NORWAY — Norway Memorial Library will host author Susanna Grannis, founder of CHABHA, a Vermont- and Rwanda-based humanitarian organization, at 7 p.m., Monday, Nov. 7. Grannis discuss her new book, “Hope Amidst Despair: HIV/AIDS Affected Children in Sub-Saharan Africa.” African refreshments will served and books will be available for purchase and signing.
Commenting on her new book, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate writes, “This is an unsentimental and realistic assessment of the desperate situation of children in sub-Saharan Africa affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Thus when the author says there is hope despite the hopelessness we must believe her. We are indebted to Susanna Grannis for pointing to the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Of the 16 million children to have been orphaned by AIDS worldwide, almost 15 million live in sub-Saharan Africa. “Hope Amidst Despair” focuses on these children. It is a book that gives a personal picture of how resilient the children are, making the story about individuals not numbers. Grannis gives voice to these orphans, allowing them to tell their stories and explain the challenges they face. She shows how young community leaders can help — are helping — to promote children’s wellbeing and independence. This is a unique and informative guide for anyone concerned about the welfare of children in developing countries.
After retirement as a professor and dean at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Queens College and Bank Street College, Grannis founded CHABHA, Children Affected by HIV/AIDS, an organization that supports African grassroots projects helping children in need of basic and psychosocial support. She has made many trips to CHABHA projects in South Africa, Namibia, Rwanda and Burundi, each time making opportunities to talk with the children heading their households, to visit them in their homes and discover what they need. She retired as executive director of CHABHA in 2010 but continues as a member of the board. She lives with her husband on a small farm in West Townshend, Vt.
For more information, please call the library at 743-5309.
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