About Us

Guided by the belief that all Latin Americans in the UK deserve to thrive and live with dignity,

the Coalition of Latin Americans in the UK (CLAUK) was founded in 2012 as a partnership to address the complexity of needs for one of the fastest growing migrant communities in the country.

Mission

Together, our mission is to raise awareness and understanding of the issues facing Latin American communities in the UK by:

Campaigning to raise awareness about these issues, amplifying the voices of people from the diverse intersection of our communities, in order to achieve positive change in the most urgent areas.

Capacity building of those providing support to Latin American communities in the UK, and improving the ability of people from Latin American communities to affect change.

Vision

Our vision is that when self-organised community groups come together, we can maximise our impact and support to ensure all Latin American communities in the UK are thriving.

Values

Respect for others

Integrity

Accountability

Diversity

History

Growing out of the collective efforts of pioneering Latin American organisations in the voluntary sector, CLAUK sought to create a mechanism for representatives of Latin American organisations to work jointly in pursuing the recommendations to address needs identified in the research project No Longer Invisible (2011). This report was commissioned by one of our coalition members, Latin American Women’s Rights Service (LAWRS) in partnership with Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and Trust for London. 

Among a set of recommendations, the report pointed towards the need for representation of Latin Americans in ethnic monitoring forms, the regularisation of Latin American migrants in the immigration system, the improvement of employment rights, and to advocate for better access to public services and benefits.

CLAUK has therefore built a track record of successful collaborative work to address these urgent areas for Latin Americans in the UK over the last decade. From running awareness campaigns on Covid–19, mental health and employment rights, to implementing projects focused on information about services such as “Register with a GP” and “Let’s Stop HIV”, the coalition has enabled access for thousands in the community.

Furthermore, CLAUK has worked to increase civic engagement and participation through voter registration campaigns and hustings during all local and national elections since 2012. Notably, the resounding success of the Coalition came with the official recognition and the inclusion of the “Latin American” category in ethnic monitoring forms in areas of high concentration of Latin American population, namely the London Boroughs of Southwark, Lambeth, Hackney, Islington and centrally at the Greater London Authority.