About

The Birth of Global Grandmothers: Diana’s Story

After my granddaughter was born I couldn’t believe how she captivated me  — so perfect in each detail, so fragile, — and so promising!  But I was bothered too – by how much she enjoyed when so many children in the world had so little.  By an accident of fate my granddaughter was born into a loving family in  a rich country while an equally-deserving baby with loving parents was born into poverty and privation.  How unfair that seemed – and how little I was doing about it!

Then I conceived of Global Grandmothers.  The basic idea was simple – become a grandmother to the world’s children. Give to children worldwide as well as those near and dear to you.  A meaningful way for me to do this was giving to a child in need when I gave to my own grandchild. I called this  Linked Giving.

Knowing that not just grandmothers shared my concern, I thought of Global Grandmothers as an organization that welcomed anyone who wanted to give to improve the lives of children beyond his/her own family. Let the world’s children benefit from the pooled generosity of caring adults.

A website, I thought, could be the focal point of Global Grandmothers. There, anyone could contribute to non-profits that Global Grandmothers had vetted for effectiveness. Global Grandmothers would not seek funds for itself. Instead, it would be a conduit. It would generate interest and facilitate giving to high quality, child-centered non-profits.

By April 2010 Global Grandmothers was incorporated and by October it received federal 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. Our website went live on January 18, 2011.

In 2014 we were honored to be included in A Path Appears, the best selling book by husband-wife team Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.  Kristof is an op-ed columnist for the New York Times and he and WuDunn were awarded a Pulitzer prize for earlier publications.

If you are reading this, you are one of the hundreds, thousands, and ultimately millions of people I hope will become a part of Global Grandmothers and give generously. Together, we can make a huge difference in the lives of children.

Diana