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NATIONAL SOCIETY PROFILE
The Ecuadorian Red Cross was founded and ratified by Congress in 1910 and admitted to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in 1923. It is governed by the law that established it, by international agreements and treaties approved by Ecuador and by its own statutes. As a humanitarian organization, it works to alleviate and prevent human suffering and to promote resilient communities. It is guided by the Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement and is oriented by the concepts of sustainable development, well-being, dignity, and diversity.
The National Society’s four programmatic areas are disaster risk management, health and community development, promotion of the fundamental principles and values of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and programmes for young people. The Ecuadorian Red Cross headquarters is located in the capital, Quito, with coverage throughout the country, and is supported by its 24 local, and provincial branches. The National Society also has local “cantonal” boards and community volunteers in working through parish and neighbourhood brigades. It also operates associated components, such as a blood bank and hosts the only hemocentre in the country that allows blood processing to obtain hemocomponents.
In 2023 alone, the Ecuadorian Red Cross responded to multiple emergencies, such as floods and landslides, earthquakes, volcanic ash eruptions, and insecurity, in some cases with support from the IFRC’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF). In recent years and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ecuadorian Red Cross developed interventions in all 24 provinces of the country. These include health services, psychosocial support programmes, prehospital care, blood donation, and support for the national vaccination campaign. In 2022, the Ecuadorian Red Cross reached one million people with disaster response and early recovery interventions, and over 790,000 people with long-term services and development programmes.
The Ecuadorian Red Cross Strategic Plan 2021–2025 defines two strategic objectives:
• Promoting the development of resilient communities to alleviate and prevent human suffering
• Promoting the development of the National Society through strategic transformations to improve its performance