GrG Ahero

History

Bie Bostrom lived and worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer for 2 years in Ahero, Kenya. Ahero is a town in the Nyando District close to Lake Victoria where the poverty rate is approximately 67%. Most of the population live on less than $1 a day. During her stay Bie was confronted daily with many, mostly older single women who were raising their grandchildren and she wanted to find a way of helping them. The District Social Development Officer (DSDO) of the town had asked her to put a program together to celebrate Old Age Day and at that time she decided to target the group of grandmothers raising their grandchildren. Most of the parents of the children had died of AIDS related illnesses.

With the assistance of Moses Warah, a neighbor and youth leader who contacted churches to identify the most needy cases, they interviewed 15 women who between them were raising 47 grandchildren. The group was registered under the name “Grandmothers raising Grandchildren” in 2006 at the Department of Social Services in Ahero Town. The members meet every two weeks and discuss the projects that they can undertake to improve their standard of living.

Upon her return to the States, Bie is continuing the work she started in Kenya and founded the 501(c)3 organization "Grandmothers raising Grandchildren."

As of September 2009, the group has grown to 48 members raising 170 grandchildren.