World Vision Ecuador Earthquake Response

In only 50 seconds, the lives of thousands of Ecuadorians changed. On April 16, 2016, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck northern Ecuador. After hundreds of aftershocks finally ended, more than 650 lives were lost, 16,000 people were severely injured, and 30,000 families lost their homes.

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator described Ecuador’s earthquake as the largest disaster in the Latin America region since the Haiti earthquake in 2010. “It was a truly terrifying event felt across the country,” says World Vision’s national director in Ecuador José Luis Ochoa. Widespread destruction occurred across northwestern Ecuador. Water systems, health facilities, roads, businesses, and schools were destroyed. Thousands of families crowded into temporary shelters as officials worried about disease outbreaks and food shortages.

THANK YOU

Through your incredible generosity, World Vision began responding to the urgent needs of children and families soon after the earthquake struck Ecuador. The response team worked tirelessly to save lives, reduce suffering, and enable the long-term recovery of children, their families, and communities.

World Vision primarily focused relief efforts on people living in shelters and the severely impacted, rural areas where we already had a long-standing presence from ongoing community development work.

Because children are especially vulnerable following a disaster event, focused attention was given to their physical, psychosocial, and protection needs. Other beneficiaries included those who lost their homes, pregnant and lactating women, women-headed households, elderly, people with disabilities, and those who lost family members.

100 DAYS OF HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

Throughout the 100 days following the earthquake, your support provided emergency supplies, shelter, and food to vulnerable and hurting families.

Your support also provided services that protect children and help them heal from their trauma. Your gift, combined with the financial support from other donors, reached a total of 47,919 people with emergency support:

• 2,906 families received hygiene kits
• 2,113 families received kits to create temporary shelters
• 1,946 families received water purifying supplies
• 1,769 children were cared for in 16 Child-Friendly Spaces
• 1,511 families received cooking kits
• 425 community volunteers, teachers, and government leaders were trained on how to support children’s psychological recovery
• 52 people received home repair materials and tools
• 24 families received water tanks (1,000-liter capacity)

READY TO RESPOND

World Vision is committed to long-term sustainable development in the communities where we work in nearly 100 countries worldwide. Often, we are the first on the scene of a disaster and the last to leave.

Thanks to the support of compassionate donors, World Vision has been working in Ecuador since 1979. Due to our reputation for commitment and excellence, World Vision became the only NGO member of the Comite de Operaciones de Emergencia (COE), the Government of Ecuador’s coordinating body for this earthquake response.