Announcing the new Palladium Our Communities Fund Recipients
The Palladium Our Communities Fund, supports local initiatives that create lasting, positive change. This fund empowers Palladium employees to champion projects that address critical social issues in the communities where they live and work. We are excited to announce four new projects that will receive Our Communities funding this year.
Care and Development Organisation (CDO) – Nepal
Promotion of Women Empowerment and Rights (POWER) Project
This initiative will provide 110 women working in brick and carpet factories, with training in traditional livelihood activities like incense making, organic kitchen gardening, in addition to entrepreneurship and business training. These skills will help them transition into more stable and lower-risk forms of work.
Through this project:
- 50 women will receive training in organic farming, including crop rotation, pest control, and sustainable agriculture.
- 60 women will be trained in incense-making, with start-up materials provided.
- All 110 women will receive entrepreneurship and marketing training, enabling them to sell their products and build financial independence.
- Micro-savings groups will be established to help women create financial safety nets and long-term resilience.
Palmhouse Foundation – Kenya
Supporting Secondary School Students
Palmhouse Foundation has provided secondary school sponsorships for over 1,300 bright but financially disadvantaged students across Kenya. With support from the Our Communities Fund, Palmhouse will be able to expand its scholarship program, ensuring that 11 additional students can access secondary education over the next three years. Beyond financial aid, the foundation’s mentorship programs, led by alumni, provide students with guidance and encouragement, fostering success in both school and life.
Femili PNG – Papua New Guinea
Stronger Together: Strengthening Mental Health Support for Family and Sexual Violence Workers
With over a decade of experience responding to family and sexual violence (FSV), Femili PNG is dedicated to improving support services for survivors. This project will embed mental health support and trauma-informed supervision for frontline workers who provide critical case management services through their programs.
This project will provide:
- Accredited Mental Health First Aid Training for FSV caseworkers.
- Accredited Counselling Training for 15 staff members.
- Specialised training in clinical supervision for casework managers and senior staff.
Wadada Kupitiliza Association – Kenya
Girls for Girls Mentorship Program
Wadada Kupitiliza is a newly established female-led organisation focused on empowerment and mentorship for women, by women. With the Our Communities funding, Wadada will implement a mentorship program focused on empowering teenage mothers from Nairobi’s Kibera slum. Many young mothers struggle to continue their education while balancing childcare responsibilities and financial hardships. This mentorship program focuses on providing additional support to these young mothers in addition to their teachers, equipping them with the skills to better support them both as a mother and as a student.
This project will provide:
- A three-day mentorship program for at least 120 teenage mothers.
- Mentorship sessions in three primary schools, reaching 500 students.
- Teacher mentorship sessions for 12 educators, equipping them to better support young mothers.
We look forward to sharing updates on these initiatives as they unfold! Thanks to Palladium for their generous financial support for these projects.
