Issues overview

Conflict and peace:It has always been evident that conflict has a negative effect on development. CARE International focuses on how best to address the relationship between conflict and development, by finding the most effective ways to make our work ‘conflict sensitive’ and by being at the forefront of work on peacebuilding.

 

Emergencies:Fighting poverty is never more difficult than in times of crisis. CARE is always among the first to respond when disaster strikes. We make sure aid gets where it is needed most. But our emergency response is only the beginning.  We help rebuild lives long after the TV cameras have gone.

 

HIV and AIDS:39.5 million people live with HIV, mostly in poor countries, and every year the virus spreads – new infections topped 3.4 million in 2006 alone. Worldwide, CARE runs 156 HIV and AIDS projects, helping 12 million people who live with the disease have a better life.

 

Health:Poor health and poverty go hand-in-hand. When you are sick or caring for someone who is ill you can’t build a future for yourself, your family or your community. CARE fights poverty by improving the health of millions of the world’s poorest people, including 7 million children last year.

 

 

Water and sanitation:Clean water: without it, people die. More than one billion people in the world do not have clean water to drink. Two billion do not have adequate sanitation, like toilets. CARE is improving water supplies, sanitation, domestic hygiene and stopping the spread of water-related diseases in poor communities.

 

 

Food and farming:Millions of people die from hunger and malnutrition every year all around the world.  But all of these deaths could be prevented. CARE gives food aid in emergencies, but we also work hard to tackle the deeper causes of malnutrition and starvation.

 

 

Education: Too many of the world's poorest children are missing out on an education. We help more than 1.4 million children get a good education.  Nearly 70,000 children are in schools directly supported by CARE. And in 2005, we trained more than 3,000 teachers.

 

 

Business partnerships:CARE's view is that new solutions are needed to the complex problems that face the world today, such as rapid urbanisation and poverty, and that business has to be part of the solution. By harnessing the core skills and technical expertise of big business, CARE believes it can begin to find lasting, sustainable solutions.

 

Microfinance and markets:Millions of the world’s poorest do not have access to basic financial services, like insurance, loans and interest-earning savings. We help poor communities earn a decent living by providing basic financial services and developing and opening new markets for them to sell their products in.

 

Community organisation:Fighting for your rights is a tall order on your own.  But for the world’s poor, fighting for their basic rights is an enormous challenge. Alone, they have no voice. CARE helps people build a shared voice through community organisation.

 

 

 

Gender:Discrimination is keeping women trapped in poverty. More than 70 per cent of the 1.3 billion people who survive on less than 60p a day are female. We help the world’s poorest women by giving them access to financial services, and providing healthcare, quality education and a voice through community organisations. 

 

 

 

Urban poverty:More people live in cities than rural areas, making urban poverty one of the most important issues of the 21st century. One billion people live in dire city slums and the situation is getting worse. Our work focuses not only on the symptoms, but on tackling the causes of urban poverty.half the world’s population lives in cities.