Salvador Proaño

Ecuadorian priest and social reformer who created rural development cooperatives and pioneered liberation theology in Latin America

Early Ministry and Vision

Father Salvador Proaño (1923-2000) began his priesthood in Cotopaxi, Ecuador, where he witnessed extreme poverty among indigenous communities. This experience led him to develop a theology of liberation before the term was coined, emphasizing practical solutions over charity.

Rural Cooperatives Movement

In 1950, Proaño founded the Cotopaxi Cooperatives, a network of 120+ agricultural cooperatives that:

• Provided microloans to Quechua farmers
• Established collective land ownership
• Created marketing cooperatives for coffee and potatoes

By 1970, these cooperatives had lifted 30,000 families above the poverty line, a model later adopted by UN rural development programs.

Global Impact

Proaño's work inspired:

• Gustavo Gutiérrez's 1971 liberation theology text
• World Bank rural development policies
• Peace Corps community development programs

His legacy is celebrated in Ecuador's National Museum of Memory (exhibit page) and continues through the Proaño Foundation's ongoing rural initiatives.