Welcome to Ozcots.org.au

Background

By way of background, Despina Voudouris was planning a holiday to South Africa in 2003 and like most people who go to SA – planning a safari and to see the wondrous sights of South Africa is an absolute must. This trip changed the course of Despina’s life and all the people who came into contact with Despina. At the final stages of the preparing for her holiday Despina asked a friend in Jbg, to organise to do some volunteer work at an AIDS orphanage.

Within 3 hours of arrival in Johannesburg, Despina was at Cotlands, a baby sanctuary for children who are abused, neglected, or abounded who are infected or affected with HIV/AIDS.

Despina saw beautiful children who were gorgeous happy, healthy like you would see in any child care centre in Australia.

Cotlands was the first facility in South Africa to provide the children with Anti Retro Viral therapy prior to the Government rollout, and is a world leader in providing pediatric palliative care to the children who are at the final stages of their lives.

Despina was totally blown away with what she was and was very moved with what she saw. Despina felt she had to do something to support Cotlands otherwise in her mind she would have allowed the situation to perpetuate. That was something that she couldn't’t live with herself. So Despina went into action and formed OzCots, with its main aim of raising awareness of HIV issues and funds for Cotlands.

In a space of 4 and half months $70K was raised and had about 10 major organisations sponsoring and supporting OzCots. One of these organisations was South African Airways who sponsored for Despina to be in South Africa where she spent 2 months volunteering at Cotlands from November 2004 until January 2005.

Despina had to give up work as it interfered with her passion…. And she couldn't’t organise all the fundraising activities whilst working fulltime.

This project as many of you can tell is very close to Despina’s heart.

Who would have known that the initial 3 days of volunteer work at Cotlands could have had such a profound effect on Despina? Despina feels that divine intervention has played its part, and that she had been chosen to undertake this incredible task.

Dedication

On a deeper and personal level, Despina has dedicated OzCots to the memory of her two great aunts who passed away within 24 days of each other in November 2003 they were Mrs Katina Plantzos and Mrs Eleni Bucetti.

Both of these incredible women were brought up in an orphanage in Egypt after Despina’s great grandfather was murdered. Despina’s great grandmother could not afford to bring up 4 daughters on her own. She reluctantly placed the two younger ones into an orphanage.

Despina’s great aunts were very giving, loving, caring, hard working and family orientated women. Despina has dedicated this project to their wonderful legacy.

Through OzCots we are looking at the needs of the world’s most disadvantaged children. These children are orphans, and are affected or infected by HIV.

OzCots has managed to raise a substantial amount of funds for Cotlands, recently one of the OzCots volunteers was able to secure $50,000 from St Vinnies for the Grannies Home Based Care project in Soweto. This is an amazing amount raised. Great work to all concerned.