Explore these stories to learn how our global community is contributing to Make the Sustainable Development Goals Reality through social impact projects around the world!
See additional stories come to life through our Hours for Impact Videos.
Art and Music Therapy for Hong Kong Youth: Ernie S.
Number of Hours Pledged: 47
SDG Supported: #3 Good Health and Well-Being
Summary: Ernie Szeto, PMP is helping the youth of Hong Kong through psychotherapy services rooted in art and music. With 1 in 7 kids between the ages of 10 and 19 reporting a mental health disorder, she started looking for solutions. While pursuing a master's degree, Ernie seized an opportunity to be a project lead at Inspirem, a Hong Kong based social enterprise that offers professional music therapy.
Take a deeper dive into Ernie's inspiring story through her experience as a 2023 Future 50 honoree.
United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes: Day of Caring
Number of Hours Pledged: 1,200 across 18 Volunteers
SDG Supported: #11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
Country: USA
Summary: Every year the United Way organizes a National Day of Caring which brings together several organizations to give back to their local community. In just one day, the annual event unites over 6,000 volunteers who complete 400 projects, supporting 200 nonprofit agencies across six counties. The University of Rochester Medical Center - Information Systems Department employees gave back to their community by cleaning public walking spaces and planting beautiful flowers and trees.
PMI Lakeshore, Ontario Chapter: Upskilling Youth through PMI Project Management Ready™ Certification
Number of Hours Pledged: 550
SDG Supported: #4 Quality of Education
Country: Canada
Summary: The PMI Lakeshore, Ontario Chapter leveraged the opportunity to promote the PMI Project Management Ready™ certification to youth (ages 12-35) as part of the PMILOC 2022 Youth and Social Good Initiative.
Their goal is to substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship by the year 2030.
The Chapter introduced the newly launched certification to their youth community, educational institutions, organizations, PMILOC Chapter Members, and other Canadian PMI Chapters by reaching out to 5,000 individuals across Canada through promotional flyers, e-blast, social media, and information sessions this year.
They also serve to support the end users with queries and clarification regarding project management as a life skill through their chapter support team. They piloted the certification and successfully helped Levent Eren, a University of Waterloo third semester Management Engineering student to earn this certification. His achievement helps to bring continued awareness to the community for the PMI Project Management Ready™ certification.
PMI Ukraine Chapter: Talk Around the Clock Virtual Conference
Number of Hours Pledged: 306
SDGs Supported: #2 Zero Hunger, #17 Partnerships for the Goals, #3 Good Health and Well-Being, #6 Clean Water and Sanitation
Country: Ukraine in support of Turkey
Summary: The PMI Ukraine Chapter held the Talk Around the Clock Virtual Conference in April 2023. Ukrainians apprehended what it means for a nation to endure pain and loss. The key themes of the conference were maintaining a resilient business, the VUCA world crisis management, and other essential areas. The conference crowdsourced donations for their neighbors in Turkey who suffered after the devastating earthquake. As Ukrainians received support to overcome the challenges that stemmed from the war in their country, they want to pay it forward and help other communities in need as well.
PMI Pearl City, Hyderabad Chapter: Observing Virtual Student Leadership Day
Number of Hours Pledged: 189
SDG Supported: #4 Quality Education
Country: India
Summary: PMIPCC celebrated Virtual Student Leadership Day by conducting a virtual conference with a wonderful panel discussion on ‘Reimagining leadership in the digital era’ for over 2,000 college students from different states. Students ages 18-23 from over 15 colleges in a variety of academic backgrounds joined the event virtually.
PMI Distrito Federal, Brazil Chapter: Changemaker Teens Event - Social Hackathon
Number of Hours Pledged: 400
SDG Supported: #3 Good Health and Well-Being
Country: Brazil
Summary: The Distrito Federal Social Seal initiative is part of the 2030 Agenda implementation strategy in Brazil. It awarded impact projects carried out in 2022, out of which one of them was the Social Hackathon organized by PMI Distrito Federal, Brazil Chapter. Within the Changemakers Teens event held in June 2022.
