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Our Communities Fund

Through the Our Communities Fund, we accept requests for grants of up to $30,000 AUD from community related organisations identified by Palladium staff members. These small grants build on the resilience of communities to enhance or expand the skills, capacities, and assets of people in the areas in which Palladium works. 20% of Palladium’s annual budget for funds initiatives is reserved for these small community grants. The Our Communities Fund was established in 2004, and has since donated over $800,000 to a range of activities and initiatives.

Current projects

Action Through Enterprise

ATE Our Communities

Action Through Enterprise (ATE) is a UK registered NGO that works in Ghana to enable opportunities for communities to escape the cycle of poverty through access to education, food and income security through small business development and dry season farming, and support for disabled children and their families. They have almost a decade of experience delivering, developing and scaling core development initiatives in partnership with Ghanian communities.

ATE works through their ‘Hub’ Model which involves selecting a rural area based on need, and assign a dedicated ATE Hub Manager to build relationships with the communities and lead on project delivery in the Hub. ATE partnerships with the local school is an entry point to work with the communities to help support children to complete their basic education, to identify and support often hidden disabled children, to enable growth of small businesses to increase household income and introduce other programme developments over time such as dry season farming, apprenticeships and gender equality projects.

The Our Communities funding will help the establishment of a new hub in Bagri Junction which will address the extreme poverty in 4 rural communities in Lawra, Upper West Region, Ghana. The project will run for a year and deliver improved access to education, increased income for rural households and support for special needs awareness through increased inclusion of disabled children and their families.

Jobs Have Priority 

Jobs Have Priority (JHP) is a community-based, non-profit social service organization in Washington D.C that helps people who are homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless seek, obtain, and retain employment and secure housing.

Originally beginning as a day centre that offered employment resources and assistance, over the years JHP has expanded the scope of its work to better serve the area’s homeless population. JHP’s programs strive to empower the disenfranchised. By providing the homeless with education, life-skills, and vocational training we increase their options and enable them to become self-actualized members of society. While JHP is an agency whose mission and focus are helping the homeless become employed, they recognize that employment is not a real possibility until the individual and/or family has achieved a basic level of stability. JHP’s first focus when working with the homeless is making sure their most basic needs are addressed, once that is achieved space opens up to start working on the solutions that are going to take them out of homelessness.

The Our Communities grant will support general operating expenses to assist homeless and at-risk consumers of the Greater Washington, DC Metro Area achieve self-sufficiency and sustainability through comprehensive case management and critical supportive services. The project will run for a year and provide outreach services such as housing assistance and employment and vocational training programs.

YUVA-SATHI

YUVA-SATHI project run by our partner Jnana Prabodhini Samshodhan Sanstha (JPSS) aims at bringing positive social change in the lives of adolescents from underserved communities by promoting access to SRHR (Sexual Reproduction, Health and Rights) Education. The project will achieve this by creating empowered social capital, reaching out to underserved communities, offering services to collaborators and strengthening content to become more inclusive and addressing needs of underserved communities in India. The YUTHA-SATHI project addresses a multitude of challenges related to SRHR in India including the increase in incidences of sexual abuse in rural and urban areas, the rise of crime against women, early child marriages including early pregnancies and related complications. There is also increased addiction and emotional mismanagement within adolescents which research indicates a strong linkage between sexuality and gender related issues with substance abuse and media addiction. This project will take place in the Latur, Kolhapur and Pune districts in Maharashtra. 

Jabiru Kabolkmakmen Ltd.

The proposal is to fund two Interim Working Group workshops to develop a larger scale project proposal suitable for large funding applications and partnerships. This initial stage will be indigenous led and must happen prior to engaging broadly with academics or institutions. There is a shared awareness that involving academics or government/institution funders too early could hinder Bininj controlling this project, therefore the project must progress yelej yelej (slowly slowly), and strengthen its position, develop its objectives, its governance, priorities, understandings and strategy from within the Bininj community first. 

