The mission of The Grandmother Project (GMP) is to recognize and strengthen the leadership role of grandmothers in improving the health and well-being of women and children in developing countries

In most non-western societies, senior women play a critical role in community and in family life, especially advising and educating younger women on all aspects of family well-being. Grandmothers exert a strong influence, not only on the practices of younger women, but also on those of young fathers and other male decision-makers. However, in developing country settings, community health and education programs typically focus on women of childbearing age and their children and exclude senior women.

Recent experiences with communities in West Africa and Asia have revealed the importance of grandmother leaders in promoting family health and well-being. These experiences show that grandmothers are open to new ideas when engaged with participatory learning methods based on respect and dialogue.

Grandmother-inclusive interventions have been associated with improvements in maternal and child well-being in a number of settings. For example, in both Senegal and Mali , grandmother involvement contributed to better diet and nutritional status of pregnant women and young children. In Laos, grandmother participation led to improved household care for diarrhea, reducing risk of childhood death.

Our goals

Our organization aims to support capacity-building efforts at three levels:

• To provide support to organizations engaged in promoting the well-being of children and women;
• To increase their capacity to integrate grandmother-inclusive strategies into their work; and
• To enhance the capacity of grandmothers to become powerful agents for positive change in their families and communities.