PADF aims to bring together stakeholders to create sustainable economic development, strengthen civil society and respond to natural disasters for the most disadvantaged people in Latin America and the Caribbean.
It was created through a cooperative agreement between the OAS and private enterprise to provide a specialized non-governmental organization to assist the least advantaged people in Latin America and the Caribbean.
In 2012, PADF implemented the Leveraging Effective Application of Direct Investment (LEAD) program with $13 million in funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
PADF initiates programs, often with partnership from private corporations and donors, to confront social issues and strengthen communities in many Latin American and Caribbean nations.
PADF has implemented programs aimed at community-driven development, improving infrastructure and housing, upgrading technical training and health services, aiding at-risk youth, and combating human trafficking, gang activities and violence.
PADF has provided disaster relief assistance to communities in Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Colombia, Panama, St. Lucia and Venezuela.
Their posts showcase precautionary measures, dispelled myths regarding the virus, provision of mental health resources, and continuous acknowledgement of breakthroughs in international human rights and transitional justice.