Gap Year Programs in Guaranda,Ecuador

Join this hands-on internship and help low-income Indigenous communities revive ancestral building techniques to create sustainable housing for all. THE CHALLENGE Before construction industrialization, Andean communities built with rich clay soils. Globalization shifted practices to single-skin concrete buildings—faster and “modern,” but colder, costlier, less ecological, and more earthquake-prone. Hundreds of adobe homes now lie in ruin, and as these traditional methods vanish, so does their cultural and architectural heritage. THE SOLUTION We’re helping restore these buildings to preserve heritage and provide future benefits, from dignified homes to income through tourism. With support from our experienced team, join a design or build project to learn how adobe houses are made in the Andes and help restore those that might otherwise collapse. OUR METHODOLOGY Our internships use Design Thinking to co-create solutions with local partners. You’ll learn to observe, ideate, and prototype in real contexts, building skills while driving sustainable change. On weekends—or before and after your stay—you can explore Ecuador, from the Amazon to the Galápagos.