Integral Project to Weave Dreams through the Afro-Ecuadorian Center and Museum of Living Culture (AEC)

Despite civil society efforts to achieve inclusion and recognition Afro-descendent people in Ecuador continue to be undercounted in local and national statistics be shown negatively in media and have their current and historical contributions excluded from educational curricula. This exclusion reinforces racial discrimination in employment housing and higher education.

Our grantee Fundacin de Desarrollo Social y Cultural Afroecuatoriano (AZCAR) will establish an Afro-Ecuadorian Center and Museum of Living Culture in the Quito metropolitan area to preserve and share the historical cultural and scientific contributions of Ecuadorians of African descent.

This center will provide information on Afro-Ecuadorians to counter common negative images and will also be a source of employment for Afro-Ecuadorians as historians instructors archivists and service-providers.

The IAF supports community-led approaches to social inclusion including approaches that provide employment for women and strengthen planning and financial management skills for local organizations.

This grant advances the IAF?s strategic initiative to promote the economic and social inclusion and human rights of historically marginalized populations.