Ecuador - Azúcar Afro Ecuadorian Social and Cultural Development Foundation

The institution promotes the human being's comprehensive development by providing high quality training and recreation, fostering the intellectual and spiritual development of its membership.  It displays the afro Ecuadorian cultural wealth, today not sufficiently appreciated or disseminated, as a contribution to a real economic, political, social and cultural development of the afro Ecuadorians and people of African descent. The Foundation has a library with approximately 500 publications, of which more than 50% deal with the topics of interest to the people of African descent; a collection of cultural videos; a gallery/museum space; the Grandparents House, and the AZUCAR dance and music group.

Work Areas: 1. Ethnic Education (Art and crafts; group of afro Ecuadorian music and dance, in its two traditional musical rhythms, Marimba-Costa and Bomba-Sierra; its training process has been called School for Studies for people of African descent – Identity-Culture-Education; addressed to children and young people. 2. Social Work in the city of Quito and in the black communities of Esmeraldas and the Valley of Chota. 3. Political formation: It carries out training and formation workshops, in topics such as: Human Rights, Collective Rights; Children’s Rights, Women’s and Family Rights (it consolidated the National Network of Afro Ecuadorian Young People on March 2011).