El Terreno

After doing an internship of 6 weeks at El Terreno I can say without hesitation that I loved the experience. Joshua is open for the different goals and experiences people strive for, making it easy to create a well suited programme. It allowed me to develop myself in a new environment wherein I could learn new things as well as giving something back. Next to this more practical side, living with Joshua and the other interns was a really pleasant experience. The group activities we organised made the work / travelling experience nicely balanced, while on the other hand it was also possible to decide when to join these activities or not. Lastly the location, Atandahua itself is a rural quiet place which gives it a relaxing atmosphere. In the direct surroundings there is enough to do during the week and the central location allows for easy trips throughout Ecuador during the weekends.

You can feel that this Project comes from the heart and that the main motivation is improving the quality of live for the local community. The love and energy that Joshua and Karina put into the work is omnipresent and create a wonderful atmosphere.

I was nervous to spend such a long time away from home, in a country where I couldn't really communicate with anyone... But from week number two I was hooked and the time went by way to fast. I loved the life in the casa communal with the other volunteers, the interaction with the local community, visiting the market on Sundays, the Spanish lessons, the excursions linked to the internship organized by Joshua, the planning and construction work on Ginas House and the Weekend trips with the other volunteers. I felt very comfortable in my homestay and by the end it was really hard to say goodbye.

After my Bachelor in Architecture, I worked 4 month on an adobe construction site. It was an abandoned building, which we transformed into a tourist accommodation, to serve as an extra income for a local Family (who was super cute and lovely btw). I enjoyed working closely together with the local community - there were 2 Builders that teached and supported me on the construction site (again very lovely people) and an Architekt that helped me with my design and planning work.

Joshua was always there to guide my internship and I had a lot of freedom. I wanted to use this opportunity to both do the planning work and implement my designs on the building site, which worked out amazingly. I learned a lot about my perfession, but also about myself and my place in the world. I would fully recommend an internship with El Terreno - no matter what profession or interests you have.

I'm so thankful for my time at El Terreno! I spent my time there as an architecture intern and got to do a very large variety of things, like different scales of designing, planning as well as working hands on with construction. El Terreno is a place where there's always new things to do and new ideas coming around. The work atmosphere is very open, explorative and motivated, and your wishes, needs or thoughts and ideas will surely be taken into account, even encouraged!

El Terreno is a project that in every aspect has people in focus, it's very clear how important it is and I'm in no doubt that it's impact in Atandahua will have a very meaningful and longlasting effect! Speaking of, the people both in the project as well as the village are so incredibly nice, and it feels like a very safe place.

I'm really grateful and inspired by the work of Joshua and Karina, not to mention the amazing volunteers and interns that I met, and all of our good times together! I loved doing trips together during the weekends, and as the project is situated in the middle of Ecuador, you can go pretty much anywhere. (I would recommend leaving at least a week of travel after the project to have more time to explore though!)

All in all it's an experience I'll never forget, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who is ready and up for immersing themselves in Ecuadorian culture, learning a ton(!!), working hard, meeting amazing people and create unforgettable memories! If you're thinking about it, do it! All the best! //Elise

I had the privilege of interning at El Terreno for 6 weeks, where I worked on a water project and was able to learn so much and make a difference in the community.

I worked with a great team, did a lot of hiking to water sources, talked to community members, learned a lot from our mentors Sebastian and Cristian, researched solutions to improve water quality, and was even able to collect water samples and conduct experiments at the local university. Joshua was very helpful in providing support and giving me the freedom to decide the direction of my internship.

Working on the water project gave me the experience I needed to secure an internship for a global engineering company, and I am forever grateful to Joshua and El Terreno for helping me achieve my goals.

One of the best parts of this experience was having the best of both worlds culturally: on one hand, you’re able to live in a less-touristy part of Ecuador and immerse yourself in Ecuadorian culture, but on the other hand, you don’t feel completely like a fish out of water. I enjoyed my time in the homestay practicing my Spanish and learning about Ecuadorian culture. I came as a sustainable agriculture intern and was able to implement a school garden.

This was a fantastic introduction to locally-led sustainable development work. My internship involved interacting and collaborating with various stakeholders, from the teachers to the parents. I even got to teach one of the example lesson plans I created.

By the end of internship, I felt that I had made a meaningful contribution. That said, six weeks was too short for me—I recommend coming here for a summer internship if you can. Joshua is very thoughtful of the volunteer's needs and able to personalize your experience to what you're looking to get out of this experience. The community of volunteers and interns has also found a special place in my heart.

The people who end up coming to El Terreno have a mutual interest in reconnecting with nature or promoting cultural exchange and social transformation. Being here is a really good way to meet people from all ages who are on a somewhat similar wavelength. Additionally, the whole experience is enriched with visits to the local farms and entrepreneurial cooperatives that are off-the-beaten path.

Whatever your reason for looking into El Terreno—everyone comes for different reasons—it turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. I'm very grateful the universe had led me there.