Alianza Ecuatoriana Internacional
Walter Sinche, Founder & Executive Director
www.alianzaecuatorianaint.org
Alianza Ecuatoriana Internacional/International Ecuadorian Alliance (AEI) is dedicated “to strengthening Ecuadorian identity and motivating the active participation of the Latin American immigrant community in their development and in finding solutions to their problems.” About 76,000 Ecuadorians lived in New York City in 1990; twenty years later, 170,000 residents live primarily in Queens and represent the City’s fourth-largest Latino group.
When several Ecuadorian immigrants were killed by perpetrators of hate crimes, AEI organized to bring attention to the growing violence against Latino immigrants. It provided support to the affected families, kept the issue alive in the media, and worked with public officials and community members to develop a response. The hate motivated attacks propelled AEI to unite with other Ecuadorians to educate the broader society. With this purpose AEI is developing services to meet long-term needs including programs to address immigrant rights, education, employment, sports, health, and culture.