The aim of the two workshops, as identified by the interim Knowledge Keepers Committee is: to identify who we are, policy, and education around ICIP, the difference between Bininj Lore and Balanda law, understanding of agreements. Develop and approach from a cultural perspective as a Traditional Owner group from the inside before going outside. This group will develop from our connections: how we connect from south to north to east to west, along songlines, kinship, message sticks… For our wurdurd to learn, for our kids, for the future. What we were taught, to show our wurdurd.

This project will specifically engage Visible Minority Ethnic (VME) women from the City of Bristol on a weekend nature camp in the Somerset countryside. By engaging VME women, we will provide a safe and inclusive space for members of the VME community that might not otherwise consider a weekend camping in the countryside as accessible or appealing. At the 2016 Race Equality in Nature Conference, VME Race experts identified barriers such as the countryside being elitist, fear of hate crime, lack of public transport, cultural fear of dogs and lack of suitable clothing. By engaging with VME women as a group, the positive impacts will be taken to their families and the communities they are active in. The women targeted for this camp are often socially isolated and the camps provide them with an opportunity to make contacts with other women – including those from other women’s organisations, and to find out about other organisations they can get involved in after the camp. There are also positive impacts on the families of these women, the aim being to empower them to spend more time with their children in the countryside and to see the appeal of doing so. In turn, the connection with nature that develops will have a positive impact on mental health – both for the women and their families.

Health Tanzania

This project aims to modify the Zanzibar “island model” to largely eradicate malaria in isolated villages in the Pwani Region’s Rufiji District and the South and North Rufiji River Delta islands. This will help the villagers and demonstrate a viable model for addressing malaria hotspots throughout Tanzania. The project will start in three Rufiji villages: Muhoro, Kilimani, and Mgomba. These villages have isolated and reasonably sized populations and few health facilities. Their approach will emphasize community-wide testing and treatment, supply chain management, and community-based linkages and service delivery. 

After a year, it is hoped that the project could be extended to include about 40,000 people in the South Rufiji Delta islands and 30,000 in the North Rufiji Delta islands and villages along the Rufiji River. However, this project will be conducted over the course of a year and will focus on 5-6,000 in the three villages.  

Past projects Kyeema

The Moresby Arts Theatre

The Moresby Arts Theatre (MAT) is a local NGO in Papua New Guinea that has been promoting theatre in Port Moresby for over 100 years. MAT believes that drama, dance, visual arts and music can be very positive influences in the education, confidence-building and development of expressive abilities in young people. With the Palladium Group funding, MAT ran the PRIDE Youth Arts Program, a six-week initiative tailored to teach 600 year-nine school students theatrical techniques. Presentation sessions also included discussions in subject areas of health, violence prevention, IT issues and the environment. PRIDE 2016 provided many young people in Port Moresby with a unique opportunity to take part in an exciting learning experience that would not otherwise have been available to them. Through exposure to the theatre, the confidence levels of students have increased, with several past participants going on to play in TV and film productions, and have successful careers in business. The value of PRIDE goes far beyond the theatrical and social into all aspects of students’ lives.

Palladium provided funds to Kyeema to support the “Happy Chicken” program at Teitei in Fiji run by Sustainable Environmental Livelihoods for the Future (SELF). The project aimed to meet the increased demand for climate-adapted chickens for cyclone rehabilitation and food security in South Pacific communities. Learn more about the project here.

Palladium supported the TNP2K (Indonesian Vice President’s office to eradicate poverty) initiative by funding the NGO Besi Pae to support the poorest members of the community to access solar lanterns. The lanterns replaced the use of kerosene lamps, which are extremely dangerous, inefficient and expensive and have numerous negative health and environmental repercussions.

The Nesar Studio “Activating Young Women in Media” project is run by the NGO Further Arts. The initiative is aimed at building on the strengths of Nesar Studio as a media production unit and facilitating innovative ways for youth members to stimulate creative and economic recovery postcyclone Pam. Further Arts aim is to support the creative and productive activities of ni-Vanuatu and Melanesian producers, artists and musicians in the fields of arts, music, media and film and other cultural arenas both within Vanuatu and overseas. This will help ni-Vanuatu and other Melanesians to develop skills and livelihoods that are culturally, socially, environmentally and financially sustainable and to apply these skills to achieve social justice and social transformation for the betterment of Vanuatu and Melanesia.

