Fourth largest of the earth's seven continents, South America is home to the majestic Andes mountain range and the mysterious Amazon River. The world's largest rain forest, with millions of species of exotic animals, is also found in South America.
There are more than 370 million people in South America's 12 countries, and as many as 80 percent of them live in the continent's urban centers. Although the 1990s saw improvements throughout South America, such as the replacement of several military dictatorial regimes by democratically elected governments, the continent's countries are still plagued by widespread human rights violations and poverty.
Compassion began working in Brazil and Ecuador in 1974 and we now serve more than 235,000 children in the five South American countries of: