CARE's work in Asia
From the Boxing Day tsunami which hit South East Asia in 2004, to the earthquake in India and Pakistan in October 2005, much of CARE International’s work in Asia has been focused on immediate emergency relief.
A girl in India
©CARE/Anne Heslop
But emergency relief work is only part of the story. A massive continent that is home to an enormous mix of cultures, religions and languages, Asia is characterized by booming cities and growing industrialization alongside incredible levels of poverty. Tackling this poverty is one of CARE’s long-term aims.
Diverse issues
CARE’s work across all of Asia covers a diverse range of areas to address the many different needs of the region, such as health, education and basic livelihood work – which ensures people can earn a living and support themselves.
Across India, the world’s largest democracy and second most populous country, many of CARE’s projects are increasingly focused on education – particularly on educating women and girls – and on helping people start small businesses. Another priority is addressing the health and nutrition needs of women and children.
Private sector partnerships
Increasingly, CARE is also working in partnership with the private sector to provide larger-scale solutions to problems. One good example of this is the CASHE programme, which has forged several partnerships with private banks such as ICICI, Standard Chartered Bank, and multinational companies such as Hindustand Lever Ltd, in its effort to link up marginalized women to microfinance projects. These help women to take out small loans in order to invest in entrepreneurial activities.
'Sewing a Healthy Future' project is another interesting example of a partnership with the private sector, this time in Cambodia. It works with factory workers to raise their awareness about issues such as drug abuse and sexual health, offering training and encouraging behaviour change. CARE works in factories run by Gap and Levi Strauss and with their management to provide and fund this project.
HIV and AIDS continue to be an ongoing challenge which CARE must address in the region. In Asia, about 1.2 million people were infected with HIV in 2004 and 8.2 million are currently estimated to be living with the disease. By 2010, the number of infected people in Asia is expected to have exceeded that in Africa.
What we do
