When and Where I Enter, Inc. is a foundation that provides financial support in the form of grants to non-governmental organizations and other charitable organizations that implement programs to improve the socio-economic status of Black women in Latin America. Our goal is to improve the quality of life of Afro-Latinas by increasing access to economic and educational opportunities; by expanding the dissemination of health education and services; by developing women’s and girls’ leadership skills; and by encouraging creative expression through cultural and artistic media. By elevating socio-economic status of Afro-Latinas, we believe that the community as a whole will benefit.

Afro-Latinos and Development
Of the approximately 510 million people living in Latin America and the Caribbean, approximately 175 million, or 36%, live in poverty. Afro-descendants comprise 29% of the total population in Latin America, but make up an overwhelming majority of the region’s poor. Several studies have revealed that a significant barrier to economic development in this region is the perpetuation of social exclusionary practices inflicted upon racial and ethnic minorities. In fact, an analysis of certain Latin American countries suggests that some economies could expand by as much as 36.7% if social exclusion of Afro-descendants and indigenous populations were terminated.  Moreover, the majority of countries in the LAC region do not incorporate Afro-Latinos in statistical data. Consequently, Afro-Latinos are excluded from national and international policymaking related to development plans and poverty reduction initiatives, which precludes their access to fundamental resources required to progress toward sustainable economic development.

Discrimination of Afro-Latinas
Afro-Latinas are more adversely affected by poverty than many other social groups because of their lack of access to education, training programs, health services and the justice system. They are therefore hindered from full economic and social participation in their communities. Afro-Latinas, as members of two marginalized groups, are often described as facing double discrimination. The complexities that arise as a result of the combination of those two roles, however, are numerous. Gender-based violence, lack of access by women of economic resources, lack of women's attainment of education, and lack of adequate healthcare are all exacerbated when the woman is a member of a marginalized ethnic group. Afro-Latina women identify the loss of identity caused by years of invisibility; poverty and limited access to education; absence of political figures that reflect the Afro-Latino community as a whole; low self-esteem among Afro-Latina women; and stereotypes and racial and class discrimination as the main impediments to the full economic and social participation of Afro-Latinas in their respective societies.