The Foundation’s Projects
CAFE CULTURE
Cafe Culture is a social enterprise initiative that supports the work of worthwhile social and economic development projects. The best thing about Cafe Culture is that it is beyond coffee. All money (ALL MONEY) raised at the Cafe is donated to our life-changing projects. The Cafe is located on the ground floor of the EQUAL International building at 81 Currie Street, Adelaide.Our delicious coffee is all made by our amazing volunteer baristas. Come by today and make a difference with your coffee.
AKANU OHAFIA INSTITUTE OF LEARNING
The Foundation’s current project, The Akanu, Ohafia Institute of Learning is making a profound difference in the lives of disadvantaged children, their families and the Akanu, Ohafia community in Nigeria.
Located in a remote part of southern Nigeria, the Akanu Ohafia Institute of Learning is located in the rural regional of Ohafia in the state of Abia in Nigeria. Poverty is especially severe in rural areas such as Ohafia, where up to 80% of the population live below the poverty line, and basic services and access to education are limited or non-existent.
The Akanu Ohafia Institute of Learning is a free, registered educational institution that focuses on cultivating educational opportunities of disadvantaged children, and creates an environment to build their confidence and the belief they can achieve their dreams.
A chance meeting in 2007 saw Katina Jones, Founder of EQUALS Foundation, become acquainted with Uduma Idika Uduma a Nigerian Olympian who attended the 2000 Sydney Olympics and had become an Australia citizen living in South Australian with his wife and children.
How it all Began
It became evident they shared similar goals and aspirations to assist underprivileged women and children in Africa: Katina, with her 20 years attendance at the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations in New York and Uduma, originating from a strong lineage of leaders in the village of Akanu, Ohafia in the state of Abia, Nigeria saw the two meeting regularly, talking about the plight of the people in Akanu. This is when the inspiration of assisting in the area of education and health emerged and the dedication and commitment to start a free school for the poorest children in Akanu Ohafia was born.
Another chance meeting with architect Dikesh Bilimoria in 2010, from I AM DESIGNS saw Katina and Uduma work with Dikesh to create a design for the Institute that would suit the land size and the environmental conditions in Nigeria. Katina, Uduma and Dikesh have formed a formidable team of dedicated individuals with the determination to see the project reach its full potential – a fully sustainable education institute.
Our Partners
EQUALS Foundation is pleased to be in partnership with Uduma Charity Organisation which, in consultation with EQUALS Foundation, is responsible for supervising the completion of the construction of the Akanu, Ohafia institute of Learning in Nigeria and provide operational skills pertaining to the development of the Institution by implementation of the Strategic Plan with the goal of developing and supporting a sustainable community.
Uduma Idika Uduma, founder and representative of the Uduma charity Organisation in Australia is also the African representative of EQUALS Foundation. His intrinsic knowledge of Nigeria (a country that has been declared as a developing country by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia), and his close family ties in the Akanu Ohafia community in Nigeria is invaluable to this special project.
