Gwai Dancers

On a recent trip to Zimbabwe, Firelight Program Officer Aili Langseth visited Gwai Grandmothers. This grassroots organization was started by a group of grandmothers who joined together to help children who had lost their parents and had become the heads of their households. All the children are now placed with extended family, but the grandmothers continue to bring the children together twice a week. They help to relieve the expenses of adding children to the family by providing meals and they also take this time to teach children things like laundry, cleaning, hair styling and other things that children would typically learn from their parents growing up. The children were visiting at the same time Aili was and she took the video below. One of the grandmothers had started the children off with a song and then children took over from there. Aili said, “What I love is that they are so free to share their dancing.”  She said the grandmothers took their turn next, laughing and singing for the children.

No program is complete without the time to celebrate and have fun, the children at Gwai Grandmothers are a great example of that.

Enjoy!

httpv://youtu.be/6-C2O8ZCDCM