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Ecuador is a medium-income country with a Human Development Index (HDI) of .807. This HDI indicates a high level of development, relative to the combined evaluation of the three HDI dimensions of 1) life expectancy at birth, as an index of population health and longevity, 2) knowledge and education, as measured by the adult literacy rate, and 3) standard of living, as measured by the natural logarithm of gross domestic product per capita at purchasing power parity.
About 38% of Ecuador's population lives below the poverty line. In recent years the resolution of serious economic challenges, divisive and conflicting politics, worldwide challenges to leadership, and potential corruption have taxed Ecuador's governance.
The challenges to peace and justice in Ecuador reflect those in the world today: Economic instability, divisive politics, external challenges to leadership, potential corruption and the overarching need to advance each nation's progress toward Millenium Development Goals.
The need for informed and skilled conflict resolution from trained professionals with specific skills including peacebuilding, conflict resolution, ethics, community-building, economic development, international relations, collaboration, NGO management is paramount. This need is unending, and it is being met incrementally.
The Rotary Peace Scholarship will help to fund an intensive 30 unit Master's degree in Peace and Justice Studies at the University of San Diego's Kroc School of Peace Studies. Within a solid foundation of peace and justice studies and research methodology (9 units), students then develop specialties in one of four areas: Human Rights, Crisis Analysis and Conflict Resolution, Development, or Human Security.
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