Although education in Ecuador is free for children ages six to 14, those who live in rural areas face many obstacles that prevent them from going to school while enrollment rates in cities remain relatively high. Proximity and a lack of resources and well-trained teachers are some of the factors that keep rural students from receiving an education. To ensure all students have the opportunity to learn in clean and safe environments, WE Villages partners with communities in Chimborazo and the Amazon to build new schools and repair existing institutions.

From cooking to cleaning, clean water affects all aspects of one’s life and 25% of rural population does not use improved drinking water sources (UNData, 2012). To ensure communities in Chimborazo and the Amazon have access to clean water and sanitation, we’ve worked diligently to construct brand new water and sanitation systems or repair existing ones. We’re also working with local schools to equip them with direct water-piping systems, toilets and handwashing stations, along with establishing sanitation workshops, which aim to educate children on the importance of hygiene and sanitation practices.

Compared to other areas in Ecuador, the rural Indigenous population living in the northern Amazon face a greater lack of access to health care. WE Villages has worked hard to help improve its health care system by designing unique health programs to address the specific needs of individual communities. Our programming aims to improve medical infrastructure, conducting community site visits through mobile clinics and working hand-in-hand with families and students to discuss relevant health topics through workshops.

When children are hungry, they are unproductive and can’t focus in school. In Ecuador, 23.9 percent of children under the age of five suffer from stunting (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, 2014). Although many families in Chimborazo harvest healthy crops for income, families rely on inexpensive and unhealthy foods as the main part of their diets. To tackle unhealthy eating and improve food security, WE Villages works with local communities to construct school kitchens, dining halls, community gardens, greenhouses, as well as teaching locals about the nutritional value of eating well.

Gender inequality is widely prevalent in the rural Indigenous communities of the Chimborazo province and the Amazon. Girls and women face many obstacles such as early marriages and having to care for their families at home that ultimately prevents them from going to school, earning a livelihood and gaining independence. To empower these women, WE Villages works with the government to help establish women’s and girl’s groups with the aim to strengthen family income, increase the self-esteem of young girls and women, and encourage the development of strong female leaders.