President Clinton Visits Latin America

Building on his longstanding commitment to Latin America, President Bill Clinton traveled to Peru on March 27th to begin a tour of projects that have been launched by the Clinton Giustra Sustainable Growth Initiative (CGSGI), a project of the William J. Clinton Foundation, in Peru and Colombia. At the invitation of the national governments, CGSGI is working with local communities, the Carlos Slim Foundation, and several partners in the private sector to create jobs, increase incomes, and strengthen health, education, and the other building blocks of productivity - all in ways that can be locally sustained.

"This trip to Peru and Colombia gives me the opportunity to see the work of my Foundation in progress and talk to the people who are benefitting from our programs. From dozens of women who are running their own business in Colombia to thousands of people who now will receive cataract surgeries in Peru, we are helping people access the business support, health care, and education that will increase incomes, improve lives, and create sustainable development."

In Peru, President Clinton observed the launch of a project of CGSGI, the Ministry of Health, and the Carlos Slim Foundation that will deliver 50,000 additional cataract surgeries in Peru over the next four years, including the poorest regions of the country.

The following day in Colombia, President Clinton visited with Afro-Colombian businesswomen from the rural area of Quibdó who run an own organic spice business and, with CGSGI, are strengthening their business and developing new markets for their products.

He also visited a school launched in Barranquilla by Pies Diescalzos Foundation that is receiving support from CGSGI and providing nutrition and job training for thousands of disadvantaged youth and their families. These are examples of other projects launched by CGSGI in Latin America.

Afterwards Clinton was set to head to the Colombian city of Medellin to participate in the 50th Board of Governors meeting of the Inter-American Development Bank.

He also joined IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno in a public discussion of the global economic crisis.

This visit marks the first time that President Clinton has traveled to Peru. While in Lima, he spoke to university students and officials at Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas about their role as global citizens in addressing some of the world's most pressing challenges.

Read the full press release here.