Habitel Care Foundation (HCF) was once just a dream on paper for the visionary of the organization who was filled with great ideas about the future. It was eventually registered as a Non Governmental Organization and initially funded as a Corporate Social Responsibility project of the visionaries company, Trussnet Limited. Trussnet Limited continues to be the primary source of funding for HCF till date.

The name Habitel Care Foundation was formed from the words Habitat (this describes the importance of community, location and environment) and Telecom (this describes ICT as a key component for unlocking the future); Habitat + Telecom = Habitel Care Foundation.

Anegbette Community – Edo State

To reduce set up and maintenance costs, and justify initial investments that were made, Anegbette Community in Etsako Central of Edo State was selected as a starting point and a is a current case study. This is because of easy access for the visionary – who is also from the community – to land freely given by the community for the development of the required infrastructure.

Access to free land and help from Christian missionaries in the community has culminated in the recent development of a 12 room school structure with play ground. It is determined that in the future, it will be the responsibility of the Board of Trustees and appointed financial members to decide areas where investments will be made with easy access to land and security.

The goal of the visionary through HCF is to help the poor, needy and weak with a focus on education and development of human resources leading to poverty alleviation. A focus on education is due to the importance attached to facing life challenges and acts as a good foundation that will provide a corrective moment for those that missed the opportunity.

For example, HCF Adult Education Initiative is for those who didn’t have the opportunity to an early education. They can now have access to basic reading and writing, internet, farming and more to improve their interaction within the outside world. Those in the public primary and secondary schools, including early learners, who couldn’t further their schooling can now receive ICT education that will help them access to a new world. In all cases, basic education is necessary thereby enabling access to ICT education.

To sensitize and create awareness in the case study community of Anegbette, a youth, sport and social development event was created by organizing and sponsoring a beach soccer tournament that holds every year since 2012. This tournament is hosted by the community allowing youth to compete among themselves and highlighting sensitivity of the NGO. The last tournament in 2015 was expanded to include 8 more communities thus increasing attendance at the event and creating even more awareness.

Due to statutory regulations and proper governance, several reputable members of society have been invited to become Board of Trustee members nominated by the visionary. The Board of Trustees represents the governing board. Registered financial members and ordinary financial members are from time to time involved in the planning of future projects.