Palms Australia started in Sydney in 1956 as the Paulian Association. Groups formed in around 100 communities to identify local issues, reflect on values and take appropriate action to address social inequality and assist people in need.  

After identifying that similar issues needed to be addressed globally, in 1961, the program was extended to communities overseas which request the placement of volunteers to assist develop health, education and other facilities. More recently Palms volunteers have been "opening our hands to the world" in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, including communities in Tanzania, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and indigenous Australia.  

Our Vision:  

People cooperating across cultures in order to achieve a just, sustainable, interdependent and peaceful world free of poverty.  

Our Mission:  

Facilitate, and be open to mutual formation and inspiration, with those who volunteer to:  

• Advance the awareness, enthusiasm and involvement of Australian and international communities in shared action to achieve just, sustainable, and peaceful development.
• Participate in an exchange of knowledge and skills to meet the requests of communities seeking to reduce poverty by developing the capacities of their people and organisations.

Our Approach (how we achieve our vision and mission):  

The vision and mission will be enabled where all are prepared and inspired to engage mutually enriching and challenging relationships of understanding, acceptance and care, and to share worlds of meaning in the deepest sense, with a people of a culture different from one's own. This is how we "open our hands to the world" and achieve the solidarity described in Palms' Values Statement.