Fashion show to highlight climate change, social justice

By Lethbridge Herald on April 10, 2025.

A “quirky” fashion show set for next week will raise awareness of, and money for, climate change and other issues.

The show, hosted by the Harambee Grandmas on April 15, will feature members modelling 30 vests created by environmental activist Ellen Monaghan, who is a member of the Grandmother’s Campaign group of Calgary. The vests weave together graphics and stories of climate change designed to inspire conversations and, hopefully, action on the issue.

Harambee Grandmas is the local chapter of the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign. The Stephen Lewis Foundation is a progressive, feminist organization rooted in the principles of social justice, international solidarity, and substantive equality. The SLF was created in 2003 with the express purpose of supporting communitybased organizations working on the frontlines of the HIV and AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa.

Since its creation, the SLF has partnered with 325 community-based organizations on more than 1,800 initiatives in the 15 sub-Saharan Africa countries that have been hardest hit by the HIV and AIDS pandemic. The Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign was launched in 2006 as an initiative of the SLF in response to the emerging crisis faced by grandmothers in Africa.

As a result of the formation of the “GtoG” campaign, more than $40 million has been raised in support of grandmothers and the work they do in their community-based organizations. Many of these grassroots organizations in African countries were originally formed by small groups of individuals responding to the crisis AIDS had wrought in their own lives and in the lives of their neighbours. Over the years, they have developed into thriving organizations with deep connections to their communities.

The SLF’s community-based partners are turning the tide of HIV and AIDS by providing care and support to children orphaned by AIDS, LGBTIQ communities, women suffering abuse, and people living with HIV and AIDS. Starting with just a few groups in Canada, the Grandmothers Campaign now includes 10,000 grandmothers and “grandothers” in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The groups organize fundraising events and activities and act in solidarity with the grandmothers and the SLF’s community-based partners in sub-Saharan Africa. The Harambee Grandmas have been part of the Campaign since the beginning.

Doors open for the fashion show at 6:30 p.m. at McKillop United Church. The evening also included a sale of afghan blankets and unique hand-crafted items. Admission is by donation.