Ecuador

 

Country Information

Ecuador is the smallest country of the South American Andean countries. It is a multi-ethnic nation with approximately 14 million inhabitants. Ecuador has a mixed migration flow: on the one hand its inhabitants migrate overseas to the European Union and the USA, on the other hand it is also the country that receives the biggest amount of refugees in the region (refugees from other Latin American countries but also from Asia and Africa).

There is a substantial Ecuadorian community in Belgium, mainly concentrated in Brussels. They come here in search of a better future for themselves and their family. When Ecuadorians decide to return, it is often after having spent a long and difficult period in Belgium, without the necessary legal documents.

To see the Country Sheet, containing detailed information about Ecuador, please click here for the Spanish version/click here for the English version 

 

Partner

HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, has been working in Ecuador since 2003 when it started developing and implementing programs primarily aimed at refugees who arrived in Ecuador after fleeing violence in their country of origin. HIAS Ecuador is located in eight cities across the country and has a number of programs focussing mainly on psychological support and economic integration of asylum seekers, refugees and voluntary returnees. Furthermore HIAS is also an implementing partner UNHCR's Humanitarian Assistance Program.

Sabrina Lustgarten is the director of HIAS Ecuador and is the local partner of Caritas International Belgium since the beginning of 2009. Alexandra Serrano is one of HIAS's psychologists and assists the returnees.  HIAS Ecuador was the local partner of the reintegration project of CIRE (Coordination and Initiatives for Refugees and Foreigners in Belgium) in 2007 and 2008.

 

Personal Story

After several years of living an insecure life with little perspective, mr. Rodriguez decided to return to Ecuador. He wanted to go back to his wife who was still living in Ambato, one of Ecuador major cities at about 100 km south of Quito. When he approached Caritas International to prepare his return, he told us that he used to work as a truck driver before migrating to Belgium. But the long hours on the road and the being away from home did not really appeal to him anymore so he preferred to search for another type of job. He spoke about his desire of becoming a taxi-driver but the limited reintegration budget would probably not allow him to purchase a car. Since touching base again with reality in the country of return often has a  considerable influence on people's final decision on how to spend their reintegration budget, we advised him to think about what exactly he would want to do for a living after his actual return to Ambato, and to discuss this with our local partner HIAS.

Upon his arrival in Ecuador, mr. Rodriguez moved in again with his wife in their rented house in Ambato. Together with HIAS he considered once again the option of becoming a taxi-driver, but in the end decided it would be better to invest the reintegration budget in the construction of a little house on a plot of land mr. Rodriguez owned. This way he and his wife would have permanent housing without having to spend money on rent anymore which would give them more financial stability. Meanwhile, he would also start to look for a job.  

Six months after mr. Rodriguez's return to Ecuador, HIAS informed us that he is doing fine. He and his wife are living in their new house and even though at first he wasn't too eager on starting to work again as a driver, he found a job doing exactly this. He seems to be enjoying it and he says that he is happy to be back in Ecuador where he now has is own house and where he is close to his wife and other relatives.

Contact

For any question concerning reintegration in Ecuador, please contact :

Sandra Fernandez

+32 2 229 36 02

s.fernandez@caritasint.be