Ecuador has more than 2 million Quichua speakers that die from common diseases every year. These indigenous communities rely on Ancestral Medicine and have distanced themselves from modern medicine because there's a law that prohibits healthcare-related products from being in a language other than Spanish. Even though ancestral medicine can provide relief, it’s not very effective against more serious conditions.

Article 7, subsection B of the Ecuadorian Regulation on Medicines Advertisement states that all medicine-related communication must be in Spanish only, using clear language that does not create confusion for consumers.

However, in Ecuador, there is a large part of the population who lives in isolated indigenous communities and can only speak Quichua. Due to the previously stated regulation, they don't trust modern medicine because they can't understand it and have relied on plants' natural properties (Ancestral Medicine) as their only treatment. ??

We created an instant image-based translation for Quichua speakers in the packaging of our generic drugs. We paired the plants they use with the medicines that have the same but improved effect and printed them in our packaging for them to understand (while respecting the law) and take a better care of their health.

We approached these small but numerous communities and worked with their leaders (shamans) to create an accurate and respectful design. Communities were part of the selection, investigation, and promotion of the idea. With their help, we understood the medical function of each plant and created an instant relation between each of them to modern generic drugs that would eventually protect their well-being.

We identified the main and most influential communities whose only language was Quichua. By working with the leaders, we designed each packaging, so we could transmit a clear message that would improve their health without breaking the law.

After testing it with small groups in each community we printed the new packages and sent them to local pharmacies and medical centers.

Shamans helped us spread the word while we shared educational material in Quichua that drove people in the community to take care of their health with generic drugs for the first time.

After the arrival of Ancestral Translation, a survey was generated, that showed a greater acceptance of modern medicine by the members of the communities. A result that was shortly proved right due to a growing demand for the generic drugs with the image-based translation to our local drug stores, medical centers, and shamans/educational households in the small indigenous communities, providing better healthcare for thousands of citizens that didn't trust modern medicine before.

As of today, several members of these communities have taken this campaign to the Ecuadorian Ministry of Public Health creating a debate that could hopefully end in the abolishment of the current Ecuadorian Regulation on Medicines Advertisement law and in a more inclusive industry.