Addressing Violence in Ecuador from the Grassroots

Violence escalated shockingly quickly in Ecuador in 2023. Violent deaths increased by more than 800%to a record 46.5 per 100,000 residents.

"Terror is at a crisis level," in the words of Sonia Viveros Padilla, director of IAF grantee Fundación de Desarrollo Social y Cultural Afroecuatoriano. The ongoing violence and instability has weakened social ties, reduced productivity, lowered civil society's effectiveness, threatened the country's gains in environmental preservation, and damaged communities' confidence in the government's ability to provide lasting economic solutions. It has also already driven many Ecuadorians to migrate, with more likely to follow.

In response to this concerning escalation of violence, the IAF has been working with grantees to assess what additional support and resources they need and channel it to them. We have a track record of successful rapid response to crises and resilience-building in the region. For example, in response to assassinations of community and human rights leaders accelerating to decade-high levels in Colombia, the IAF and grantee Centro de Investigación y Educación Popular rapidly piloted an urgent action fund to provide immediate financial assistance to leaders who received threats. We also provided responsive funding for post-disaster rebuilding for earthquake-affected communities in Mexicoin 2017 with matching funds from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and other partners.

IAF in Ecuador

Our experience has taught us that situations like those unfolding in Ecuador are complex, multifaceted, and often deeply rooted in history. While there are no easy answers, community-led organizations are among the best-positioned actors to drive both the immediate response to the violence as well as strategies for reducing violence long-term, in coordination with local government and other key actors.

The IAF has a strong presence in Ecuador. Since 1972, we have invested nearly $40 million in more than 230 local Ecuadorian organizations. These grants have supported community-led approaches to address food insecurity, local economic growth, leadership development, and the Venezuelan migrant humanitarian crisis. Our strategy in Ecuador advances U.S. priorities that include promoting mutual, inclusive, and sustainable economic prosperity and strengthening institutions and governance in rural and urban communities, particularly among women, Indigenous peoples, and Afro-Ecuadorians. Nearly 80% of current IAF grantees in Ecuador work in provinces at high risk of violence and displacement, including Pichincha in the capital, Quito, as well as the Pacific provinces of Manabí, Esmeraldas, and Guayas.

Peer-to-Peer Learning in Colombia

We hosted a peer-to-peer knowledge exchange in Buga, Colombia, among our active grantees in Ecuador and Colombia, around 45 organizations in total, from March 3-7. The grantee leaders from Ecuador sought to learn from the Colombian leaders' experience in reducing and preventing violence, while sharing their own advancements in promoting economic inclusion.

With the support of our in-country teams, grantees planned their own agenda and facilitated the activities for a rich, inspiring exchange. Participants shared that they particularly valued the site visits and exchanges of programmatic strategies to gain an on-the-ground understanding of how organizations work, and knowledge on expanding partnerships and networks, managing community knowledge, and building peace and resolving conflict. Indigenous grantees especially appreciated interacting and sharing their traditions with people from neighboring countries. President & CEO Sara Aviel and IAF Board Member Kelly Ryan joined the exchange and came back full of energy and inspiration.

The grantee representatives shared the daily challenges of operating in highly violent areas. For instance, Ecuadorians from Manabí pointed out the difficulty of promoting their participants' small businesses without drawing the attention of criminal groups that extract protection bribes.

The grassroots leaders from Ecuador pointed out that their country is experiencing both an influx of migrants from Venezuela and other areas and loss of their own citizens as Ecuadorians flee from violence, with coyoteswho move migrants illegally actually visiting high schools to recruit clients. Grantees emphasized the need to inform potential migrants about the dangers of crossing the Darien Gap or going north to the United States. At the same time, these community organizations are helping to integrate the migrants who do arrive from their home countries in Ecuador and Colombia.

Cities in Ecuador like Guayaquil have been absorbing both Venezuelans and displaced Ecuadorians, like one exchange participant who shared that she herself had to migrate from a rural area to the city. Ecuadorians from Esmeraldas shared that they used to lose a lot of residents to larger cities in Ecuador and other countries, and that today, many are returning with fewer resources than ever after failing to find a place to build a new life.

Colombians are no stranger to these dynamics of conflict and displacement, and the exchange helped start a conversation about how community organizations can map risk, promote protection measures, respond to threats, and build peace within their communities.

Next Steps

IAF grantees are meeting this moment with creativity and resolution, and with the IAF's support. Grantees from Ecuador and Colombia both highlighted the difference the IAF makes specifically because it sponsors exchanges that enhance their institutional capacity and cross-border relationships.During the exchange, the grantees created plans for binational work on peacebuilding and sustainable agriculture. Participants left with long to-do lists on areas they wanted to tackle when they got home, such as deepening work with children and young people on inclusion, gender equality, and violence; strengthening networking with organizations focused on similar areas in Colombia and Ecuador; and addressing digital transformation, communication, and technology.

We are in the early stages of developing an Urgent Action Fund for Ecuador. If you are interested in learning more or donating, please reach out to Partnership Specialist Matt Clausen at [email protected].

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