Uniting Families for Clean Air: The Family-Led Observatory in Ecuador

On January 17, AirGradient had the opportunity to talk with Pacha Ayllu, a grassroots community group based in Ecuador composed of parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles, who are all dedicated to ensuring a healthy future for the children of Ecuador. The team – Ana Badillo, Gabriela Tobar, and Tannya Pico – reached out to propose the creation of a Family-Led Clean Air Observatory. This aims to provide real-time air quality data to the citizens of Ecuador, giving them access to the information they need to understand and advocate for cleaner air in their communities. To support this cause, AirGradient is donating 10 outdoor and 5 indoor monitors integral to its creation.

The monitors will be strategically distributed across the country, with outdoor air quality monitors placed around Ecuador’s three largest cities – Quito, Guayaquil, and Cuenca. These will be hosted by schools or families selected based on their proximity to childcare centers, parks, healthcare facilities, major avenues, and polluting industries. For the parents and families of Pacha Ayllu, this project is deeply personal, driven by the hope of a future where their children are no longer exposed to the dangers of air pollution.

“As parents, we are deeply concerned about our children’s health. Many of them suffer from respiratory illnesses far too often—some every two months or even every month. In severe cases, children have ended up in the hospital. While we recognize that not all these illnesses are directly caused by air pollution, we are well aware—backed by evidence, at least in Quito—that poor air quality in Quito has a direct and harmful impact on our children’s health, increasing their risk of hospitalization.

We want our children to breathe clean, fresh air, to be healthy, and to reach their full potential. That’s why we started the Clean Air Observatory: to inform and educate ourselves about air pollution and its real, tangible effects on our daily lives. Through this initiative, we aim to inspire change—both by encouraging families to adopt more sustainable habits and by advocating for policy-level action to ensure a healthier future for all.”– Ana Badillo, co-founder of Pacha Ayllu.

Nowhere is this more urgent than in Quito, the capital of Ecuador and home to 2.7 million people. The city faces significant air quality challenges due to a combination of factors, including its high altitude, thin air, and a public transportation system that struggles with heavy traffic and gas emissions. This has resulted in harmful air quality levels that regularly put the health of its residents at risk, making Quito a focal point for the project’s efforts.

But the Family-Led Clean Air Observatory is not just about providing accessible real-time air quality data to the citizens of Ecuador, it’s also about empowerment. By giving families and individuals the tools they need to generate their own air quality data, they have the opportunity to be involved in transforming policies and creating awareness campaigns – something the organization believes is a fundamental right. Such initiatives serve as a reminder that the community has the ability to influence change through collective action.

This commitment to collective action can be seen in Pacha Ayllu’s past efforts, where they organized family-friendly workshops, created social media posts about air quality in Ecuador, and disseminated air quality information to members through a Whatsapp group. Looking ahead, the group plans on continuing these efforts alongside the creation of the Clean Air Observatory. For instance, the workshops will now include capacity building for the Pacha Ayllu team, where they will be receiving training from the AirGradient team, empowering them to lead the initiative with families and schools.

As this project unfolds, we will closely monitor its development and continue to share updates on our blog. Interested in learning more about this project? You can access our map here to learn more about air quality in Ecuador once the monitors go live. Stay tuned for our next blog post, where we’ll be sharing Pacha Ayllu’s proposal as a great example of effective proposal writing.