Where We Work

Where we work

a. Maps

b. General Information on Ecuador:

i. Background:

Ecuador is located on the Equator in Western South America, bordering Colombia to the North, Peru to the South and East and the Pacific Ocean to the West. Its capital is Quito. Its climate varies from cooler climes at the higher elevations of Central Ecuador to tropical climes along the Western coast and in the Amazonian jungle lowlands in the East. Between 1819 and 1822, Colombia, Venezuela and Quito won their independence from Spain and formed a federation known as Gran Colombia. Quito withdrew from Gran Colombia in 1830 and became the Republic of Ecuador.

Since the discovery of oil in the 1960’s, Ecuador’s economy has been largely dependent on its petroleum resources. Much of the economic gains following these developments benefitted the traditionally dominant Spanish-descended elite over indigenous populations and those of mixed descent. By 2000, Ecuador was facing a number of economic problems including high inflation rates. A number of reform policies including the adoption of the US dollar lead to greater stability in recent years.

ii. Socio-economic Statistics:

	Ecuador	USA
Population	13,927,650 (2008 est.)	303,824,646 (2008 est.)
GDP per capita	$7,200 (2007 est.)	$45,800 (2007 est.)
Unemployment	9.3% (2007 est.)	4.6% (2007 est.)
Population under the poverty line	38.3% (2006 est.)	12% (2004 est.)

iii. Health Statistics:

	Ecuador	USA
Infant mortality rate (deaths/1,000 live births)	21.35 (2008 est.)	6.3 (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth in years (m/f):	73.94/79.84 (2008 est.)	75.29 / 81.13 (2008 est.)
Healthy life expectancy at birth in years (m/f)	60/64 (2003 est.)	67/71 (2003 est.)
Total expenditure on health per capita (Intl $)	274 (2005 est.)	6,350 (2005 est.)
Total expenditure on health as % of GDP	5.3 (2005 est.)	15.2 (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate (children born/woman)	2.59 (2008 est.)	2.1 (2008 est.)

II. Quito

a. Mission Summaries

2008 Surgical and Primary care mission summary (link)

2007 Primary Care mission summary (link)

b. Quito Missions

i. General Information

In 1970, Fundación Tierra Nueva was founded by Father José Carollo, an Italian born Catholic Priest. In 1992 the foundation established a presence in Quito Sur, or South Quito, an impoverished area of the capital city. To support the health needs of the poor, Tierra Nueva operates a 42 bed hospital in addition to day-care centers, a special education program and a legal services organization.

With a common interest in providing healthcare for the poor, MEDLIFE has developed a partnership with Tierra Nueva for our Quito missions. The hospital provides the necessary facility to support the work of our surgical teams. Our primary care teams work in conjunction with Tierra Nueva’s outreach efforts to provide primary care to impoverished populations in the rural areas on the outskirts of the city.

ii. Contact information:

Address:
Fundación Tierra Nueva
Cardenal de la Torre y Ajaví, Ciudadela Quito Sur

Teléfono: (5593-2)-2-636925 o (593-2)-2-636662
Fax: (593-2)-2-638243
info@fundaciontierranueva.org

III. Cebadas

a. Trip Summaries

2008 trip summaries (link)

2007 trip summaries (link)

b. General Information

Cebadas is a small rural center 90 minutes south of Riobamba, Ecuador represented by 30 smaller communities. Since the founding of the organization, MEDLIFE has had strong ties with Cebadas, which has become one of our primary brigade destinations. The closest hospital is in Riobamba, up to two and a half hours away from the communities that surround the town center of Cebadas. Thus, transportation and lost productivity costs in addition to medical care costs prohibit most residents of Cebadas from obtaining adequate medical care. MEDLIFE is currently raising funds toward the construction of a permanent clinic to provide low-cost care for the residents of Cebadas.

c. Overview Statistics

• Population: Approximately 8,000

• Ethnicity: Predominantly Indigenous

• Language: Spanish and Quechua

• 68% of families prefer to speak Quechua over Spanish.

• Located in one of the poorest regions of Ecuador.

d. Health Survey Statistics

In the summer of 2007, MEDLIFE members conducted a health survey in Cebadas to determine the need for long-term intervention strategies. Selected results are included here:

i.Family Finances

• Average Household Income/mo: $75

• 50% of households have had to send someone from the family to migrate to another part of the country looking for work.

• 78% of homes claim Ecuadorian welfare (approximately $30/mo.)

ii. Women’s Health

• 97% of births occur at home.

• Only 3% of births have occurred in the presence of a trained healthcareprofessional.

• Less than 1% of births have been by surgical Caesarian section (approximately 25% in the USA).

iii. Children’s Health

• 80% of households have lost at least one child to disease or accident. (90% were under 5 yrs old).

IV. Resources

http://www.who.int/countries/ecu/en/