About the Foundation

EQUALS Foundation is dedicated to make a difference to the lives of disadvantaged children, their families and their communities. Everyone can be involved, no matter how big or small that role may be. The implementation of meaningful projects focusing on sustainable development, promotion of human rights and global equality are some of the key driving forces.

The objectives for which the Company is established are:

• To support and promote social and economic development projects directed at the improvement of health, education (including moral education of children) and the alleviation of poverty for persons in Declared Developing Countries.
• To assist communities in Declared Developing Countries to overcome poverty and to improve their conditions in a sustainable way by:
  • Providing financial assistance to establish educational institutions;
  • By partnering with local organisations to establish educational institutions;
  • Teaching local residents Life Skills and Livelihood Skills;
  • Training local residents to teach life Skills and Livelihood Skills to persons in their local communities; and
  • Establishing class involving the local communities for the teaching of Life and Livelihood Skills;
• To develop, implement and support sustainable development projects in partnership with Australian individuals, organisations and the Australian Government (as applicable) and with appropriate national and international organisations in Declared Developing Countries and the local communities;
• To establish and maintain groups of persons throughout Australia and in Declared Developing Countries who will actively assist in the furtherance of these objects;
• If considered appropriate, to establish a Developing Company Relief Fund; and
• To do all such acts and things as may be incidental to, or conducive to the furtherance of, these objects and purposes.

To support and promote social and economic development projects directed at the improvement of health, education and the alleviation of poverty for persons in Declared Developing Countries.

In 1994, Katina Jones attended the 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing, on behalf of UNIFEM (now UN Women). The conference was a turning point for Katina and since that time she has attended the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations in New York, representing several organisations, but more recently the Centre for Equality.

The many years listening to heartbreaking stories from women about the injustices, inequalities and hardships that faced women, children and communities in developing countries saw the birth of a strong commitment from Katina to make a difference.

Katina shared the stories and her dream to ‘change the world’ with her husband Jeffrey and their four children. The dream started to take shape and the result was the inception of EQUALS Foundation in 2012.

“Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world” Nelson Mandela

2012 saw the birth of the first project for the Foundation – the Akanu Ohafia Institute of Learning in Akanu, Ohafia, Abia, Nigeria, a free school that focusses on developing the latent potentialities of disadvantaged children and youth and creating an environment to build their confidence and belief they can achieve their dreams.

Today, there are over 100 of the poorest children from four communities in Ohafia, at the Akanu Ohafia Institute of Learning, learning and growing into service oriented members of the community. The difference the Institute has made to not only the children, but their families and communities is evident to all.  We still have a lot of work to do but the project has encouraged us and confirmed our belief that change starts with education.

In 2017 EQUALS Foundation was recognised as a public benevolent institution, incorporated as a company limited by guarantee which allowed the Foundation, to be tax exempt and a registered Deductible Gift Recipient.  That meant that all donations to the EQUALS Foundation, over $2,00 is tax deductible!

Katina Jones (Chair and Founding Director) – Director since 2012

Jeffrey Hilton Jones – Director since 2012

William Jones – Director since 2012

Marie Chittleborough – Director since 2012

Vahid Chittleborough – Director since 2012

Khyati Gajjar – Director since 2016

Wendy Macdonald – Director since 2016