What we do

Our group consists of approximately 12 active women who meet once a week, every

Wednesday between 1130 and 1230 in front of the Storting (the Norwegian parliament

building). We distribute our self-made leaflets, focusing on current news from the world

outside as well as on political issues in Norway to passers-by. Our main goal is to be visible

and make our presence felt, to make contact with the man and woman in the street, present

our view to them and, hopefully, start a dialogue. In other words: to be an eye-opener and

make people realize that we all can have our share in building a better world for our children

and grandchildren.

Among our many topics are arms trading, our involvement in the war in Afghanistan and

more recently in Northern Africa, the Israel-Palestine conflict. In addition to our regular

activities, we also take part in annual manifestations such as the commemoration in August of

the Hiroshima bomb. Each spring we arrange a poster demonstration in front of the Storting.

Wearing full-length posters and standing in groups of two, we show the glaring contrasts

between war and peace, illustrated by e.g. one picture of children maimed by bombs beside

another picture of children at play.

What we have done

In June 2010 many grandmothers took part in the international peace tax conference, a

biennial event aimed to achieve worldwide recognition and acceptance of the right to be

exempted from paying taxes for war, or the preparations for war. In September we

arranged a one-day seminar to draw attention to the widespread use of rape and sexual

aggression as weapons of war against women in Congo. In November we took part in the

globalization conference in Oslo.

Grandmothers for Peace want to transmit important events in a positive way, giving people

hope and optimism and showing them that although we cannot change the world alone, we

can at least try. We fully believe that by standing together and make our voices heard we can

all make a difference and hopefully make the world a better place for our children and

grandchildren.