Poisoned rivers: The fight for dignity in northern Ecuador

“Everything we relied on collapsed.”

Water, once so central to life, became a threat. Families stopped bathing in the river, fishing, or cooking nearby. Drinking water became scarce and the cost of bottled water skyrocketed. Crops withered, harvests were lost, and people began to fall ill.

“Before the oil spill, we used river water for washing, fishing, bathing, watering plants, and spraying. After the spill, we could not use it anymore because it caused harm. People who did not know any better used it on crops and saw them die,” says Pata. The health effects, she adds, were also undeniable. “Skin rashes, people with throat infections, vomiting, diarrhea, and headaches because of the strong smell.”

The economic fallout was immediate. “We’re farmers. We live off agriculture. Everything we relied on collapsed. We have been struggling ever since,” says José Remigio Méndez, a farmer and president of the Tonta Vaca community.

CARE Ecuador, in partnership with Fundación Lunita Lunera, launched one of the first humanitarian responses in the aftermath of the oil spill. But it was clear this crisis demanded more than immediate aid—it required a response rooted in community leadership and focused on long-term recovery.

Rivers of Dignity

This is how Rivers of Dignity: Emergency Action came about. Led by local women leaders across Esmeraldas, the initiative is built on the understanding that communities are the experts in their own lives. CARE’s role is to support and amplify their knowledge, experiences, and priorities, not to dictate to them.

“This project offers emergency support based on needs identified by the communities themselves,” says María Moreno de los Ríos, CARE Ecuador Country Director. “The goal isn’t just to deliver aid, but to strengthen dignity, collaboration, and the resilience of communities that, even when drenched in oil, refuse to give up.”

The emergency response focuses on three urgent priorities: access to safe water, healthcare, and psychosocial support. More than 800 hygiene and safe water kits have been distributed, and at least 360 primary medical treatments have been delivered. Psychosocial brigades, especially for women and children, have also begun to address the emotional toll of the disaster in affected communities.

All of this has been made possible through close collaboration with local women leaders who are connecting international support with local priorities in real time.

Long-term recovery

Support after the spill is critical in Esmeraldas, a province with one of the largest Afro-Ecuadorian populations in the country. Local activists say that the crisis is not just an accident. It’s the result of a development model that marginalizes communities while prioritizing business interests.

 “Even though the current focus is on emergency aid—mainly water, health, and protection—we know this environmental emergency will have long-term effects, up to 15 years down the road,” said Moreno de los Rios.

Scientific research confirms this: oil spills in waterways can damage biodiversity, trigger chronic illness, and unravel the social fabric of entire communities for decades.

CARE and Fundación Lunita Lunera won’t stop at providing an emergency response. They plan to support long-term recovery by strengthening livelihoods, preventing violence against women and girls, and developing strategies for promoting human rights and environmental resiliency. Legal training and community organizing are essential parts of the strategy, helping people demand justice and guarantees that disasters of this kind will not happen again.

While this emergency has revealed deep structural vulnerabilities, it’s also sparked powerful community mobilization and leadership. Pata’s story, and those of her neighbors, are reminders that dignity endures—even amid neglect and devastation.

The road to recovery will be long, but thanks to the courage and determination of local leaders, it has already begun.

Ramiro Urbino and Cristina Gordòn are Communications Officers at Fundación Lunita Lunera, a CARE partner in Ecuador.