WHO WE ARE?

WHAT IS RIEcuadOR?

RIEcuador is a small, non-profit organization operating programs exclusively in Ecuador. Staffed fully by volunteers and with no administrative costs or overhead, we use all of our proceeds to directly fund charity programs in villages around Canton Gualaceo, in the province of Azuay, high in the Andes.  As a charitable organization registered with Ecuador’s Ministry of Social Wellbeing (MIES) in 2014, we fully comply with Ecuadorian charity law.

Respaldando a la Infancia -Ecuador, translates to “Supporting the Childhood of Ecuador,” and the acronym, “RIE” is Spanish for “Smile.”

The last Ecuadorian Census (2010) recorded nearly 11,000 children living in poverty and extreme poverty in Gualaceo.  Families living in extreme poverty have incomes of less than $200 per month- far too little to buy their children the supplies they require to attend school, or give them the opportunity to travel beyond their villages. 

TATIANA TORRES

Founder and Executive Director

Tatiana was born and raised in Gualaceo, Ecuador. She emigrated to Queens, New York in 2000 and founded RIEcuador in 2012.

Many of the children living in Gualaceo and in nearby villages of the same province leave school at very early ages to work to help their families meet basic needs. The desire to avoid these circumstances inspired Tatiana to establish RIEcuador and help provide them with access to education and experiences they would otherwise miss.