Although the standards of living in some countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean have been slowly increasing, inequality and poverty continue to be the region's main challenges. According to the United Nations Economic Commission on Latin America and the Caribbean, Latin America is the most unequal region in the world in terms of income distribution. Nearly 25% of the population lives on less than $2 a day. Many of the most marginalized are the indigenous peoples, who represent a wealth of cultures, languages and traditions.  Throughout the region, economic conditions are forcing indigenous and other rural inhabitants to leaving their small villages to migrate to the urban centers or north to the USA in search of work to sustain their families.

Our alternative trade and development programs support marginalized groups throughout Latin America and the Caribbean in both impoverished urban neighborhoods as well as rural communities. The sale of their handcrafts and food products provides needed economic alternatives while helping to preserve the cultural identity of these communities.