About Us
Children of Latin America is a UK-registered charity that is dedicated to alleviating the suffering of some of the poorest and most disadvantaged children in Latin America. We organise various fundraising activities, where the money that we raise is to help children welfare projects across Latin America countries.
Who Runs COLA
COLA was founded in 2004 by the British veteran charity campaigner Ray Perrin. Under Ray’s chairmanship, the charity is run by a small multi-national team of volunteers. See the Contacts page for more about the people in the COLA organisation
Why Latin America
This fascinating and enormous region of the world, stretching from Mexico to the tip of Chile and across the Andes to Argentina, is rich in culture, history and tradition. Visitors to Latin America are surprised to be welcomed by so many happy, smiling friendly people, when their societies are burdened with poverty and huge social problems, as a result of unstable economic development, political instability and internal conflicts.
Millions of poor children in the ever-growing cities and rural areas of Latin America lack the benefits of adequate family attention, nutrition, medical care, education, and play. Their childhood is characterised by the daily struggle for survival.
Child poverty is a violation of children’s rights to survival and development entailing a huge cost for society in terms of human capital and social integration. A recent ECLAC study, sponsored and supported by UNICEF and the United Nations, found that child poverty is a serious problem in all the countries of Latin America.
