PALS Made National News
(PBS NewsHour April 27, 2010)

Pacific Links Foundation (PALS) promotes sustainable development through knowledge transfer and exchanges between professionals in Vietnam and in the developed world.  We see a strong need for development assistance beyond purely humanitarian and disaster relief help.   At the border of Vietnam and Cambodia, with the support of partner organizations, PALS implements ADAPT, our anti-human trafficking program focusing on strengthening opportunities for young girls and young women to take charge of their lives.  Our work's success grows with the trust we build with our recipients and their families and communities.  In the Bay Area, in collaboration with other grassroot community organizations, PALS delivers curricula and activities to strengthen community knowledge in early childhood development and build up family bonds and resilience.

PALS programs are grouped into three main categories:  

(1) Community Development for Empowerment (CDE):  One of the main focus for PALS is to build networks of like-minded individuals and organizations so to bring about long lasting social change.  The programs under Community Development for Empowerment are multi-year in nature and are collaborative in nature.

(2) Transfer of Knowledge Initiative (TOKI): The programs are molded with a "Training of the trainers" focus. We found that class discussions conducted in Vietnamese signficantly improve understanding of the materials and also promote professional networking among participants.

We gratefully acknowledge the donation of office space by the Sobrato Family Foundation