Ecuador

Total Projects: 22
Project Spending: $63,026

One of the five Andean countries of South America, Ecuador’s population is a patchwork of indigenous communities, people of colonial Spanish origin, the descendants of African slaves, and mixes of these groups. Traditionally a farming country, Ecuador's economy was transformed after the 1960s by the growth of industry and the discovery of oil. There was rapid growth and progress in health, education and housing across the nation. The traditionally dominant Spanish-descended elite have gained far more than indigenous peoples. Today 25% of Ecuadorians live on less than $1.25 USD per day, a World Bank indicator of extreme poverty.