Grandmothers – and ‘grand-others’ just want to give

It’s been 13 years of the Gogos gracing New Westminster. 

“We’ve been very fortunate to have a culture of warmth and acceptance in our group,” explains Janine Reid, who founded the group Royal City Gogos. Gogo is the Zulu word for grandmother, and the group fundraises in support of African grandmothers, many of whom are caring for a generation of grandchildren orphaned by AIDS.

One of their next big events includes a craft fair, taking place at New West Secondary School (NWSS) on Saturday June 4 from 10 am to 2 pm. From fun and unique aprons to decor for your garden, there’s something for everyone.

The craft fairs aren’t the only way the Gogos raise money: some have been busy walking or biking to bring in additional funding.

“Over the years, we’ve had wine tastings and fashion shows,” explains Reid, but one of the ones she’s enjoyed included a travelling art show.

“We accepted 40 juried pieces of art that travelled from Vancouver Island to Winnipeg, and were shown in various communities.” Reid said it was incredibly meaningful to have the stories of the African grandmothers being told along with that art.

Many things have changed in the years since the group started. Reid says it all began with 12 members; over the years things have grown with the majority of members in their mid-50s.

“We have mostly grandmothers, and other members we call grand-others, because you don’t have to be a grandmother to belong.” Reid admits they do have some challenges that need a variety of volunteers, so she wants people to know that the door is open for everyone to join.

“We’re not as young as we used to be, so that’s another reason why we’re looking forward to more younger women coming in.”

Reid says she looks forward to people visiting their craft event at the NWSS location.

“[For] the world, the focus right now is on [the war in] Ukraine, but AIDS is still not over in Africa; they’re facing AIDS and the COVID pandemic. And with the war in Ukraine, [those in Africa] will be at risk of starvation because the food supply will be disrupted.”

Reid says she fears for what kind of strain that could put on the families there. “I would like, as a community, if people could keep both [Ukraine and Africa] both in mind, it’s so important; it really is a ripple effect…we take a lot of these things for granted.”