SOS Children in Equador
Ecuador in South America is the smallest of the Andean countries, and includes the Galapagos Islands. The discovery of oil in the 1960s led to rapid growth and real progress in health, education and housing. Falling oil prices in the 1990s, however, drove the economy into recession, and steps taken to stabilise the economy have generated widespread unrest, primarily among the indigenous poor.
Our charity has been working in Ecuador since 1963. There are now five communities which are home to over 600 orphaned and abandoned children and young people, as well as a number of SOS community projects.
SOS Children's community in Quito, close to the city centre at the foot of Mount Pichincha, opened in 1964 and has twelve family houses and two youth houses. A vocational training centre provides courses in carpentry.
SOS Children in Esmereldas which opened in 1980 is about 30 km from the northern provincial capital of Esmereldas. Close to the Pacific Ocean and one of Ecuador's most beautiful beaches, it has twelve family houses, two youth houses and a kindergarten. An SOS social centre provides day care for children of working parents and single mothers who live locally.
SOS Children opened a community in Ibarra in 1979. About 140 km from Quito on the lagoon of Yahuarcocha at an altitude of 2000 metres, it is close to the provincial capital of Ibarra. It has twelve family houses, two youth houses, a kindergarten and a training centre for SOS staff.
The charity's next community opened in Ricuarte/Cuenca, on the outskirts of Cuenca, the capital of the province of Azuay, in 1997 consisting of twelve family houses built in the local architectural style, two youth houses and a kindergarten. The children attend local schools in Ricuarte. Finally the charity opened a community in Portoviejo opened in 1999 in the province of Manabi, an area which suffered widespread flooding from “El Nino” in 1998 and where SOS Children ran an emergency relief programme supplying food, medical supplies and temporary shelter to families affected. The village has twelve family houses and a kindergarten.
As part of its prevention of abandonment and community care programmes, SOS Children has established six social centres in the poorest parts of Quito, which provide day care for the children of working parents and single mothers.
Country Map
Local Contacts
SOS Children in Equador:
SOS Aldeas de Niños Ecuador,
Calle Veracruz N34 - 102 y Avda. América,
P.O. Box 17-17-1852,
Quito,
Equador
Tel: +593//2/225 66 10
Fax: +593//2/244 39 07
e-mail: oncecuador1@porta.net
Next Country: Egypt