The concept of the PDAid Foundation stems from the collaboration initiated through the ‘Kilimanjaro Initiative’ NGO in Kenya, involving young leadership talents. The underlying idea of the ’PDAid Foundation’ was initiated during founders Pia Nielsen and Dennis Nielsen’s meeting with young people enrolled in the ‘Kilimanjaro Initiative’. During their one-week climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, they spent hours exchanging plans for the future, personal goals and ideas. It became clear to them that these were young people – like so many others from disadvantaged communities – who possessed a distinctive talent and motivation to make a positive impact on their communities.
It was through this meeting between people of widely opposing backgrounds and living conditions, Pia Nielsen and Dennis Nielsen started developing a concept for sponsorship and mentoring, thus extending the Kilimanjaro Initiative to a broader and more global range of young talents.
“Unfortunately, young people with limited opportunities and means are restricted to make full use of their potential. I have come to realize that only through the right education and training these young people will be able to obtain positions in their communities in which their talent can flourish and eventually allow them to contribute to local development”.
- Founder, Dennis Lundø Nielsen
Achieving ongoing and viable improvements in growth, democracy and human rights in disadvantaged communities, calls for a strengthening within. Building on this conviction it was determined that a foundation, offering a structured, global, talent, support program, was the efficient way of progressing.