CHILDREN'S HOME PROJECT.

This Children's home is open to the most vulnerable and marginalized children from villages, slum areas and HIV/AIDS affected villages. Many of our children are orphans that have experienced extreme poverty. At the orphanage, they find a permanent family that believes strongly in preserving the values and traditions of our children's cultures and encourages them to teach it to volunteers and sponsors. Through our child-sponsorship program, sponsors can communicate and learn about another world from a different perspective through emails facilitated by our overseas volunteers between them and their sponsored child. Volunteers that visit our orphanage/safe-home and interact with our children learn that happiness, laughter and giggles are abundant even in the most destitute situations. We hope that this is a message they can echo to the rest of the world to remind all of us who are wrapped up in the busy modern world, to stop and enjoy the little wonders of life.

EDUCATION PROJECT.

Without education, orphans have no future. COCODEFU realized that it was our duty to plug this gap in helping non-school going children access formal education through the provision of the stringent scholastic requirements necessary. COCODEFU does this by pursuing a double-pronged approach:

Ever since the founding of  COCODEFU it our dream to start our own school for AIDS orphans and children of AIDS widows. In  to open junior School. We 

shall be very happy when receive donations for this purpose.

MOBILE CLINIC

We recognize that in order to successfully improve health in developing areas, programs must be comprehensive, targeting both the direct and indirect causes of poor health and nutrition. We therefore integrate our Mobile Clinic into our Health Care programs, where we walk down to the people, deep in the remotest of villages, teach the basics, treat and care for the victims without due discrimination. In vicinities where there is electric current, we use a TV and a VCR and show movies about HIV/AIDS, NUTRITION, and SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS. At times, when we deem it practicable, we mobilize a parish or an area close to that, using our registered community based volunteers (SOCIAL CARE GROUPS). In COCODEFU. we call this the ‘MASS APPROACH.’

In our HOME-TO-HOME APPROACH,  we reach out to those who cannot make it to the collecting centers for one reason or the other. This is where we also reach

out to the chronically ill, analyze the vulnerability rate of the children and take appropriate corrective measures, commensurate with our capacity.  We administer off the shelf medication, advise on when and where to visit professional medical care, and offer basic necessities like maize flour, beans, salt, soap, paraffin and sugar. We also provide condoms. Through this approach, as we realized that the cost of a 3 condom pack in the local shops is the equivalent of almost 2 or 3 meals in this part of the country.

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT PROJECTS
 

COCODEFU found out that the income generating capacity of these households is profoundly constrained by numerous dependent children; lack of opportunity to accumulate productive resources like cattle, goats, and farming implements; and difficulty in getting access to credit. They are further constrained by limited education and training which limits their employability. COCODEFU has countered this trend by organizing widows in groups, and then offer them different skills, depending on their own choice and demonstrable ability for sustainability. Some have chosen to learn Craft making  among other Commercial Cookery and Bakery, where they are taught to make Cookies, Pan Cakes, Donuts, Bans, Bread. On the other they are also  trained how Rear Rabbits, Pigs, and Chickens, and lastly also we will train them in Horticulture. This involves growing of Tomatoes, Cabbage, Egg Plant,