Ecuador, which is Spanish for "equator", gets its name from its location straddling the Equatorial line. The country has four main geographical regions which are home to approximately 16.6 million people (World Bank, 2017), split between Mestizo (65%, mixed ancestry), Indigenous (25%), Black (7%) and European ethnicities. Over twenty percent of Ecuador's population live in poverty (UNdata, 2017). Although progress has been made, the Indigenous people remain the ethnic group most affected.

In 1999, WE Charity began partnering with communities in Ecuador’s Chimborazo province and in 2013 expanded into the Amazon region in Napo province. Both areas have some of the largest Indigenous populations in the country and some of the highest poverty rates.

By establishing partnerships with the local government, school principals and local community leaders, WE charity has implemented community-led, holistic, and sustainable programming across our five-pillar development model. This holistic model starts with education, usually building or renovating schools or school rooms (including classrooms, libraries, kitchens, teachers’ accommodations, and school offices), that are then supported by other infrastructure needs key to breaking the cycle of poverty, from clean water to improved health care.

While education is free in Ecuador, there are many barriers in our partner communities to children accessing education. The rural, isolated location of these communities, whether in the Andes Mountains in Chimborazo or along the Napo River in the Amazon, is one of the most significant barriers. Existing school structures in the Amazon are often unsafe, especially during heavy rainfalls. A lack of transportation infrastructure also makes it difficult for students to get to class. Many drop out before completing their education. In the Amazon, students get to school either by canoe or on foot. When it rains, the river swells and collects tree trunks and other debris, creating dangerous conditions for students. Teachers often must travel two to four hours per day to reach schools, cutting short class time.

Students often face further barriers at home: teachers speak and teach in Spanish, but the majority of community members speak Kichwa, an Indigenous language. Due to the language barrier and their own limited education, parents struggle to help their children with homework.

Together with communities and in partnership with Ecuador’s Ministry of Education, WE Charity has supported building and renovating education infrastructure, school programming and teacher training. These bilingual schools help make education more accessible to local students, as well as reducing long commute times to class. This teacher training also helps strengthen teachers’ understanding of local Indigenous culture, better equipping them to work with their students and their parents. The Ministry of Education partnership helps ensure projects are maintained over the long-term, with programming and initiatives that support government curriculum.

This programming includes vocational training for high school students, providing the support and equipment needed for them to earn technical degrees in areas like mechanics and agriculture—building skills and knowledge they will carry into their future careers. In the Amazon, students have the opportunity to complete their mandatory high school internships at the WE Agricultural Learning Center. Cacao production is a key part of local culture, and this allows students to build the skills needed to successfully farm cacao.

In Chimborazo, our education programming includes girls’ clubs, which help young girls build confidence and leadership skills. They also learn income-generating skills like sheep and guinea pig rearing and weaving. In Ecuador, many families are unable to afford the cost of keeping their daughters in school, so this empowers girls with the means to support themselves and complete their high school education.

Since 1999, schools or school rooms have been built and renovated in Ecuador, helping increase student attendance, academic performance, and graduation rates: empowering students with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to reach their full potential as leaders in their families and communities.