Take action: Fight inequality in Latin America

You helped us to remind the UK government that 123 million people across Latin America – that’s more than double the population of the UK – still live on less than £1 a day.

Your emails helped us to put pressure on the UK government to continue to invest in the region, which still sees enormous inequality and crippling poverty for a large majority of people. CARE and other aid agencies, lobbied MPs to keep focusing on this reality, and we have seen the government’s Department for International Development (DFID) increase its budget for the region from £84m to £97m and identify an extra £9m for agencies such as CARE to make a difference to these people’s lives.

This is good news, but we still need your support to ensure that the money is well spent. Part of that increase in funds will be channeled through the World Bank and other multilateral organisations, and DFID is limited in being able to hold these organisations to account for the ways in which they use UK taxpayers’ contributions. We will continue to engage in dialogue with DFID and with the multilateral agencies on this issue and to ensure that the money is used appropriately.

CARE will also continue to fight poverty in the region by focusing on building up people’s ability to hold their own leaders to account, to fight corruption and make their voices heard; to improve the chances of small enterprises to grow and take part in national and international markets; and to help the poorest people respond to the threats posed by climate change.

We will also continue to monitor the trade agreements the EC is setting up with Latin American countries, to ensure that they protect the interests of small farmers and other poor producers in the region.