Chronic poverty affects large percentage of population

	Farmer Jose Gregorio Herandez with his herd of goats in Rastrojito. ©IFAD/Ricardo Gaitan

Rome, 6 June, 2012 – In an effort to counteract the deep-seated inequality affecting Latin America’s afro-descendent communities, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) recently approved a US$1.75 million grant for the Fundación ACUA - Programme to Increase the Visibility and Strengthen the Entrepreneurship of Rural Afro-descendant Communities in Latin America.

The 2.5-year program will benefit approximately 10,000 people, concentrating its efforts primarily in Brazil and Colombia, where 73 per cent of the region’s afro-descendent communities are found.

“The programme hopes to increase incomes, build more job opportunities, finance new rural enterprises and improve the impact of corporate social responsibility programmes,” said Roberto Haudry, IFAD’s Country Programme Manager for Colombia. “People of African descent are often invisible in Latin America. These are the most marginalized communities with the least amount of opportunities. By supporting cultural programs, strengthening entrepreneurship and building awareness, we hope to break the cycle of endemic poverty.”

The grant recipient, Fundación ACUA, is a regional non-profit that works to empower people of African descent living in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru and Venezuela.

“Fundación ACUA has financed some 17 successful economic initiatives since its inception. It has also been key in passing laws, promoting policy dialogue and designing cooperation agreements that validate and empower people of African descent in the region,” Haudry said.  

Among its many successes over the years, Fundación ACUA designed the Afro-descendent bilateral cooperation agenda between Brazil and Colombia. The organization also promoted and supervised the implementation of the land restitution law for Afro-Colombian communities, and new legislation to protect against racial discrimination in Bolivia and Colombia.

Institutional partners for the programme include the Brazilian and Colombian embassies and Ministries of Foreign Affairs. The total programme cost is US$2.76 million, with Fundación ACUA co-financing US$1 million toward the new initiative. 

Note to editors

Learn more about Fundación Acua on the webiste

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Press Release No.: IFAD/40/2012

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) works with poor rural people to enable them to grow and sell more food, increase their incomes and determine the direction of their own lives. Since 1978, IFAD has invested almost US$14 billion in grants and low-interest loans to developing countries through projects empowering about 400 million people to break out of poverty, thereby helping to create vibrant rural communities. IFAD is an international financial institution and a specialized UN agency based in Rome – the United Nations’ food and agriculture hub. It is a unique partnership of 168 members from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), other developing countries and the Organisation for Economic Co‑operation and Development (OECD).