The Northern Nigerian Kano Youth Rugby Championships is an initiative organised by the Barewa Rugby Club in Kano that aims to develop unity, teamwork, discipline and community spirit amongst Kano youth. Northern Nigeria contains some of the poorest people and highest rates of malnutrition and illiteracy in the world. There is high unemployment amongst youth who are disenfranchised and without opportunities can be drawn into illegal and deviant activity. The rugby championships held in February 2017 directly reached around 1,600 disenfranchised youth, giving them an opportunity to represent their community and serve as focal points for engagement, pride and achievement.

Kyeema Foundation’s  project aims to establish a durable and sustainable program of village poultry in target areas within Malawi, covering at least 15,000 village poultry. The project beneficiaries will be 2,400 rural families and 30 community based vaccinators (50% female).

Chosen target areas or districts include Ntchisi and Dowa in Malawi, chosen due to prevalence of rural poverty, and accessibility for existing field staff. In Ntchisi, 56% of households own chickens, while in Dowa, 49% of households own chickens.

Palladium donated $26,000 to Further Arts and the Fest’Napuan Association to support Vanuatu arts and music, thereby providing cultural opportunities for local youth. The annual Fest’Napuan is the biggest event held in Vanuatu each year, attracting over 30,000 people over its four nights. It is also now one of the most important regional music events held in the Pacific Islands. The funding will be directed towards rehearsal studios, musical equipment and instruments.

Kyeema was granted funds by Palladium to support Russell Parker (Solomon Island local) with the implementation of a training manual and to undertake training of village trainers, as well as villagers themselves, right across the country.

The training workshops produced fifteen master trainers from various areas of the Solomon Islands, who are now capable of conducting training sessions in improved village chicken management. These trainers were also involved in expanding the use of these concepts across the western Pacific area. From this training and assistance, the people in the villages have benefited from sustained food and income.The training manual is now available in hardcopy, CD and online here at the Pacific Islands Farmers Organisation Network. Further specific poultry keeping advice is also available through this site.

Let’s Make It Possible has donated $12,100 to the Kyeema to establish the Augustine Macha Memorial Fund for the “Mama Mkubwa” program to help children in Tanzania. The St. Alban’s Children’s Society in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania set up the Mama Mkubwa program to look after orphaned and street children in the homes of women volunteers. With the number of orphans increasing rapidly due to AIDS, building orphan care centres is not a sustainable solution. Under the Mama Mkubwa program, children are cared for within families by volunteer women. The Kyeema Foundation is helping these women to set up chicken raising enterprises in their backyards, so they can earn an income to buy food and other necessities for the children in their care. 

In 2005, Palladium supplied funding to the Kyeema Foundation to conduct field tests to develop a method for reducing the cyanide levels in cassava flour in Mozambique. The wetting method was tested in the provincial health laboratory at Beira and it was found that on average, 5/6ths of the cyanide was removed when the wet flour was spread out in a thin layer in the shade for five hours. Now that the effectiveness of the wetting method has been demonstrated, the next step is to disseminate the technique.

Palladium has donated $19,000 for the preparation of promotional and educational material including posters and brochures, advertising on radio and in newspapers, in addition to workshops and field demonstrations. We expect that through this education programme, whole communities will have their health improved and avoid the effects of Konzo, a disease caused by eating flour with high cyanide levels.

Past projects pre Kyeema

 ‘Be empowered to live a healthy and productive life through Social Entrepreneurship’ The Sadar Hati Foundation, founded in 2002, works to provide support for victims and families of HIV/AIDS within the Indonesian context. Their work to date has included harm reduction programs for intravenous drug users (IDUs), rehabilitation programs, strengthening of local health systems, and provision of alternative livelihood activities for families affected by HIV/AIDS. The Sadar Hati Foundation’s Let’s make It Possible initiative works to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS through the support and rehabilitation of victims who due to stigma and discrimination, have limited work and career opportunities. The program is specifically focused in East Java, and promotes education and skills for struggling and former drug users and vulnerable women, in order for them to obtain a new form of income. The foundation uses recycled materials to make crafts and other materials for sale, to broaden income opportunities for victims and their families. These crafts include handicraft products, decorative lights made from corncobs, bags and ornaments made from jute and plastic bags, key chains, plastic bottles and garments (including screen printing). Participants will also be trained in the use of recycled materials, business management, organic farming methods and entrepreneurship.

