“With the cold weather affecting most parts of the country, children living on the street face severe difficulties, requiring a coordinated response from government and other organisations involved in addressing the challenge…” Xingwana said on Saturday.

The launch, which marks the end of Child Protection Week, will be from 9am to 10am, with a march by children from Hoffman Square to the Premier’s Office at Lebohang Building in Bloemfontein.

During the launch of Child Protection Week, held last Monday at Abraham Kriel Childcare centre, Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini urged anyone who was thinking of taking the first step to adopt or foster a child to visit their local social workers or welfare organisations to find out more about the process.

"We encourage individuals and families to think about the great rewards that fostering or adopting a child can bring. We urgently need more foster care parents and adoptive parents to provide safe and loving homes for the growing number of orphans and vulnerable children, some of which are unable to live with their own families,” said Dlamini.

According to statistics, 512 763 children are in foster care and their primary caregivers receive the foster care grant.