Gogo is the jaunty term for grandmother in Zulu.

The Langley Gogos is a new group of women who want to be surrogate grandmothers to Africa.

"When I retired I was seeking to find an organization that I could support and devote my time to," said member Carole Albertson. "I found out about a new club starting up in Langley and decided to join."

Many communities are creating their own Gogo groups, an effort that arose out of the Stephen Lewis Foundation and its Grandmothers for Grandmothers campaign started in 2006.

Due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa, many parents have died and grandmothers are left to raise the children.

Grandmothers to Grandmothers is about helping them and the different Gogos branches support that work.

"So far our fundraising consists of collecting pennies and other change," Albertson said.

"We hope to do more and varied fundraisers next year, as well as increase our membership."

The group has a public event on Oct. 11. Starting at 7 p.m. in the Langley Mennonite Fellowship, 20997 40th Ave., guest speaker Jean Douglas-Webb will be doing a talk and slide show on her trip to Swaziland.

Everyone is invited to attend and find out about the new local group working to help with an international problem.

Beverly Short is another member who found out about Gogos at a unique fundraiser.

"I went to a SCRABBLE tournament sponsored by the New West group a couple of years ago," she said. "I said that when I retired I would like to join a group in Langley. Last fall I saw a notice in a Langley paper about a group that was forming."

For information about the Langley Gogos, contact Carole Albertson at 604534-6152 or email carolealbertson@gmail. com.

"I want to be in the group because I want to meet people who support a cause that I strongly believe in," Short explained. "We meet not only as a local group, but as part of a larger Vancouver area group - the Greater Van Gogos, and are connected nationally with newsletters and assistance."

hcolpitts@langleyadvance.com