Ecuador
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Cebadas and Riobamba:
Cebadas is a small rural center comprised of thirty small communities in the Ecuadorean Andes, approximately 50 kilometers south of the city of Riobamba. Its largely indigenous population identifies strongly with the native Quechua culture; typically residents are fluent in both Quechua and Spanish. As the agricultural goods upon which the economy relies continue to decline in value, most of the residents of Cebadas remain extremely poor and thus lack access to the MEDs MEDLIFE seeks to provide. Access to medical care in Cebadas is incredibly limited; the closest hospital is up to two and a half hours away from the communities that surround the town center of Cebadas. Consequently, transportation and lost productivity costs – not to speak of the cost of medical treatment itself – prohibit most residents of Cebadas from obtaining adequate medical care. Since its founding in 2005 MEDLIFE has had strong ties with Cebadas, and the area has become a primary destination for our Mobile Clinics and MEDLIFE Fund projects.
Tena (Amazon):
Located on the fringes of the Ecuadorean Amazon, Tena serves as the primary economic and government center for a vast network of outlying communities, many of which lie deep in the jungle proper. Because Tena is located far from the capital city of Quito, it is plagued by many of the same problems present in other rural areas, including Cebadas. Many of the residents are extremely poor, must work long hours at physically strenuous jobs, and must commute several hours to receive medical care. Since 2009, MEDLIFE has brought Mobile Clinics to the communities surrounding Tena.
