USAID has worked in Ecuador ​since 1961 to advance the country’s economic and social development, preserve its environment,​ ​​respond to natural disasters,​ and enrich the lives of hundreds of thousands of Ecuadorians.

​For over 50 years, USAID has supported the construction of important infrastructure, including roads and potable water systems; created jobs for tens of thousands of Ecuadorians; provided scholarships for higher education; built nearly 1,000 schools; conserved biodiversity-rich areas, such as​ ​in the Galapagos Islands; increased agricultural production; improved health service delivery for mothers and children; and extended financial services to thousands of Ecuadorians in rural areas. 
 
We have​ ​​achieved these important development results​ in partnership with​ ​​Ecuador's public and private institutions, non-governmental organizations, small producers, entrepreneurs, communities, and many others. Although​ ​USAID closed our field office in Ecuador in September 2014, ​we are proud ​of the close cooperation and ​the development gains​ ​that we have supported​, ​including the capacity that we have helped to develop in our partners who will continue to support critical development efforts.

USAID continues to support Ecuadorian civil society organizations that promote ​​civil society and citizen engagement with local, regional, and national government, with an emphasis on​ ​the promotion of the freedoms of ​expression and association. 

In April 2016, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the coast of northwestern Ecuador, causing at least 663 deaths and affecting more than 240,000 people.  Following a request from the Government of Ecuador for international assistance, USAID mobilized more than 30 disaster specialists to coordinate response activities and provided more than $4.3 million in humanitarian assistance to deliver relief commodities, improve humanitarian coordination, and support health, protection, shelter, and water, sanitation, and hygiene activities in earthquake-affected communities. 

LEARN MORE

U.S. Embassy in Ecuador

The U.S. Government's First Ecuadorian Counterpart: Manuela Saenz (PDF) - Spanish

History of U.S. Government Assistance to Ecuador (PDF) - Spanish

USAID/Ecuador: 50 Years (PDF) - Spanish