Program Reviews

I spent 12 weeks at El Terreno and I really enjoyed it & found it very valuable. I was part of a project about Indigenous maternal health, and we were working with stakeholders from the community including Kichwa midwives and healthcare staff from local centres. I feel like I got a lot out of it, especially the hands-on work in a changing, unfamiliar environment and picking up new skills. At times it was challenging, but I got great support from Cristian.

Outside of the project, I also really enjoyed my time at Quilico - everybody from the El Terreno team is lovely, the intern community was great and I met lots of awesome people, and there were lots of opportunities to get involved with the local culture - you can stay with a homestay, take Spanish and Kichwa classes, and in February we even got to be involved in the annual Carnaval festival! The internship is flexible, it's self-led and you are encouraged to come up with plans and adapt them according to community needs. I found it a really valuable experience.

Specifically speaking from a point of view of an Architectural Intern, I enjoyed a lot working on the projects and gaining hands-on experience with Gina and her family. I learned so much by being fully immersed in the culture and by spending time with the people in the community. I am also grateful for the encouragement, guidance, and support that the mentors, volunteers, and other interns gave me while working on the projects.

This experience allowed me to better understand how architecture can create a meaningful impact when it is developed together with the community. Being involved in every stage of the process, from design ideas to on-site work, was incredibly rewarding. I leave Ecuador with new skills, unforgettable memories, and friendships that I will always cherish.

El Terreno is a wonderful project, created by a wonderful person. The goal is to help the community without doing the work for them: to accompany them, explain things, manage... to do what they couldn't do themselves and give them the tools to improve their quality of life. It was a pleasure working there with the people. Joshua has a big heart and needs other people like him to support this great project. Thank you for everything you do! I hope all this work continues. I wish you all the best.

Original:
El Terreno es un proyecto maravilloso, creado por una persona maravillosa. El objectivo es ayudar a la comunidad sin hacerles el trabajo : acompanar, explicar, gestionar... Hacer lo que ellos no podrian hacer y darles las herramientas para mejorar su calidad de vida. Fue un placer trabajar alli con la gente. Joshua tiene un gran corazon y necesita a otras personas como él para sopartar ese gran proyecto. Gracias por todo lo que hacéis ! Espero que continuara todo ese trabajo. Os deseo todo lo mejor

I had a wonderful time at the El Terreno Foundation. I was able to participate in several different projects, which allowed me to learn a lot and contribute in various areas. I also had the opportunity to have enriching experiences with the people of the community and learn about their culture and way of life firsthand. I met some amazing people with whom it was fantastic to share these moments, and Karina and Nelly's meals are always delicious. Without a doubt, it was an unforgettable and very special experience for me.

Original:
Lo pasé genial en la fundación El Terreno. Pude participar en varios proyectos diferentes, lo que me permitió aprender mucho y aportar en distintas áreas. También tuve la oportunidad de vivir experiencias muy enriquecedoras con la gente de la comunidad y conocer de cerca su cultura y forma de vida. Conocí a personas maravillosas con las que fue fantástico compartir estos momentos, y las comidas de Karina y Nelly siempre están deliciosas. Sin duda, fue una experiencia inolvidable y muy especial para mí.

My 10 weeks at El Terreno felt like a carnivalistic rollercoaster (we arrived just before the Carnival week, so the first weeks were literally ruled by Carnival music, dances and Pajaro Azul, phenomenal experience!!). Already after the first week I felt very at home, mainly because of the other interns and people working at the foundation but also because of the very welcoming and warm attitude of the community members from Atandahua and San Juan de Llullundongo.

Starting into the gender project was a little rough at first because of the complexity of the situation concerning maternal health in the region but also because of the circumstance that my team mates had been working on the project already for a couple of weeks so I felt like I needed to catch up on a lot of context based research in a very short time, but I managed! I cannot highlight enough how important I believe it to be to have an advanced level of Spanish (~B1) when joining this project. From interviews to field visits to the organisation of meetings and initiatives with the collaborating stakeholders language knowledge really is a decisive factor and in my case allowed me to really feel like I was capable of organizing a project independently without having to rely on the availability of others to translate for me.

Overall I would recommend an internship with El Terreno to everyone who is looking to work very independently and has a great commitment to finding solution approaches to very complex and sensitive issues that require endurance as well as openness and respect for a cultural reality that is probably different to what most interns are used to.

I really really enjoyed my time in Ecuador. In the beginning, I thought that 6 weeks was a super long time, but it was not nearly enough. I could have stayed much longer. I’m super happy with the work I managed to get done in this short amount of time! Everyone was super friendly, from the other interns to the staff and the community :) I was there over Carnaval, which was amazing to experience as part of the culture. We got to dance! I now have memories and friends for life thanks to El Terreno forever.

I really enjoyed the experience as a whole! I loved waking up every morning in the peaceful rural Andes of Ecuador and seeing Chimborazo in the distance. I enjoyed making connections with the interns, volunteers, other associates and employees. I got so much out of living in the heart of the Atandahua community and understanding first-hand the way they live but also the challenges they face - This gave me motivation in my associate role as I understood why the work I was doing was so important. Finally, I was grateful to be able to explore the rest of Ecuador in my free-time and I can't wait to come back to explore the rest later this year.

My overall review of this experience is 10/10. The things that were different, or frustrating I learned to accept as part of the experience, seeing it as another thing to overcome. I met amazing people, experienced a beautiful culture, and learned alot about maternal health in indigenous communities. The personal and professional development I underwent will show up in other settings, and will help me adapt, accept, and communicate better- and push myself further. The people I met during this experience had amazing stories, energy, and experiences. I spent my time in Ecuador with someone the kindest, most genuine people I have met, and will take many of the things I learned from them with me going forward.

I can only recommend an internship at El Terreno. In addition to the architecture programme, I learned so much from the other people around me. It was an adventure that will stay with me for the rest of my life and has opened the door to travelling through South America for me. I think Wilmer could be very useful in learning certain vernacular techniques to interns. He has a lot of knowledge and has been there since the beginning. I enjoyn meeting new people and getting to know a very specific cultural context

In Atandahua, the people of the community have adapted and faced different challenges that have cemented in their cosmology and way of living. From a Western perspective, they are different from what is lived in Europe and North America, but in the rural countryside, these practices are considered part of the norm. From an agricultural perspective, there is a saturation of the market and land mismanagement due to the overproduction of the same products. On the other hand, gender norms and women’s health are constantly at risk, yet it has become a standard form of living. Through our projects, we wanted to propose alternative problem-solving that could have a long term impact, while still respecting the cultural traditions of the region. By starting a chocho production system with multiple farmers in the area, and reinforcing the linkage between health centres, hospitals, and midwives, the two pilot plans seemed to have started to have a positive impact on the people in the community.