How much does a person living in the countryside earn?
Someone who works on the land (at the end of 2005) earns from US$4 to US$5 per day plus food. If they undertake specialized tasks such as furrowing, they can earn up to US$10 daily. However this work is only seasonal. Jobs depend on the climate; there is no labor security or medical insurance, since they are hired by land owners whose economic situation is little better than their own.

What are the living conditions for country family living in the Ecuadorian Andes?
Families living in the countryside generally live in small houses made out of cement bricks, with earth or cement flooring. The houses often have windows but lack window panes. A minimum of two people sleep in the same bed, which helps against the cold, because at night temperatures drop considerably and there is no central heating in Ecuador. From an early age people become accustomed to living with the cold in and outside their homes. In wintertime (the rainy period) some families cook with firewood from Eucalyptus trees, which provides a small amount of heating.
Parents who work away from home leave between 6 and 7 in the morning and return between the hours of 5 and 7 in the evening, depending on how far away they work. People normally shower once a week, generally in an outside patio or courtyard: another member of the family will pour the hot water, heated in a large pan over a gas ring.
On Sundays it is traditional to watch the local soccer game - every community has its own soccer team, in which adults and children play side by side in the same team.