LIfe in Quito

The UN office in Quito, Ecuador

Here in Quito on Wednesday morning we started our day with a meeting at the United Nations High Commission for Refugees’ office.  Our main goal was to find out what life was like for Colombian refugees in Ecuador.  There was some technical discussion about legal status and durable solutions, but the basic message was that life for Colombians in this country is very difficult.  While there were some benefits for them to be there, in general the 600,000 Colombians in Ecuador face a lot of hardships based on discrimination.  It is because of this that the UNHCR has highlighted Colombian in Ecuador as one of their high priority areas.

After lunch, we went to the main Mennonite Church in Quito and had a meeting with about 15 Colombians (including children).  They had been in Ecuador from about 4 years to just a few months.  At that meeting, they detailed for us the problems that the UNHCR staff hinted at.

The Quito Mennonite Church meets in a house they rent.  The pastor says there are about 40 members, but they will have as many as 50 or 60 on a Sunday

Employment  Colombians in Ecuador face a great deal of discrimination, they find it difficult to get jobs, and if they do get a job their pay is less than an Ecuadoran will be paid.  Often they will be asked to work for a trial period at the beginning with no pay that can last for a week or more.  When they do get paid, it is not unusual for them to be paid much less than what was promised for them.

School It can be difficult for them to find a school that will take their children.  One mother said that she went to several schools and when they found she was a Colombian they turned her down.  Another said that the other children treat her child poorly and the teachers are basically bullying their children.  There were stories of teachers dumping the children’s school bags out in front of the class.  Another said that her son often has a stomach ache and does not want to go to school.

Health Care Many said that doctors and clinics do not want to see them and they do not have money for the medicine that might be prescribed. 

Transportation Taxis are fairly cheap in Quito, since fuel is cheap (about $1.50/US gal.)  A number of people said that when a taxi driver hears their Colombian accent they will ask them to get out.  One woman who has an Afro-Colombian husband said taxis rarely stop for him.  Afro-Colombians seem to suffer even more discrimination than other Colombians.

Identity Card Related to all of this is the refugee identity card that they need to carry.  The process when they get to Ecuador is to apply for refugee status with the Ecuadorian government.  When they have this, the government will consider their asylum case.  To hear that case can take about a year and in that time they need to have their refugee identity card which must be renewed every three months.  The card gives them certain rights to work and get health care.  Without a card they cannot do things like access services or even make a police report.  Some Colombians who have been trying to keep a low profile have received threats from some of the armed groups from Colombia while they were in Ecuador.  If they do not have a refugee card, they will not take their statement, so in essence, the crime did not happen.

The meeting was highly emotional as people talked their experience, with tears and raised voices.  It was clear that these people were not here because life was easier here. It was here because they did not feel safe in their homes.  Many of them said their children wanted to go home, but they said they just did not feel safe there anymore.  

Food parcels in the Quito Mennonite Church kitchen.

There is some help.  MCC has provided a bit of money and in the kitchen of the church there were some food packages that they are able to distribute.  It seems however, that like in Bogota the community support is one of the most significant aspects of the support.  At the Mennonite Church and the Episcopalian Church in Quito that they partner with, they have a “Ministry of Accompaniment.”  As part of that, they also have a “Moment for Peace” gathering on Wednesday like the Tuesaquillio Mennonite Church.  

The food parcels contain things like, maze flour, beans, powdered milk and oatmeal.