On April 16, 2016, Ecuador suffered one of the most devastating natural disasters in its history, a 7.8 earthquake that affected more than one million people according to OCHA, representing 6% of the country's population. Cáritas Confederation was mobilized at international level and sent €2,160,000€ to Cáritas Ecuador. In the period February 16 to 21, 2018 (almost two years later), a delegation composed of representatives from Cáritas Internationalis, Cáritas Española, on behalf of Cáritas Europe, Chile, Mexico and Argentina on behalf of Cáritas Latinoamérica, has been visiting and living with the most affected communities and with the teams of Cáritas Ecuador and the Dioceses of Manabí and Esmeraldas.

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ECUADOR: GOOD PRACTICES AND LESSONS LEARNED
On April 16, 2016, Ecuador suffered one of the most devastating natural disasters in its history,
a 7.8 earthquake that affected more than one million people according to OCHA, representing
6% of the country's population.
Cáritas Confederation was mobilized at international level and sent €2,160,000€ to Cáritas
Ecuador. In the period February 16 to 21, 2018 (almost two years later), a delegation composed
of representatives from Cáritas Internationalis, Cáritas Española, on behalf of Cáritas Europe,
Chile, Mexico and Argentina on behalf of Cáritas Latinoamérica, has been visiting and living with
the most affected communities and with the teams of Cáritas Ecuador and the Dioceses of Ma-
nabí and Esmeraldas.
Together, we have identified the KEYS that turn Ecuador's approach to emergency into an exa-
mple that needs to be shared, one we can learn from both at confederal level and with other hu-
manitarian actors.
What are the keys that turn the work of Pastoral Social - Cáritas Ecuador into a Good Practice?
CARITAS' ADDED VALUE IN
EMERGENCY INTERVENTIONS

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What does it involve?
Cáritas is not an NGO, it is the extension of the charity and solidarity of the Church of the poor,
which makes them the leading actors of its history. This involves not only working on a technical di-
mension in the emergency response during and after the earthquake but also that Cáritas' diocesan
and parish teams have been close to each of the fa-
milies, always available, committed, and with a mys-
tique, identity and identification with our mission: to
work together with the last ones, those that remain
unattended, regardless of time.
What is the lesson learned?
• All of people's dimensions (causes and conse-
quences of the emergency) must be cared for,
with special attention to the psychosocial and
spiritual aspects.
• The territorial and community animation must be strengthened before, during and after,
through parishes, leaders and promoters.
• For this to take place, the support of the whole structure of the Church, especially the involve-
ment and support of the Bishops, is essential.
KEY 1: Work ER from Cáritas' identity
KEY 2: The ER from the community organization
What does it involve?
The social cohesion of the community is key in order to face an emergency, a circumstance where
the group and its solidarity take on a value as a
subject. This contrasts with individualism, which
makes each person more vulnerable. Bearing
this in mind, Cáritas Ecuador had already been
working on the accompaniment of the communi-
ties with a focus on the reconstruction of the so-
cial fabric, the creation of groups of women en-
trepreneurs, the Risk Management Commis-
sions. When the earthquake came about, all the
groups were activated and commitment and soli-
darity worked.
What is the lesson learned?
• Strengthening community networks, from the parochial animation, is essential as a process of
accompaniment before, during and after emergencies.

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KEY 3: The ER with process approach
What does it involve?
Cáritas accompanies processes, and from there, complementary projects are implemented. We are
in and with the communities, showing active liste-
ning and accompaniment. From this starting point,
we try to address all dimensions of development:
cultural, political, social, economic, ecological and
spiritual. In addition, ER is approached similarly: as
a process that begins with prevention and is directed
towards the empowerment and transformation of
communities. It is not only about building houses,
but also about working with all the causes of poverty
that emerge when a disaster takes place. In this
sense, Cáritas Ecuador built homes, worked with
women on micro-enterprises with rotating funds, strengthened the community organization and com-
plemented it with psychosocial support.
What is the lesson learned?
• Do not divert attention to the immediacy and short-term ER, fit in the process of medium-term
accompaniment, linking HA with Development.
• When other humanitarian actors "disembark" and set work with immediacy, it is important to
identify and explain the medium-term benefits of an approach based in processes where the
community builds its own way.
KEY 4: The ER from strategic alliances
What does it involve?
Cáritas Ecuador knew how to pause to think before taking action. It identified other actors with
whom to build safe and dignified housing, it did not
overload the organizational structure, but the local
teams were strengthened and the experience was fully
trusted, with an emphasis on dialogue and continuous
communication with the same people who worked on
the project in 74 communities.
What is the lesson learned?
• Recognize weaknesses and strengths and clearly
identify with whom to work in a network to contribute
knowledge, human resources, technical skills, this way
creating synergies that help the efficiency of the intervention.

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KEY 5: The ER bears a woman's name and it promotes equity
What does it involve?
Women empowerment is the key to assuming and exercising the leadership they have in the family
and in the community. Women recognize that there is a
before and after the emergency, that work and commit-
ment has made them grow, it has reassured them, they
have realized another series of problems that they did
not previously see: child labour, gender violence, the
right to water... Cáritas Ecuador did not come just to
build houses, but to stay and accompany women in their
strengthening process to rebuild and improve the com-
munities. In Manabí and Esmeraldas, women loaded the
materials from the houses, built, organized, and fought
for their families and for their community.
What is the lesson learned?
• Place women at the centre of the process, boost their self-esteem: group work is the key to any
emergency intervention.
KEY 6: The ER is approached with a rights approach
What does it involve?
Cáritas Ecuador did not let itself be carried away by the emergency; it knew how to put in the centre
the rights of every man and woman, the
right to decent housing, the right to
adequate food, in sum, and the right to de-
velopment. This involves a slow approach,
working with the decentralized auto-
nomous governments, with other social
organizations; two years later the commu-
nities can go alone and autonomously to-
wards the dignified life they deserve.
What is the lesson learned?
• Time and immediacy should not ma-
ke us divert our attention from the
work necessary to eradicate the true
causes of poverty and vulnerability.
• The rights' approach is a reality that must be fought for.
Caritas Confederation thanks Cáritas Ecuador for its dedication, its good work and its example in the face of an emergency and how
to continue and accompany the communities towards a process of development.
(We thank the team of volunteer translators at Agencia de Traducción Solidaria, Universidad Europea (Madrid) for their work on this text.)

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Some relevant data of the EA of Caritas Ecuador