In 1967 COOPI began working in Ecuador. It gained and developed high skills and know-how in the country overtime, and it deepened its knowledge on the different communities, both at cultural and geographical level.

Its history in the country and its territorial roots are therefore very significant and have adapted over time to the needs of the most disadvantaged populations.

COOPI works in Ecuador since 1967. The first period was marked by developmental projects in collaboration with universities and religious-educational institutes. Since the early 1990s, to assist communities affected by volcanic eruptions, landslides, floods, COOPI has intervened with projects in collaboration with institutions and civil society research organizations to strengthen the local capacity for preparation and response to these types of events.

In the meantime, COOPI has carried on implementing support programs for small craftsmen and Afro-Ecuadorian women, and, since 2006, support programs for the integration of the Colombian population in the border area. During the last decade, COOPI has assumed a second-level role through the technical support provided to the local realities - authorities and civil society, besides contributing answering to the 2016 heart quake.

In 2016 and 2017 COOPI made its intervention with a project on humanitarian assistance to address the 7.8 Richter Scale-magnitude earthquake that hit the coastal population in April 2016. It did so by supporting the recovery of livelihoods means of fishermen communities in Esmeralda Region.

More than 300.000 Venezuelan migrants have arrived in Ecuador during the last years looking for a new start. Since 2020, in the framework of the regional response to the Venezuelan crisis, COOPI intervenes in nine different districts of the country. Thanks to UNCHR, UNICEF and BPRM support, COOPI acts in sectors such as housing, protection, water and sanitation, socio-economical inclusion, including the response to the Covid-19 pandemic emergency. With its intervention, COOPI directly reaches 56,693 people, focusing in particular on children, women and the LGTBIQ+ population.