Americas

The Americas is home to tens of millions of people living in poverty and hardship, with roughly 29% of the population of Latin America (about 183 million people) live in poverty, with around 72 million in extreme poverty. Many of the most affected communities are rural, remote, or marginalized, ranging from highlands near volcanoes to isolated coastal villages and southern mountainous towns, where access to nutritious food, clean water, healthcare, and education is severely limited. Structural inequalities leave indigenous peoples, informal workers, seasonal migrants, and other vulnerable groups disproportionately exposed to economic shocks, climate disasters, and fragile infrastructure. Latin America also has a significant migrant population: as of 2024, 48.3 million people from the region were living outside their countries of origin, representing about 15.9% of the world’s international migrant population. These hidden and often overlooked populations face daily uncertainty, relying on informal work and limited social protection, while recurring droughts, storms, and volcanic or climate-change hazards further threaten their livelihoods. Targeted, sustained interventions in food security, nutrition, healthcare, clean water, education, and social support are essential to reach these communities, alleviate suffering, and provide a pathway to stability, dignity, and long-term resilience.