The Grandmothers Giving held their annual Stride to Turn the Tide walk yesterday at Island Park.

The walk is a nation-wide movement put on by the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign of the Stephen Lewis Foundation to turn the tide on HIV and AIDS in Africa. Grandmothers Giving Portage la Prairie Co-chair Tina Lequier explains the origins of the walk.

"At the very beginning of the Grandmothers campaign they talked about turning the tide of AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa and someone came up with the idea of a walk. So that's how the name Stride to Turn the Tide [came to be]."

She explains when they walk, they walk with the idea that they are doing so in solidarity with the grandmothers in Africa who care for their grandchildren.

"The African grandmothers, they have marches all the time. It's part of their way of expressing their needs, is to have a march. So that's why we have our walk."

Grandmothers Sheila Riendeau and Tina LequierThe Stride to Turn the Tide walk has been held in Portage every year but one since 2009 and Lequier explains this year they decided to do something different and have a treasure hunt complete with prizes.

"It really is just a walk around the park but we have clues all the way around. So each clue not only takes them around the park [... ] but on each one we've put a little bit of information about the Stephen Lewis Foundation. It's kind of a learning thing, an education thing, as well as having fun."

Well over $3,500 was raised for Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign through this year's walk despite the attendance numbers being down.