KOTO provides career training and life skills for disadvantaged and vulnerable youth in Vietnam, through social enterprise. KOTO provides a 24 month intensive hospitality and vocational training course, including English language training for unemployed youth aged between 16 and 22.

The Let’s make It Possible grant will be utilised to implement the following:

  • Refurbish onsite resource centre to facilitate further training, Student Clubs and Life Skills program. Aim to target 150 youth in Hanoi area
  • Student clubs form to provide an outlet of expression and creativity for the trainees interested in music, dance, roof-top gardening or community service activities such as working with the elderly and orphans.
  • Life skills program provides trainees with confidence, knowledge and the relevant skills necessary to take control of their lives, make decisions, work cooperatively and build their futures with hope. HIV/AIDS awareness, reproductive health, personal safety, first aid.
  • Gender workshops will be held with youth, focused on prevention of domestic violence, trafficking, gender equity.

The overall impact of this grant for KOTO Vietnam will impact the larger community, with a focus on at risk youth. There is a proven success rate in conducting vocational and life skills training, with large alumni network, as a strong focus on livelihoods and income generation will support a sustainable livelihood for youth demographic.

Habitat for Humanity Fiji works in partnership with lower income families & communities to provide decent living conditions. Najia Village, on Viwa Island in the Yasawas in Fiji is one of most remote areas of Fiji, due to difficult logistics and small size, the communities underserved by both government and NGO’s. The only natural source of fresh water is rainwater harvesting, to survive extended dry periods rainwater capture and storage must be fully utilized. Existing guttering is of poor quality with sub-standar installation and some roof structures lack gutters.

The Let’s make It Possible funding will support the project goal to improve the rainwater harvesting capacity twofold through:

  • The installation of approximately 400 meters of new guttering combined with rehabilitation of selected existing gutters.
  • Additional three water tanks will be provided to supplement existing storage.

The Central Subanen Multilingual Education Association (CSMLEA)aims to decrease illiteracy in the Zamboanga del Norte region of the Southern Philippines through a Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB MLE)program for indigenous Subanen children.

MTB MLE is an education model which uses the learner’s first language to teach basic literacy and beginning academic content. The second language is taught systematically and gradually, so that students are able to transfer their knowledge from one language to another. Traditionally, basic education in the Philippines has been delivered entirely in English and the national language, Filipino. Students from other language groups, particularly indigenous children, who often do not understand any English or Filipino when they begin school, are therefore disadvantaged academically and are more likely to drop out or repeat grades.

The Let’s make It Possible grant will allow CSMLEA to reproduce their current MTB MLE program into five new barangays (communities) in Siayan, Zamboanga del Norte.

Bahay Tuluyan provides a variety of programs and services aimed at preventing and responding to the abuse and exploitation of children in the Philippines. Since 1987, the organisation has been providing a range of child-centred programs and services in collaboration with local and international partners. Currently, Bahay Tuluyan operates in three Filipino provinces (Manila, Laguna and Quezon) with ten separate programs covering outreach, education, vocational training and income generation for vulnerable children.

The Let’s make It Possible grant will assist with set-up costs for a four-hectare plot of land dedicated to rice, vegetable and pig farming. The expected outcome of the project is twofold. Firstly, it is anticipated that once the farm has reached full capacity it will be able to produce sufficient rice to cover for the thousands of meals Bahay Tuluyan provides to children annual. Currently, around 350 sacks of rice are purchased each, so the ability to self-sustain will significantly reduce operational costs for the organisation. Further, Bahay Tuluyan will be able to sell any excess produce and have a sustainable source of income for its various other programs. The second expected outcome of the supported project is to train unemployed youth in farming practices, which they may letter utilise in paid employment.

