Poverty Lures Ecuadorans to the Coke Fields     The poverty in Sucumbios (directly across the river from the Colombian state of Putomayo) has lead Ecuadorans to work in the coca fields of Putomayo. Some have returned. It's dangerous now. There's fumigation and the amount of work available has dropped. For the farmers in Sucumbios it has been impressive to see the other side of the river. The Colombian side of the river is in better economic condition and I imagine it has to do with the cultivation of coke. For the Ecuadoran farmers it has been very difficult to get their products to market. There aren't many roads. With this difficulty living on the Ecuadoran side many have gone to work in the coke in Colombia. The Role of Ecuadoran Civil Society      We are working on two levels to insist on a political solution, to insist on pressure for that to happen. We can focus on humanitarian aid but this isn't going to solve the problem. With regard to the border problem we are coordinating with various other organizations at various levels. One objective is to hold workshops with the popular organizations in the area. There's a lot of lack of understanding. They don't know what's behind this. What effects they're going to be; how to prepare for what's to come. We're training people in conflict resolution and how to confront the effects.     We are also working with the human rights organizations to document the abuses. There are organizations in Sucumbios, Carchi, and Esmeraldas. You have to train people to do this.     And the other aspect is the international dissemination of information. This would be the three areas of effort, but in coordination with the people at the grassroots level who live in the area. ###