local group.

This weekend, members of Saskatoon's group met the two beneficiaries of their fundraising efforts. Nyinebirungi and Byaburakirya arrived Saturday after attending the premiere in Toronto of the documentary film, A Generation of Orphans.

Twesigye Jackson Kaguri, 36, from the same area in Uganda as the grandmothers, arrived with them. He translated for Nyinebirungi, saying the film premiere made her sad as she identified with the orphaned children in the film because of her own grandchildren. Currently, the grandmother of 21 cares for six orphans.

Kaguri is the founder of the Nyaka AIDS Orphan School, a school supported by the Stephen Lewis Foundation that teaches, feeds, clothes and provides medical care and books to 156 young orphans.

While the Nyaka School looks after the basic needs of its students, it is not a boarding school, so many of the orphaned students live with grandmothers in the community.

"The children, she (Nyinebirungi) struggled with them so much until Nyaka started in the area . . . we provide them with food at school, which she would not be able to provide," he said.

The school also supports aging caregivers by sending a nurse home to them when they are sick.

A grandmothers' support group at the school is being supported by the Grandmothers to Grandmothers campaign. The support group meets every two weeks and is set to begin income-generating activities, such as weaving.

"They will also be empowered," said Kaguri. "We appreciate all that has been done for us."

Local Grandmothers to Grandmothers campaign member Julia Davies, who is hosting the Ugandans, said she was drawn to the campaign from the outset.

"I thought, I'm a grandmother. I know what it's like to look after children," said Davies, who lived in Africa in the 1970s. "I thought, yes, this is something concrete that I can do."

During the weekend, the group had the chance to go line dancing, watch aboriginal dancers and eat a Mother's Day dinner. Today, the group will visit AIDS Saskatoon at 10 a.m., then arrive at the Broadway Theatre at 1 p.m. for the Saskatoon premiere of A Generation of Orphans. Two other Stephen Lewis Foundation documentary films, including Grandmothers: The Unsung Heroes of Africa, will be shown at the event. The public is invited to attend at no charge, though donations will be accepted.

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Grandmas helping African orphans