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Grandmothers take a stand against AIDS

    JOHANNESBURG

    More than 300 women took to the streets of Toronto, Canada, this week in a 'Grandmothers to Grandmothers' march to raise awareness of the plight of African women who increasingly take on the role of parenting their grandchildren when their own children die of AIDS-related illnesses.

    Against the backdrop of an important international AIDS gathering, UN AIDS Envoy Stephen Lewis told the media that the aged were rapidly becoming "unrecognised heroes of the pandemic".

    He estimated that 13 million children had been orphaned by AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, with impoverished grandparents often having to assume the role of caregivers.

    The recently launched 'Grandmothers to Grandmothers' campaign aims to achieve increased financial support for the elderly to help pay for food, clothing and shelter for the children in their care.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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