In June 2014, Let’s make It Possible Committee member, Naomi Fillmore, was able to visit the two of the Bahay Tuluyan offices. During this visit, Naomi was able see first-hand the plans for the Let’s make It Possible supported project as well as meet with the team who will be implementing the project.

 

The PALLADIUM support was the first of subsequent efforts by the school parents-teachers-association and the Mandala community to develop the school infrastructure. At the end of 2011, PALLADIUM provided a further $30,000 for the construction of an additional block of two classrooms to cater for the increase in school enrolment. Enrolment more than doubled to 700 pupils and the school was able to offer up to grade 9 level of basic education. Mandala school is now one of the best equipped schools in the area. Dr. Jabulani Nyenwa, PALLADIUM Southern Africa Regional Manager represented PALLADIUM at the handover of the new classroom blocks to the Ministry of Education on 8th September 2012

PALLADIUM funded a high-quality and long-lasting water tank and the guttering from the roof to the tank. The tank was constructed by East Timor Roofing, a not-for-profit humanitarian organisation based in Baucau that provides training and jobs to the local community. The building of the school was undertaken in collaboration with the NGO ‘Spend it Well’, the Office of Her Excellency Kirsty Sword, and the Ministry of Education. The Lequeracabu’u village is in a remote location and is largely inaccessible by road in the wet season. Before the new construction, the village children attended school in a basic hut with dirt floors and no access to clean water, but with the funding provided by PALLADIUM, they gained access to a 10,000 litre tank supply. The school was opened by Her Excellency Kirsty Sword, Timor-Leste’s Goodwill Ambassador for Education.

project’s main goal was to reach out to girls living or working on the streets of Harare and empower them so that they live independent, decent lives.

PALLADIUM sponsored the 2010 Happy Health Women Calendar published by Soroptimists International in the Solomon Islands. The calendar promotes health and human rights, including topics such as women in government, voting, basic health, antenatal health, violence prevention and diabetes awareness. These calendars have been well received and enjoyed by Solomon Island families around the country.  The calendars are written in Pijin and feature attractive illustrations by a local artist presenting the information in an interesting and accessible format.

Let’s Make It Possible provided a grant for one years’ worth of operating costs towards the Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) clinic in the Gopibagh sector of Dhaka. BLAST is one of the largest legal aid providers in Bangladesh, focusing on providing alternative dispute resolution for family and gender matters. BLAST also provides legal services to indigent peoples on land rights and labour issues. They are leaders in public interest litigation and public advocacy. The Gopibagh clinic focuses on helping the poorest families and women resolve issues including divorce, custody, child support, dowry disputes, alimony, domestic violence, and mother-in-law abuse. All issues which significantly impact the lives of women and families in Bangladesh. The hope is that PALLADIUM’s work in this sector will continue through a DFID funded grant management programme that supports community legal services in Bangladesh (through NGOs like BLAST) with grants and capacity building technical assistance.

The Family Support Centre (FSC) was set up in 1995 in Honiara, the capital of Solomon Islands, to address the high incidence of gender-based violence (domestic violence, child abuse and sexual abuse). The Centre offers support to families and individuals over the age of 15 who experience gender-based violence and abuse. The Centre provides counselling, legal advice and assistance, training and community awareness, and a resource library. Let’s Make It Possible provided financial support in contribution to the following activities:

  • Awareness raising workshops in five provinces of Solomon Islands;
  • Printing of FSC information leaflets on family legal issues around children, marriage, matrimonial property, affiliation and child maintenance for unmarried mothers, protection and restraining orders, separation, divorce etc.
  • General client support (for women who need to come in from provinces to access support and services, food, accommodation and clothing).

Let’s Make It Possible donated various materials and equipment to the District Village Training Centre for Rural Girls at Visale, Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. This program is designed to provide training and life skills for girls to take an active role in village life. It is open to young women of any denomination from their teens to early 20’s. It includes self-esteem courses, HIV/AIDS and domestic violence awareness, communication skills, and media workshops. Young women can undertake either a 1-year or 2-year course of study.

PALLADIUM donated $6,000 to Puthi Komar Organisation Cambodia for its “Happy Education Project,” which runs youth centres that provide extra-curricula education in Battambang Province. Their vision is to see happy children receiving better education, within an actively involved community that guarantees a safe social and economic environment. The money given was to purchase for two youth centres equipment, such as sporting equipment, stationery and cultural equipment.

