Interact Worldwide in Latin America
Although Latin America is, overall, better off than other developing regions, many people, particularly indigenous groups, live in poverty and deprivation. Disparities in health status between rich and poor in Latin America are among the greatest in the world, with the upper income tiers experiencing health indicators comparable to those found in Northern Europe and the poorest subject to infant and maternal mortality rates closer to those found in many sub-Saharan African countries. Focusing on marginalised communities, including indigenous and black groups, young people and the urban and rural poor, Interact Worldwide works to empower community leaders as spokespeople and negotiators for their constituencies.
Despite progress on women’s rights, machismo continues to shape attitudes and relationships between men and women. When women and girls are viewed as property, with little or no decision-making power in terms of their sexuality, risks of gender-based violence and incest, early sexual debut and unwanted teenage pregnancy are higher. Interact Worldwide supports our partners to challenge these attitudes and to inform and empower women and girls to improve their sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Powerful conservative groups, such as the Catholic Church, try to use their influence to limit access to Sexual and Reproductive Health & Rights (SRH&R) and HIV/AIDS information and services. Abortion is illegal in Latin America, other than in a few exceptional circumstances, and difficult to access when it is legal. Interact Worldwide generally works at a regional level through networks of Latin American organisations, such as CDD (Catholics for the right to Decide) and IPAS, to strengthen coordinated approaches to advocacy in order to remove impediments to SRH&R but also supports some single NGO projects, especially in Central America, the poorest area within the region.
Our regional programming facilitates learning between individual Latin American countries.
