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About Grandmothers United

  • We are a group of UK grandmothers helping South African grandmothers, known as gogos, who are struggling to care for their orphaned and vulnerable grandchildren.
  • We passionately believe that grandmothers in the more affluent societies can help grandparents less fortunate than themselves and are forming an international network to assist our South African counterparts.
  • We are putting on tea parties and other events to raise awareness and funds. Why not host an event yourself?

Why Grandmothers United Makes a Difference

  • Very often, grandmothers who have endured the tragedy of losing their children to HIV/AIDS, take in their orphaned grandchildren in what are commonly referred to as ‘gogo-headed households’.
  • The majority of these grandmothers are poverty-stricken. They may well have been receiving essential financial support from their children who have now passed away.
  • In their twilight years, when they are physically slowing down, these grandmothers now find themselves under extraordinary stress to provide adequate food and shelter, education and healthcare for their grandchildren.
  • Accessing social grants to assist in supporting their grandchildren is a difficult and time-consuming procedure especially for those in remote, rural areas who are far from municipal centres and not adept at dealing with bureaucracy.
  • Even those who do manage to access social grants still remain cash-strapped as this small allowance does not cover all the basic needs of growing children.
  • Children living with ageing grandparents are extremely vulnerable to hunger and sickness; and they are more likely to drop out of school.
  • Donations from Grandmothers United have touched the hearts of ASAP’s South African grandmothers who feel enormous relief and gratitude for the extra help that enables them to buy children’s shoes, enough food for the month or to pay for transport to a clinic. It brightens their world that there are other grandmothers in the world that care about their struggle and offer them a helping hand.