Innovative approach to development recognizes role of grandmothers.

• Author: Herro, Alana
• Position: EYE ON EARTH - The Grandmother Project

Grandmothers in the Kati district of Mali, in West Africa, used to advise pregnant women to work harder so their muscles would be strong for childbirth, and to eat less so their babies would be smaller and easier to push out. But with participatory learning programs promoted by the Grandmother Project and partner organizations, older women are now more likely to encourage their younger counterparts to rest and eat more (and healthier) food when they are expecting.

The Grandmother Project (GMP), a nonprofit organization, is designed to recognize and strengthen the leadership role that senior women, most of whom are grandmothers, play in communities across the developing world. While most development programs imported from the West focus on youth as the change-makers of society, GMP respects the cultural significance and indigenous knowledge of elderly women in traditional societies. "In this approach we have become important in our village," one Malian grandmother explains about the project. "Before, we were ignored. Usually only younger women were involved. We weren't included and, therefore, we couldn't learn new things."

In most non-western cultures, says GMP president Judi Aubel, senior women are valued for...