Tikun Olam Gogos\u2019 O Canada! bags proclaim dedication to the ethic of improving the world in friendship with other nations, raising much-needed funds for grandmothers in sub-Saharan Africa who are raising their grandchildren due to the HIV & AIDS pandemic. (photo from Tikun Olam Gogos)<\/i><\/p>\n
As proud Canadians and fundraisers for the Stephen Lewis Foundation Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign, Tikun Olam Gogos have launched a special edition line of O Canada! tote bags \u2013 determined to respond to the threats American tariffs pose to Canada, and to the suspension of USAID, which is devastating to the Gogos\u2019 partner organizations in Africa.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n According to Stephen Lewis, \u201cLives will be lost. Our best contribution at this perilous moment is to attempt to replace the resources that America has expunged.\u201d<\/p>\n Tikun Olam Gogos\u2019 response to the White House is to raise more funds by intensifying its efforts to handcraft and market its O Canada! line of large tote bags, zippered and drawstring pouches.<\/p>\n Tikun Olam Gogos (TOG) is part of the Greater Vancouver Gogos, which includes about 20 Gogo groups across the Lower Mainland. Gogo<\/i> is the Zulu word for \u201cgrandmother\u201d and tikkun olam<\/i> is Hebrew for \u201crepair of the world.\u201d TOG is a volunteer group of grandmothers and grand-others (non-members who help out the group periodically) in Vancouver that was founded in May 2011 and is sponsored by the Sisterhood of Temple Sholom. Its mission is to raise awareness, build solidarity and mobilize support in Canada for grandmothers in sub-Saharan Africa who are raising their grandchildren due to the HIV & AIDS pandemic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In 14 years of operation, Tikun Olam Gogos has raised more than half a million dollars for the SLF Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign. With its partners in Africa reeling from the withdrawal of other international programs, TOG is more determined than ever to fulfil its motto: \u201cwe will not rest until they can rest.\u201d<\/p>\n Priced at $50, just $5 more than TOG\u2019s original signature totes, the O Canada! bags proclaim dedication to the ethic of improving the world in friendship with other nations. So, wear your maple leaf and your heart proudly on your O Canada! tote. You are telling the world \u201cCanada cares.\u201d<\/p>\n