Ecuador
Doña Antonia is the president of an association of indigenous women that partners with CRS through the Borderlands Coffee project. Photo by Michael Sheridan/CRS
Ecuador is the Latin American nation with the largest number of foreign refugees. Most are Colombians who have fled the armed conflict that began in their country in the 1960s. An estimated 160,000 people need international protection, but only about 53,000 have been granted official refugee status. Refugees have settled mainly in the provinces of Pichincha, Sucumbíos, Esmeraldas, Carchi and Imbabura.
The people who suffer most from displacement are children, women, indigenous people and Afro-Colombians, the poor and people with disabilities.
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Stats
| Population: | 15,007,343 (July 2011 est.) |
| Size: | 109,484 sq. mi.; slightly smaller than Nevada |
| People Served: | 23,000 (2011 est.) |
History
CRS began working in Ecuador in 1955, providing food, medicine, clothes and school nutrition programsBut the cycle of poverty continued.
In response, the Catholic Church began working with indigenous communities to strengthen local organizations, improve access to land, and introduce new farming methods. Such initiatives proved that sustainable development requires integrated economic, social and organizational programs. We have built on that approach, serving vulnerable and marginalized communities in Ecuador with more than $60 million in humanitarian aid, natural disaster preparation and response; rural, health and childhood development programs and microfinance. We now focus on aid to and integration of Colombian refugees.
Partners
Caritas/Social Ministry: This office of the Ecuadorian Conference of Bishops serves diocesan and parish Caritas offices in their efforts to build a more just society. It coordinates a program to strengthen the church's pastoral response and advocacy work on the Colombian-Ecuadorian border.
