We hear a lot of talk about big countries like the U.S. offering aid to neighbors and other countries of interest, but I always raise an eyebrow when I hear these reports. We are supposedly “helping” Irag, remember? But when a small, poor country extends a helping hand to neighbors there is something significant in the act. Ecuador, a nation which has seen its share of hard times and has in turn seen a large exodus of its citizens, has announced that it will now return that favor to Colombian refugees living on the border of the two South American countries. Reports Venezuela’s El Universal:

The government will initiate in September a program to grant formal refugee status to some 50,000 Colombians living in the border zone, nearly three times the number currently registered, announced Chancellor María Isabel Salvador on Wednesday.

The “Colombian refugees registered are currently 18,000 but we will extend refugee status to at least 50,000 more.”

The Chancellor told reporters that “Ecuador is a country that looks to help everyone”, and from the statistics it looks like that’s a philosophy they are actually living by. El Universal reports that Ecuador has taken in more Colombian refugees fleeing the armed conflict than any other in the hemisphere.

Via / El Universal