Ecuador

Country News

Published: March 3, 2026Funding OpportunitiesColombia Ecuador Ghana India Indonesia Morocco Pakistan Romania Senegal SierraLeone Tanzania Vietnam

Request for proposals for Transition to Scale innovations!

Grand Challenges Canada, through the Being Initiative, is investing in ready-to-scale innovations that address the root causes of young people’s distress before they escalate, strengthening the environments where they live,…

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Opening: July 2, 2025Published: July 2, 2025Funding OpportunitiesEcuador

Request for Proposals: Ecosystem Catalyst Opportunity for Ecuador

We’re seeking Ecosystem Catalyst proposals from mental health organizations, civil society organizations, social enterprises, research institutions, consortiums, and others who work with and can influence decision-makers, public sector representatives, community…

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Published: April 1, 2025BlogsColombia Ecuador Indonesia

Shifting Power in Youth Mental Health Research: Key Lessons from Global Researchers at the IAYMH Conference

Mental health ecosystems, which encompass both formal systems (like policies) and informal relationships (such as community interactions), play a crucial role in supporting population wellbeing. At the 7th International Association…

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Country Focus

In Ecuador, young people are increasingly exposed to violence in their communities, homes, and schools. In 2023, 770 children and adolescents lost their lives to crime—a 640% increase since 2019. This climate of fear is deeply affecting youth mental health. Surveys show that 26% of adolescents feel unsafe at home or school, and one-third feel unsafe walking in their neighbourhoods.

Violence and insecurity can lead to long-term psychological effects, including anxiety, post-traumatic stress, depression, and substance use. These experiences also erode trust, reduce social connection, and make it harder for young people to thrive. Despite growing attention to youth issues by the government, comprehensive strategies to address violence-related trauma remain limited.

Discover more insights from Ecuador’s landscape analysis—download our report!

What we’re funding in Ecuador

Proof-of-concept funding:

Proof-of-concept (POC) funding up to $250,000 CAD will be awarded to early-stage projects that can implement, test and refine solutions to country-specific personal, social, and/or environmental factors impacting young people’s mental health and wellbeing in one of the 12 countries.

In Ecuador, we seek bold Proof-of-Concept ideas to promote the physical and emotional safety of young people within community, school, and/or family environments. These innovative solutions should focus on preventing violence against young people.

Transition-to-scale funding:

Transition-to-scale (TTS) funding between $300,000 CAD and $1,500,000 CAD will be awarded to support tested mental health promotion and prevention approaches that align with country-specific priorities along their scaling journey to help catalyze their sustainability and impact.

In Ecuador, we seek bold Transition-to-Scale ideas to promote the physical and emotional safety of young people within community, school, and/or family environments. These innovative solutions should focus on preventing violence against young people.

Ecosystem catalyst funding:

Ecosystem catalyst (EC) funding between $200,000 CAD and $300,000 CAD will be awarded to organizations that can address priority barriers to scale, such as legislation, evidence, coordination, and mobilize demand to help mental health initiatives succeed and grow in one of 12 priority countries.

In Ecuador, we’re funding EC proposals that support better alignment and collaboration among mental health stakeholders to advance youth mental health and their safety on the national agenda.  