Editorial revision 10/28 – The original article incorrectly stated Ecuador’s President is Marlon Vargas, whereas he is president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador.
What began as an opportunity for 12 occupational therapy students to practice their skills and gain experience in a foreign country ended in a helicopter evacuation amid political turmoil.
Second-year occupational therapy students at Grand Valley State University had the opportunity to replace their traditional fieldwork course with an eight day trip to Ibarra, Ecuador. The students worked with the non-profit Centro de Rehabilitación, Educación, Capacitación, Estudios y Recursos (CRECER), offering occupational therapy services in nursing homes, an adult day program and CRECER outpatient center. The 12 students and two faculty members, Professors Gina Caruso and Leana Tank, departed Sept. 19. Originally intending to return Sept. 27, they realized they needed to evacuate early, yet still didn’t get home until Sept. 29.
“On Sept. 25, the professors called into the Padnos International Center (PIC) to let us know there were protests in Ibarra,” said Kate Stoetzner, PIC executive director.
The protests stemmed from the Ecuadorian government’s decision in September to eliminate a diesel fuel subsidy, which increased the price of diesel from $1.80 per gallon to $2.80. This decision sparked widespread outrage among Indigenous people who work in agricultural, fishing and transport sectors, which have been particularly affected by the cost rise, according to PBS. The protests included roadblocks, blockades of highways and clashes with police.
That same evening of the phone call, the professors followed up, saying protests had escalated and that they needed help leaving Ibarra. The roads leading away from their hotel had been blocked, so they remained there another night.
“On Sept. 26, they (professors and students) had been told the government and locals were going to have a discussion that would possibly restart the subsidies or allow the roads to open, but in fact there were no changes,” said Stoetzner.
There was one open road that would possibly allow an evacuation to Quito, the capital of Ecuador, but they soon found it was under cartel control and would not be safe. With the assistance of GVSU’s emergency insurance provider, International SOS, they began to look into other ways out of Ibarra. With all the roads blocked off, the only way out was by helicopter.
Another challenge posed was severe weather, which limited helicopters’ flight ability. A helicopter was secured that Friday evening, but the impending rain storm meant students had to spend another night at the hotel.
Saturday morning, they were transported to Quito by helicopter in four trips. Due to the weather’s unpredictability and the helicopter, PIC was not confident everyone would make it in time for the Saturday night flight, so their return home was delayed until Monday. Luckily, protests had not yet reached Quito and the students were safe till their flight.
“A major factor in the success (of the evacuation) was that we could trust the people on the ground were handling themselves, no one was panicking unnecessarily and we were able to calmly explain what was going on each day,” Stoetzner said.
Stoetzner emphasized GVSU is prepared for international emergencies. There was no cost to the University for the evacuation because they have ISOS insurance.
“We were able to make the decision to keep the students and faculty as safe as possible for as long as possible without having to worry about the cost,” Stoetzner said.
The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) stopped protests Wednesday after Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa threatened military action. CONAIE called for a national strike earlier in the month.
