Girls in class at a CARE education project in Brazil. © CARE / John Spaull.
Brazil has the highest rate of social inequality in the world. The wealth of the richest one per cent of the population is equal to the combined wealth of the poorest 50 per cent.
In 2001, we began working in Brazil to help tackle poverty and inequality. Our work focuses on making Brazilian society more responsive to the needs of poor communities and increasing opportunities for poor families to earn a living.
We work with communities in five regions - Piaui and Bahia in the north-east, Amazonas in Amazon, as well as in São Paolo and Rio de Janeiro.
Earning a decent living
We’re improving the incomes of local cocoa producers living in seven communities along the banks of the Amazon. Giving farmers the opportunity to grow fair-trade cocoa, which has a higher value, helping them to build their incomes and improve living standards.
We’re also helping local communities influence decision-makers to have a say in local development issues.
Protecting the environment
In the Amazonia we help people develop small businesses that use forest products, such as fruits, so there is an additional incentive to preserve the forest. In Bahia we support farm family schools that teach the next generation of farmers about the importance of ecologically sustainable production.
