Plan in Central and South America
Plan is present in Latin and Central America in the following countries; Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Peru.
Overview of the region
Most of the countries in the American region have gone through a relatively rapid development process over the past decade. However, important issues negatively continue to affect the development and welfare of children. Many families and children still live in poverty. This relates directly to the high inequality of income distribution. In the past years there has been little improvement in this situation, and for the future, even the most optimistic World Bank scenario does not predict a reduction of the number of people living in poverty within the next 10 years.
In general, where Plan works overall life expectancy and other health indicators have improved. Child and Infant mortality rates have dropped in most countries over the past decades. While the coverage of water and sanitation has increased, the progress has been relatively slow and still many families lack access to safe drinking water and sanitary facilities. Also the inequality in access between the rural and urban areas is extremely high in all countries of the region.
Maternal mortality continues to be one of the main problems. All Plan countries – except Colombia – have a maternal mortality rate higher than 100/ in 100,000. Apart from traditional causes related to problems during pregnancy, illegal abortions contribute significantly to the mortality rate. The rapid growth of the number of reported HIV/AIDS cases is an important concern, especially as many countries are still largely in the phase of denial.
In spite of a continuous growth of coverage of pre-school education in the past years, more than 50% of children still enter primary education without any form of preparation. While most countries report excellent enrolment in primary education (90% and higher), the quality of education is insufficient. As a result only between 50-60% of children complete 5 years of primary education with much higher levels of dropout in the poorest communities.
Migration from rural to urban areas has dramatically changed the rural character of most countries, with most now having a predominantly urban population. This often results in new problems such as an increase in violence – especially in urban areas – drug and alcohol abuse among youngsters, early pregnancies and the rise of cases of HIV/AIDS.
Plan’s work in the region
Even if issues identified by Plan affiliated-communities are different, there are however some common priorities. These include:
- Reducing Child and Infant Mortality through the support of Primary Health Care activities, including expansion and/or improvement of basic health infrastructure, training of community volunteers and professional health staff, promotion of breastfeeding, general health promotion and training for children and families, provision of drinking water and basic sanitation,
- Improving maternal health and reducing maternal mortality through the expansion of pre and postnatal care services, vaccination campaigns, and promotion of birth spacing,
- Improving primary education through building new schools, training teachers, providing educational materials and promoting more active participation of children and parents in the educational process,
- Preventing HIV/AIDS through awareness raising and information campaigns,
- Promoting a participative development process involving children, families, communities, local governments and other institutions.
In addition to this, other issues addressed in different countries of the region include microfinance programmes, programmes related to the development of adolescents, including sexual orientation and AIDS prevention, prevention of drug/alcohol abuse, and vocational training.
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