Grandmothers Against Poverty and AIDS (GAPA)

This organisation was started by a group of feisty grandmothers from Khayelitsha in Cape Town. All of the founding grandmothers had been affected by the HIV epidemic in some way. Many had lost one or more of their children to AIDS and were caring for their orphaned grandchildren; others were nursing sick children or grandchildren who had AIDS.

After the inspiring workshop the grandmothers formed GAPA with a view to helping many more AIDS-affected grandmothers by providing them with psychosocial support, practical information, life skills training and opportunities for income generation. Each month GAPA runs a three-day workshop for new grandmothers. These workshops are facilitated by experienced GAPA grandmothers and concentrate on practical topics such as: nursing skills for AIDS and tuberculosis, parenting skills, vegetable gardening, human rights and abuse, bereavement, business skills, writing wills and accessing government grants. Grandmothers are then invited to attend small weekly support groups and once a month all the members gather for an all-day indaba and listen to outside speakers on topics ranging from mental health and Alzheimer’s to starting a business.

There are currently around 150 active members in Khayelitsha and 100 in Gugulethu, plus a growing membership in various districts in the Eastern Cape. The grandmothers also provide afterschool facilities for hundreds of local children providing a daily meal, homework support and recreational activities.