MSF first worked in Ecuador in 1996, most recently in response to two earthquakes that hit the country in 2016.
Two earthquakes hit Ecuador in 2016, on 16 April and 18 May, killing an estimated 671 people and injuring another 17,638. Over 33,360 people had to move into shelters after their homes were damaged or destroyed.
After the first 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck, four of our teams already working in South America travelled to Ecuador and spent a month working in Manabí and Esmeralda provinces, two of the worst-affected areas, which were later declared disaster zones.
After an initial assessment, our teams focused their efforts on providing mental health support and distributing relief items.
