Silver Spring, Maryland - During the month of March, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) provided aid for 200 Ecuadorian families devastated by the intense rainfall that drenched the coastal region during this winter's rainy season. The most severely affected areas lie in the coastal provinces of Los Rios, Manabi,Guayas, El Oro, and Esmeraldas.

An estimated 20,000 families have been directly or indirectly affected by the evacuations implemented by Ecuador's Civil Defense, and the Ecuadorian Red Cross. "More than 400 people have lost everything in the floods, while tens of thousands have lost their homes, businesses, crops, and livestock...many now are also suffering from diseases such as dengue and malaria, caused by mosquitoes and lack of potable water," said Ruth Bejarano, project director for the ADRA office in Ecuador. "In such a difficult situation, ADRA is working to help those who have been through so much."

ADRA has provided medicines and medical care, mattresses, bed linens, and mosquito nets. Additionally, 500 schoolchildren living along the hard-hit coastline received urgently-needed backpacks filled with school supplies from ADRA.

The project, which is valued at $10,000, is funded in partnership by ADRA International, the ADRA office located in Ecuador, and the ADRA South American division office located in Brasilia, Brazil. The distribution was completed in late March.

ADRA is present in 125 countries, providing community development and emergency management without regard to political or religious association, age, or ethnicity.

Additional information about ADRA can be found at www.adra.org.