Let’s Make It Possible donated $18,000 to the Mohau Centre in Pretoria. The Centre developed a structured and organized pre-school programme in order to meet the intellectual and social needs of the 3-5 year old children living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. The funds donated by PALLADIUM allowed renovations to be carried out. A trained pre-school teacher has now been appointed and the centre is now able to provide an appropriate stimulation programme for the children in their care.

Let’s Make It Possible has donated to the NGO SOS Sahel Ethiopia €10,000, which will be used to build a pottery shop in Bonga Town in Ethiopia. It will be run by the Menja people, a minority group in Kafa society who are landless and heavily discriminated against. The running of a pottery production unit and its outlet store is the first formal commercial activity undertaken by the Menja people. The shop will increase interaction between Menja people and other civil society groups, help to reduce discrimination, and provide a source of income for at least 30 families involved in pottery making. The foundations are now ready, and the base walls are in progress.

Let’s Make It Possible donated €7,000 to Action pour le Développement du Niger ADN/Kamna. (Kamna means charity or love in Haoussa language.). ADN is an NGO in charge of the orphanage “le bon Samaritain” (OBS). The aim of the centre is to take care of orphans and abandoned children to give them a new start in life. The monies donated by Let’s Make It Possible has enabled the orphanage to procure equipment such as beds, cots, mattresses, water boiler, freezer, desks, benches and stools.

PALLADIUM donated $11,800 to the San Miguel School, East Timor (Timor-Leste) for the purpose of building two classrooms, including construction, materials and labour. Construction is now underway. Photos show the celebration accompanying the laying of the first stone.

Let’s Make It Possible has given $5000 ($1000 per year for 5 years) to the Business and Professional Women’s Club of Port Moresby to assist them in assisting girls in Papua New Guinea to meet the cost of school fees where their parents are unable to meet the cost.

Let’s Make It Possible has donated $10,000 to fund a bed in the Mahube Care Centre, Pretoria. The financing of one Care Centre bed will enable the Centre to provide medical care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS who are either homeless or ostracised due to their health status.

PALLADIUM has committed $18,000 to re-establish the Solomon Islands Artists Organisation, to support artists and promote production and marketing of Solomon Islands art. The program aims to contribute to the national cultural heritage, foster cultural and artistic development and facilitate economic development and employment growth. The funds will be directed towards purchasing artists materials, organising exhibitions and creating a workshop and gallery in which artists can work and exhibit.

“Kastom Gaden” is a Solomon Islands Pidgin language term meaning customary gardening. The Kastom Gaden Association works with Solomon Island communities to improve their food security. Let’s Make It Possible is funding a Kastom Gaden training program that includes training of trainers and the development of new farm schools, as well as the importation of chicken and duckling breeds to establish a regional network of poultry breeding stations.

The Mountaineering Alpine Expedition Club “Nis”, operating in Serbia, runs tours and activities for refugee, orphaned and other isolated children. The children’s group is called the “Little Mountaineers” and they enjoy a range of outdoor adventures such as camping, orienteering, sports and picnics. Let’s Make It Possible purchased a range of equipment to help club activities.

The Sunrise Children’s Village orphanage in Cambodia has received a $43,000 commitment from Let’s Make It Possible to assist in developing a Fruit Tree Nursery and Plant Propagation Centre over two years. The project will provide the orphanage with fruit trees for sale and will also teach the children valuable agricultural income-earning skills.

One of the first recipients of a Let’s Make It Possible Initiative grant was the NGO Zagrljaj, meaning “Embrace” in Serb. Zagrljaj used the grant to run a hobby art workshop for people with disabilities in the city of Topola, Serbia. The workshop was run by volunteers who aimed to provide a warm and caring environment for the participants, who were otherwise largely excluded from the community. The workshop produced a range of arts and crafts including greeting cards, paintings, decorative glassware and ceramics, much of which was sold at handicrafts fairs, providing a valuable source of income for the organisation.

Thanks to our key partner Palladium. 

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