our programs

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Our aim is to empower young children from impoverished family backgrounds to achieve their potential. The PACE Inc. Scholarship Program is a twelve-year program that targets high achievers, who graduate from public primary schools and who come from impoverished families, giving them the opportunity to continue to high school through to university. Furthermore, we offer one scholarship to a student in a special education school.

Throughout the 12 year program, scholars are monitored, financially supported, and mentored to enhance their capacity and commitment to succeed in their desired educational pathway. The program is implemented in collaboration with schools and parents to promote a cycle of economic advantage for families, build community empowerment, and effect positive change.

PACE Inc. works closely with the schools in selecting students. The school principals make a recommendation based on each student’s socio-economic PACE background, overall year grade, aptitude, and school attendance. Each recommended student, together with a parent/next-of-kin, are interviewed to explore their interest/needs, to provide information, and expound on program requirements.

On an annual basis, scholars submit to PACE Inc. their reports on their educational achievements. At an appointed time and place locally accessible, scholars, together with their parents attend a PACE meeting. Meetings may cover a seminar on mentorship for scholars, challenges scholars faced during the year, and quality improvement appraisal of the program. For the parents, it is a time of sharing of their experiences and the impact of the program on their families.

The program is volunteer led. The principals from each of the partner public primary schools volunteer their time in doing students’ assessments and recommendation reports to PACE Inc. In each of the local secondary schools, a volunteer liaison teacher oversees the scholars in each of the schools and takes responsibility in providing PACE Inc. with scholars’ annual reports and achievements.

For an average of just $10 AUD a month (the same cost or less of a subscription/streaming service) - you can fund a scholar for a year.

The School Garden Program has a place in sustainable programs on educational, social, and economic development. There is a growing number of initiatives such as healthy schools, sustainable schools, and eco-schools.

PACE Inc. School Garden Program (SGP) aims to demonstrate that gardens are a sustainable resource for children’s food and nutrition and as a method to learning life skills. In addition, it has a capacity to raise the profile of gardens and to offer benefits not only to students’ holistic learning but also to influence the social and cultural fabric of the local community.

This initiative shows how locally grown, seasonal food can reduce waste, reduce local environmental impact, and enhance shared responsibility for food production and resource utilisation.

PACE Health Promotion Programs focus on providing opportunities for health education as well as treatment. 

Our pilot dental program saw qualified volunteers visit selected primary schools to provide needs-based dental services to the school children. The children were given education, oral examinations, dental care, screening and treatment (where feasible). 

The volunteers worked collaboratively with local services and staff to conduct professional development sessions - including health promotion, disease prevention, equipment maintenance and support services.

Investment in women is a proven path to address and reduce poverty. The Livelihood Program aims to improve the economic status of women and their families through training and skill development. Training women with skills empower them to improve their participation in employment and economic status.

PACE Inc. Livelihood Program in Sewing (LPS) is designed to provide a three-month beginners’ training in sewing for women. The beginners’ training covers areas such as knowledge of types of material, how to use a sewing machine, pattern making, beginning skills in sewing for garment making. A seamstress conducts the training and receives a token allowance per session. Participants in training are given travelling allowance and afternoon tea. On completion of the training, each participant is given a sewing machine for their use to make garments.