[SatNews] GVF, the international non-profit association of the satellite communications sector, has unveiled a global initiative to facilitate delivery of state-of-the-art connectivity solutions in support of corporate-social-responsibility projects supported by the oil, gas, mining, banking, and other enterprise sectors.

"Increasingly, corporate enterprises are seeking sustainable solutions to address corporate social responsibility requirements, particularly in developing countries," said David Hartshorn, Secretary General of GVF. "The 'satcommunity' initiative promotes sustainable collaboration between our Member companies, enterprise users, non-government organisations (NGOs), national administrations, and community-oriented stakeholders."

The 'satcommunity' initiative's first project involves co-ordination of support for schools in Nigeria. In a partnership facilitated by GVF, Communications Cooperative International (CCI), a not-for-profit U.S. NGO dedicated to expanding access to information and communications technologies to underserved areas around the world, has teamed up with GVF-member Schlumberger’s Excellence in Educational Development (SEED) to address constraints on ICT accessibility and education technology integration in Nigeria. CCI’s contribution to the collaboration is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The SEED program focuses on improving science education around the world, primarily targeting underserved communities. In Nigeria and 42 other nations, SEED is funding ICT labs in schools and working with the sponsored schools throughout the lifecycle of two-year support grants in order to maximise the prospects for sustainability once the grants expire. The partnership is targeting the sustainability issue among the SEED network of schools through developing community-based approaches to the spectrum of ICT access and integration issues that they face. The GVF 'satcommunity' initiative is now inviting further collaboration from other GVF Members, NGOs, and enterprise users in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas and Europe. Community-oriented stakeholders interested in exploring collaboration are invited to contact GVF directly.