On Saturday, February 20th G.R.O. really hit the pavement! Together, the Canadian fundraising team and our new volunteers taped, stapled, and glued posters in all the hottest Toronto neighbourhoods. The posters were promoting the Scholarship Challenge, an initiative designed to raise funds for the High School scholarships G.R.O. provides to vulnerable students of Hlotse-Leribe, southern Africa. After coffee and bagels, the group split off into two groups and plastered utility poles, message boards, and hoarding throughout downtown Toronto (yes, it’s legal).

It was great to meet the new volunteers – thanks so much Joel, Alex, Curtis and Nora! We are looking forward to working together again in the future!

Posted under The Movement

The Spirited Grannies, a group of socially-engaged Grandmothers from both Canada and the U.S.A, have contributed over 4 full-year, comprehensive scholarships for Basotho students!  This group, working to raise money in Mesa, Arizona, has demonstrated the power of how a committed few can create meaningful and monumental change in the lives of others.  Thank you Spirited Grannies for your ongoing support and commitment.  We at G.R.O. consider you Global Heroes and thank you for your efforts!

Posted under The Movement

The G.R.O. Artisans invited their local and international customers to participate in a selection survey which ultimately determined the new 2010 design lines. The women have been working since December on the new designs, incorporating locally sourced natural material such as cow horn, Job’s tears, recycled glass, and mountain clay.  The new eco-line is enhanced by the use of high quality materials and fastenings, creating a true artisan line highlighting the beauty of Lesotho and the talent of its artisans.

The new catalogue will be launched March 1 - join our newsletter to receive the new catalogue or contact us at artisans@grofoundation.org to learn more about ordering!

Bracelet features recycled glass, amythest, Job

Preparing for the customer survey

Turquoise necklace for 2010

Posted under Letters from Lesotho

Working to prepare a Sesotho translation of our Family Scholarship student contract.

speaking to the students during the Family Scholarship After School Leadership Club.

Posted under Letters from Lesotho

The artisans visited a youth project in South Africa that produces unique and beautiful recycled glass beads.  This youth project, in a poor township of South Africa, provides youth in the community with not only skills and training but an opportunity to earn income.

The lampworked beads, made from used beer bottles and made one-by-one, present a beautiful shine and the kiln-fired recycled glass shows a earthy, matte finish.

Look forward to seeing these new beads in our 2010 eco-line to be launched March 1!

Posted under Letters from Lesotho

Calling all current and future G.R.O. Canada volunteers to meet up, team up, and spread the word about the G.R.O. 2010 Scholarship Challenge!

The Scholarship Challenge is G.R.O’s campaign to raise funds for Lesotho students whose families have been adversely affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Scholarships of $450/year provide one student the opportunity to attend High School in southern Africa and have access to life skills programs, career counselling, and library services that help ensure their success!

We need to spread the word to Toronto! We have the posters, we just need some help posting them at post-secondary campuses, community centers, cafes, and any other public places where people interested in our cause might hang out.

When: Saturday, February 20, 2010 10 am – 4 pm
Where: Gen Scott’s House – Gen is the G.R.O. Communications Officer.
What: We’ll gather at Gen’s house at 10 am for coffee and pastries and team up into small outreach teams of 2-3 people. Each team will be responsible for one segment of Toronto. Together, that team will go out to poster up the city (making sure to have any necessary permissions, of course).  We’ll regroup at Gen’s at 2 pm for cold refreshments.
What to bring: Your TTC pass (if you have one, we will make arrangements for those who don’t), staplers, tape, and/or tacks if you have some.

Who: Everyone is welcome! Please gather up your friends!

RSVP: If you are interested in joining, please email Jayne at jwilkins@grofoundation.org for details about the location of the event.

This is a fun way to really hit the pavement and get involved with G.R.O. We hope you’ll join us!

To learn more about G.R.O. and our family scholarship program, check out our website www.grofoundation.org.

Posted under The Mission, The Movement, The Vision

On December 1, 2009 the SFU AIDS Awareness Network held a campus-wide event featuring educational panels and a concert fundraiser.   The AAN was formed by students in the Faculty of Health Science (FHS) at SFU with the belief that everyone has the responsibility and capacity to contribute to the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Proceeds from the days activities were graciously donated to YouthCo AIDS Society in Vancouver and GRO Foundation.  Thank you to friend Eliza Seaborn and all the members of the AAN!

Posted under The Movement

Despite the downpour of the summer rains, ‘Mapalesa and the GRO team ventured to the local pharmacy to purchase non-pharmaceutical home-based care supplies.  ‘Mapalesa, a retired nurse clinician and the head of the Grannies Support Group, along with Carolyn, a Canadian nurse clinician volunteering with GRO, made a long list of supplies they felt would be helpful to stock in their home-based care kits.

Bottles of multi-vitamins in syrup form for malnourished children, bed sore ointment and personal care items for the bed-ridden, gauze and antiseptic for wound care, over-the-counter medicines for pain, and a general selection for the community’s ailments such as allergy medication, sinus and cold, and diarrhea. Extra strips for their blood sugar machine, and notebooks to track all patient care. Metal adjustable crutches and a walker on its way.

This weekend, the Grannies will diligently inventory their supplies and ensure that all of their members are well-stocked.  With the increased number of TB-patients and people bed-ridden by AIDS, the grannies home-based care work has never been more important.  Thank you to everyone who purchased a Grandmothers Care kit through our Gifts of Hope campaign for making today a possibility!

Posted under Notes from Lesotho

The first day of eight days of practical training here at the Grannies Poultry Project.  Poultry experts from Noch Solutions will conduct eight full days, over eight weeks, of hands-on, on-site training with the group.  After the first day, I’m exhausted.

The fist morning started by disinfecting and cleaning the coop, the waterers and feeders, and laying down fresh sawdust. The new coop, which was recently renovated by G.R.O. Foundation, can easily hold up to 400 meat birds.

By 12:00, Ntate Moshe and Jazzy arrived with 200 day-old baby chicks and 16 bags of feed.  Each chick was carefully unpacked and counted, while Thekanyane carefully dipped each chick’s beak in the waterers containing a special blend of electrolytes and sugars.

From day-old, these chicks will be 2.3kg butcher-ready meat birds in 6 weeks.  They will consume 1600 kgs of feed, and they will require a lot of work and attention.  The goal is to quadrouple production from 100 monthly to 400 monthly.  This major increase in production also means in increase in profits available to the Grannies Support Group.   The Grannies have recruited the help of three orphaned young adults in their community who will paid support workers on their project, creating jobs and developing sustainable skills.

We are looking forward to watching the Grannies and their chicks grow in 2010.  Thank you to everyone who helped purchase the chicks through the Gifts of Hope campaign, and to the Canada Fund who helped us provide the practical training. You can learn more about the project at www.grofoundation.org

Posted under Letters from Lesotho

Yesterday we collected 17kgs of beads that we ordered from our South African wholesaler as part of the start-up kits for the G.R.O. Artisans Collective.  Today we spent hours unpacking, counting beads, and dreaming of our new 2010 designs.  Thank you to the Canada Fund / Canadian High Comission for the purchase of the start-up kits, and thanks to the ladies for painfully counting every last bead.

Posted under Letters from Lesotho