Our Children Our Future Trust (OCOFT) ,an organisation which seeks to uplift the welfare of vulnerable children, especially those orphaned to HIV and of female prisoners, will this Friday host a breakfast meeting aimed at finding lasting solutions to the plight of the children.
OCOFT Chairperson, Williet Mabeza said stakeholders from different socio-economic backgrounds have been invited to the breakfast meeting where it is hoped a sound and concrete solution to addressing the welfare of these children will be found.
“We have invited heads of corporates, representatives of child based organisations, Non-Governmental Organisations and civic organisations so that we put our heads together to find lasting solutions to the plight of vulnerable children, especially those orphaned to HIV and children of female prisoners and their female parents to prepare for them for life after prison,
“An estimated two million children between the ages of five and 18 globally have a parent who is behind bars while millions more have lost both their parents to the HIV pandemic and so we are looking to contribute to the welfare of this vulnerable group of children hence we have invited like-minded stakeholders for us to map a way forward,” said Mabeza.
She added that OCOFT ‘s mission is to promote and advocate for improved quality of life for vulnerable children and female prisoners in Zimbabwe.
In the past seven years, the organisation has mainly worked with the Chikurubi female prisoners where it made donations and hosted Christmas parties for the inmates.
“For the children, OCOFT pays regular visits to the children staying in rural areas where we look after the children’s welfare by providing for all their educational requirements. The breakfast meeting is meant to draw stakeholders attention to this mammoth task we have so that they can come on board and help increase the number of beneficiaries so as to minimize the rate of school drop-outs,
“We are geared to establish a centre for skills training, counselling and research for the beneficiaries of the Trust who are living with HIV. The elderly and other care givers looking after orphans and other disadvantaged vulnerable children will also receive care, counselling and treatment services while receiving training…We will initiate income generating activities necessary to uplift the welfare of the beneficiaries of the Trust.” added Mabeza.
Our Children Our Future Trust (OCOFT) is a registered voluntary organization established in 2010 by a group of inter-denominational Christian women to contribute to the welfare of vulnerable children in Zimbabwe.
