In recent years, Ecuador has experienced a nightmarish descent into violence, with successive governments proving unable to rein in organised crime and drug gangs. Despite hard-line security measures and attempts at nightly curfews, homicide rates continue to soar and the country is now considered the most violent in Latin America.
NRC in Ecuador
Faced with these dangers, record numbers of people are fleeing the country, many of them braving the notorious Darién Gap in an attempt to reach the United States. Yet Ecuador is also home to a huge population of refugees from other countries and we’re supporting these families with the food, shelter and protection they need to survive.
What’s happening in Ecuador?
Drug trafficking has always been a big problem in Ecuador, thanks to its location – sandwiched between the world’s main cocaine producers, Colombia and Peru – its porous borders and its major Pacific Ocean ports.
But over the last few years, organised crime has spiralled out of control – spreading fear across the country and forcing millions of people to flee their homes.
This crisis is exacerbated by mixed migration, with an unprecedented number of people arriving in Ecuador and putting even more pressure on local resources. As a result, hundreds of thousands of people across the country urgently need humanitarian support.
Region: South America
Population: 18.4 million
Total displaced: 70,660
Total refugees hosted: 540,040
Faced with these dangers, record numbers of people are fleeing the country, many of them braving the notorious Darién Gap in an attempt to reach the United States. Yet Ecuador is also home to a huge population of refugees from other countries and we’re supporting these families with the food, shelter and protection they need to survive.
What’s happening in Ecuador?
Drug trafficking has always been a big problem in Ecuador, thanks to its location – sandwiched between the world’s main cocaine producers, Colombia and Peru – its porous borders and its major Pacific Ocean ports.
But over the last few years, organised crime has spiralled out of control – spreading fear across the country and forcing millions of people to flee their homes.
This crisis is exacerbated by mixed migration, with an unprecedented number of people arriving in Ecuador and putting even more pressure on local resources. As a result, hundreds of thousands of people across the country urgently need humanitarian support.
Our response
We’re working with our partners in the following areas:
- Water, sanitation and hygiene – distributing hygiene and sanitation kits, improving access to wells, pumps and water treatment facilities, and teaching good hygiene practices.
- Shelter and settlements – providing displaced families with emergency shelter and longer-term, more permanent places to stay.
- Livelihoods and food security – delivering emergency food, as well as helping people to earn a living and feed their families in the future.
- Education – helping children to stay in school, distributing teaching materials and providing young people with vital vocational training.
- Protection from violence – ensuring displaced families stay safe by preventing and responding to violence and coercion.
- Information, counselling and legal assistance – helping people access legal documentation, fight eviction and claim the housing rights they’re entitled to.
Download the factsheet for NRC in Colombia, Ecuador and Panama
Our operations
NRC office established: 2019
Areas of operation: Azuay, Cañar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona Santiago, Orellana, Pichincha, Santa Elena, Santo Domingo, Sucumbios, Tungurahua
Country Director: Giovanni Rizzo
Contact: co.nrc@nrc.no
Our impact
In 2023, we assisted 80,840 people in Ecuador:
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5,137Education
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384Livelihoods and food security
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4,791Shelter and settlements
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4,195Protection from violence
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70,884Information, counselling and legal assistance
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18,189Water, sanitation and hygiene
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3,579Other activities
Note: some people received more than one type of assistance.
