When Maura and Fergus returned home from Colombia in 2007 it was decided to set up a small Committee to help the Projects there.
This was the birth of Partnership America Latina, PAL for short.
With a dedicated Committee, mostly drawn from the Irish Ramblers Club, PAL set about helping the Projects.
At first the main focus was financial which was crucial to keep the Projects alive. Most of the money came from Misean Cara, which is a subsidiary of Irish Aid. This entailed huge amounts of work translating documents and preparing Applications.
For all of us this was our first leap into the World of Development. We had to learn about Needs Assessments, Sustainability, the thin line between Empowerment and Dependency and a whole new Development Language.
We also received financial support from other Agencies and NGO’s such as ESB, INTO etc.
Fundraising events and functions were organised every year and we have been generously supported by many private donors.