Ecuador

It is estimated around 24,550 children in Ecuador are out of school.  Although basic education is free in Ecuador, in practice the cost of providing books and other materials remains a barrier for people in impoverished communities (40% of the rural population lives below the International Poverty Line ($1.90 per day)).

Life in Ecuador

Ecuador is located northwest of the South American continent.  Ecuador gets its name from the Equator - the invisible line wrapped around the Earth which cuts the country in two.  Ecuador is about the size of Colorado and is bordered by Colombia and Peru.  The area is vulnerable to natural disasters, and this is an ongoing threat to sustainable food production.

Ecuador’s landscape includes a bit of everything - beaches, mountains, volcanos, metropolitan cities, the Amazon rainforest, and the famed Galápagos Islands.  Since Ecuador is located on the equator, the weather is fairly consistent throughout the year (the climate of Ecuador is tropical and varies with altitude and region).

The capital city, Quito, is known for its largely intact Spanish colonial centre, with 16th- and 17th-century palaces and religious sites, like the ornate Compañía de Jesús Church.

Spain established a colony in Ecuador in the 16th century which was known as “Real Audiencia of Quito”.  Ecuador's official Independence Day is May 24, 1822, which marks the day when the country gained its independence from Spain.  The Ecuadorian War of Independence (1820 – 1822) united armed forces from all over northern South America who eventually defeated the Spanish forces, resulting in the liberation of Ecuador