Grassroots projects are the focus of the Stephen Lewis Foundation — providing resources to small, front-line groups that make tremendously effective use of comparatively small amounts of money.  On rare occasions, we fund larger undertakings where we are sure the funds are being disbursed at the community level.

Download the PDF version of our brochure and read more about our areas of work.

We assist orphans in every possible way from the payment of school fees and supplies, to support for their guardians, most often grandmothers and older teenagers. The grassroots organizations we support nourish the orphans through school gardens and school feeding programmes. We fund projects that help these children cope with their grief and then work to build their self-sufficiency through vocational and life skills training.

Grandmothers single-handedly care for millions of children orphaned by AIDS, sometimes as many as ten to fifteen in one household. These magnificently courageous women bury their own children and then look after their orphan grandchildren, calling on astonishing reserves of love and emotional resilience. But they do so with almost no support.

Learn more about the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign.

The Foundation supports projects that unite women, men and children living with HIV/AIDS. One of the most important objectives for associations of people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHAs) is to educate themselves and share information with the broader community on prevention, treatment, care and the elimination of stigma. We also support PLWHAs to provide nutritional support, home-based care, prevention workshops and assistance in accessing treatment as well as income generating activities.