The devastating impact of AIDS in Africa has been particularly damaging to women and children who bear the fall-out of the disease. Mothers who die leave children behind, often with no means of support. It is common for orphaned children to live with their grandmothers in "sibling households" or "child-headed households" in which the oldest child is often a girl of just 12 to 14 years old.
In an effort to provide care and outreach, the Stephen Lewis Foundation funds grassroots projects that help individuals, families and communities ravaged by the pandemic. As part of its educational effort, the foundation will present three 30-minute films at the Community Library in Ketchum on Tuesday, April 1, at 7 p.m. Admission is free.
Presented by the Sun Valley Center for the Arts, the trilogy of films, directed by Liz Marshall for the Stephen Lewis Foundation, reveal three very common circumstances existing in sub-Saharan African life. "Grandmothers: The Unsung Heroes of Africa" highlights the role grandmothers play in caring for AIDS orphans and in holding families and communities together.
"A Generation of Orphans" is a documentary that gives voice to six orphans as they struggle with the loss of their parents to AIDS. "Women: The Face of AIDS" traces the lives of five courageous HIV-positive women in sub-Saharan Africa and the grassroots organizations that support them.
"We had an overwhelming community reaction to Lewis' talk," said Britt Udesen, director of education and humanities for the Sun Valley Center for the Arts, which hosted Lewis in February. "In particular, we had a number of high school students who, after hearing him speak, expressed interest in raising money and awareness for his foundation. So this is another way of spreading the word."
Lewis is a noted politician, diplomat and international envoy for humanitarian efforts dedicated to improving the human condition. He was formerly special envoy to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and is chairman of the board of the Stephen Lewis Foundation in Canada.
"I urge everyone to come out and see these films and not be put off by the subject matter," Udesen said. "Lewis and the organizations that his foundation supports are an incredible example of how ordinary people—people like you and me—can make the world a better place."
For more information about the films or the Stephen Lewis Foundation's work in Africa, visit stephenlewisfoundation.org/films.htm.
"Grandmothers" will be shown at the Community Library. Courtesy photo by Liz Marshall