The project happened in partnership with Escola Salesiana de Brasília and GPJr (Brazilian non-for-profit that delivers project management experience to the youth audience). This project was implemented in the Lar dos Velhos (Home of Elderly) by teenagers ages 15-17 in Brasília.
PMI Santa Catarina, Brazil Chapter: Transforming Hometown Spaces - Social Hackathon
Number of Hours Pledged: 50
SDG Supported: #3 Good Health and Well-Being
Country: Brazil
Summary: The social impact team at PMI Santa Catarina, Brazil Chapter organized a Social hackathon at a public school in Balneário Camboriú, home of the 18th Brazilian Congress of Project Management and Leadership from 24-26 April.
During the hackathon, teenagers ages 15-18 learned and implemented project management concepts and skills to create projects related to one (or more) of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
The winning team chose SDG #3, Good Health and Well-Being, and came up with a wonderful project to transform a square from their hometown into a space of well-being to help support in anxiety and depression treatment, especially for the elderly community.
The winning team was recognized during the Brazilian Congress, receiving funds to support project implementation from Fundação Fritz Muller.
Boy Scout Pack 86 Food Collection: Brantlee U. - PMI Team Member
Number of Hours Pledged: 75
SDGs Supported: #2 Zero Hunger, #3 Good Health and Well-Being
Country: USA
Summary: Local Boy Scout Pack 86 collected 1,000 pounds of food from generous neighbors during their fall service project to help families in need this holiday season.
Cradles to Crayons: Joyce K. - PMI Team Member
Number of Hours Pledged: 2
SDG Supported: #3 Good Health and Well-Being
Country: USA
Summary: The PMI ATP Team volunteered at Cradles to Crayons, a non-profit organization that provides resources such as school supplies and clothing to homeless and low-income children. We sorted donations of kids hats and gloves at a local warehouse.
Building Community Rain Gardens: Sarah M. - PMI Team Member
Number of Hours Pledged: 15
SDGs Supported: #6 Clean Water and Sanitation, #9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, #11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, #13 Climate Action, #15 Life on Land
Country: USA
Summary: My local township received a grant to create 100 rain gardens in 10 years. These rain gardens help to ease the burden on our storm drains and are filled with native plants which attract pollinators and their roots hold more carbon dioxide. In October 2019, one of these rain gardens was built on my property and I continue to help build rain gardens for my neighbors and our community.
PMI Kerala, India Chapter: Sarvam Organic Vegetable Cultivation Project
Number of Hours Pledged: 14,120
SDG Supported: #15 Life on Land
Summary: PMIK school forum, Sarvam Organic, is an organic farming project for Nature Club students. Chapter volunteers supported 300 students by providing five types of vegetable seeds, webinars for guidance, mentoring support for cultivation, and monitoring the progress using technology. Volunteers conducted two sessions on project management for the students and one session for 100 faculties. This is the first large scale project for school students to successfully introduce PM skills through being an environmentally conscious.
PMI Kerala, India Chapter: Audio Books for Visually Challenged College Students
Number of Hours Pledged: 300
SDG Supported: #10 Reduced Inequalities
Summary: PMI Kerala, India Chapter initiated a project of developing audio versions of reference books for the visually challenged college students. For the first phase, the enthusiastic Chapter Academic Forum student volunteers successfully completed four Audio Books for the Kerala Federation of the Blind (KFB), within a short span of three months.
River and Stream Cleanup: Laura P.
Number of Hours Pledged: 25
SDG Supported: #6 Clean Water And Sanitation
Summary: I work with the Patapsco Heritage Greenway organization as a volunteer to remove trash and other items from our local river system, including tributaries and streams. This in turn impacts the health of the Chesapeake Bay.
PMI Mumbai Chapter: Saksham - Samarth Support Underprivileged to Continue Education
Number of Hours Pledged: 1,000
SDG Supported: #4 Quality Education
Summary: Saksham - Samarth (Capable - Able) project management for empowering the underprivileged and improving the quality of education
Our three prong approach:
- Enable municipal / trust based schools, with devices to enable students to continue education.
- Support NGOs / orphanages to enable with technology, tools and skills to enable students to continue education.
- Pair up with Corporate CSR wings to enable the visually impaired, proof reading of digital books, to be converted to audio.