Resilience and Hope for Children in Ecuador’s Amazon Region

When I think of Ecuador’s Amazon, I don’t just picture lush forests and endless rivers. I see faces—the faces of children who walk for miles each morning under the blazing sun or pouring rain to reach their schools. I think of their quiet resilience in a world that is changing far too fast, and of the urgency to stand by them so they can access opportunities and have their rights fulfilled along the way.

Climate change has hit Ecuador hard, especially vulnerable areas like the Amazon. Extended droughts, sudden floods, soil erosion, loss of biodiversity... each climate event is also a blow to children’s rights. Without accessible roads, clean water, electricity, or the knowledge to cope with today’s climate crisis, education becomes a steep uphill battle.

In Ecuador, only 1 in 3 schools has basic water, sanitation, and hygiene services, according to a 2020 assessment^[1]. In the Amazon, the gap is even wider. The latest National Child Malnutrition Survey (2024) reveals that 6 out of 10 children under five drink water contaminated with E. coli bacteria. How can children grow and learn under these conditions?

^[1] Source: Ministry of Education and UNICEF, WASH Assessment in 15,665 Educational Institutions, 2020.

When we launched the Resilient Schools Programme, we had one clear goal: no child should be left behind because of climate change. Our approach goes beyond rebuilding infrastructure—we want schools to become safe, resilient spaces that can withstand, adapt to, and thrive amid new challenges.

Through participatory processes with students, teachers, and communities, we developed and implemented a model tailored to each territory’s specific needs.

As a result of this work, schools are now equipped with rainwater harvesting and purification systems, improved sanitation facilities, and hygiene practices—including sustainable menstrual hygiene management. Solar panels provide clean, renewable energy, and new curriculum modules bring climate and energy education to life, grounded in the local context. We’ve also integrated ancestral knowledge—wisdom passed down through generations that has helped Amazonian communities live in balance with nature. We believe that by preserving these traditions—respect for water, the forest, and the land—we are also nurturing the future defenders of the Amazon.

I remember Dayana, a 10-year-old girl who shyly but proudly showed me the solar panels on her school’s roof during one of our visits. “Now the sun helps us study… and maybe even cook someday,” she told me. Elián, another student in her class, explained how they collect and purify rainwater to make it safe to drink. As we talked, he held a bottle filled with the water he would drink after recess.

For them, resilience is no longer just a hard word to say, it’s a lived reality that helps them keep believing in their future. The video accompanying this story captures just a glimpse of the collective effort behind this transformation. Each image holds a spark of revived dreams, stronger communities, and children who—despite climate challenges—now have a school that protects, inspires, and reminds them that their future is still within reach.

Today, more than ever, as children face overlapping challenges—violence, poverty, and the impact of the climate crisis—we need to build hope. And in every resilient school, we see a safe space for those who, though not responsible for climate change, will bear the weight of its consequences.

So far, UNICEF’s Resilient Schools initiative has reached 48,000 people, including children, adolescents, their families, and communities. In 2025, we will expand this effort to 15 more schools, reaching an additional 37,000 people.