Alexandra Grannies

There was a line hundreds long outside the Alexandra fire station.

"That will affect numbers at the grannies support group," my SIM colleague, Ruth Maxwell, told me as we drove by. We suspected the government was handing out food packages and making sure everyone knew which party was in control of this bounty before next months elections.

Sure enough, numbers were down. Eventually six older women and one man joined the young ladies who work in home care in the area. One woman brought a grandchild who hadn't gone to school that day due to a tummy upset. Some spoke fluent English, although they lapsed into South Sotho when they spoke among themselves. All understood me well enough to laugh heartily at Marjorie van Heerden's Lulama's Long Way Home and nod their heads to my reasons why reading with their grandchildren was a good idea. (See Reading with Grannies .) They even knew the locations of, not one, but two public libraries within walking distance, and we talked about how to get a library card and borrow books for free as long as you return them on time. (South African libraries are still into heavy overdue fines.)

Ruth had told me that one of the women, Nkele, is an acknowledged artist in the community. Her creativity was obvious as Ruth brought out a box of fabric scraps and asked for ideas how they could be used to raise money for the group. I am going to be talking with Nkele about possibly illustrating one of my stories. Ruth has contacts who know how to write grants for such projects, and using a local artist will make it a good project for the church.

While the ladies sorted through the scrap box and exclaimed at their finds, Bonolo, Nkele's nine-year-old granddaughter, poured over the sample books I had brought. She told me her name means 'soft'. I thought how soft and cuddly her parents must have found her when she was new-born. Now her father is dead and her mother is very sick--an all-too-common story. Bonolo has a loving grandmother, reaching out to her neighbors and fighting for her family's future. That's why Ruth, Selina, Octavia and others consider it a privilege to stand along side them in their struggle.