Ambato authorities accused of excluding Afro-Ecuadorian youth from school kit programs

Local authorities in Ambato, Ecuador, are facing criticism regarding the implementation of educational support programs for vulnerable youth. While the “Yo soy parte de ti” program was designed to provide school kits and backpacks to children in need, reports indicate that the Afro-descendant community in the city has been systematically excluded from these benefits for years.

Despite the existence of the Ordinance for the Promotion, Protection, and Restitution of Rights of the Afro-Ecuadorian People in the Ambato Canton, which mandates the coordination of educational incentives through the Direction of Social and Economic Development, critics argue the legal framework has not been effectively applied. The distribution of supplies has been characterized by some as political proselytism, where public acts are used for self-promotion rather than fulfilling institutional obligations to ensure the inclusion of Afro-Ecuadorian children.