Sustainable Development Internships in Ecuador

I had an absolutely incredible experience at El Terreno during my 6-week stay. I am so happy that I chose El Terreno as my final destination when I was looking for humanitarian work in Latin America. I loved the community, and the project was really well set up. I felt supported along the way and have learned so much about the community and about myself, both professionally and personally. Not only did I feel challenged, but I can say I’ve definitely developed some very important skills and got to see the impact the team and I made along the way. Joshua’s project is very interesting and inspiring. I would 100% recommend this to anyone who’s looking for meaningful work and some adventure along the way!

For over 5 years I’ve been wanting to have a meaningful volunteering experience in a part of the world that I’ve never been to, and my time in El Terreno was everything I’d hoped for and more! It was a mixture of hands on experience with local guidance, interesting cultural learnings about the region, Ecuador and South America, interactions with the local communities in a language I didn’t really understand but somehow managed to communicate in, and it’s an experience I won’t forget! In those short 4 weeks, I met people from all sorts of background, and discovered so much about myself and the world. There is a lot out there to discover and a lot of needs to be met, so I’d encourage everyone to give this experience a go and give back in any way you can. You might learn something new about yourself!

When it comes to service projects, I’ve got high standards because I’ve worked professionally as a volunteer manager for the past 15 years. El Terreno exceeded my expectations. El Terreno doesn’t impose their ideals on the community, they build relationships with the local people and truly collaborate. As interns, we were folded into that process. We were given a lot of responsibility and worked hard, but had plenty of support. Being a family of three, with our 12 year old son, we were not the typical interns. Thanks to Joshua’s thoughtful attention and innovation, we were always engaged in meaningful work. I’ve worked on other volunteer projects that didn’t feel very inspiring or impactful. Not this one. It was unforgettable.

I completed an 8-week internship at El Terreno and absolutely loved it! The project was incredibly versatile and tailored to my personal goals and aspirations. Like many of the internships, we used the Design Thinking Approach, which was an excellent method for understanding the community, brainstorming solutions, and implementing our initiatives. Joshua has a lot of passion for his work and provided exceptional support, connecting us with great mentors and offering guidance whenever needed. There was also an incredible community of volunteers and interns, and I developed many deep and lasting friendships with the group here. The weekend trips exploring different parts of Ecuador were a great way to unwind and see the country. I enjoyed spending time around Atandahua too, from Tuesday trivia nights to making empanadas and tortillas, to watching the sunset above the clouds. I am so grateful for the opportunity to come here and would highly recommend it.

The kind of opportunity your are infinitely grateful for ! I loved everything about my fantastic journey in the Andes, discovering ancient vernacular building techniques and learning from local professionals. The touching contact with local population has been a great opportunity to practice my Spanish and get to know their incredible culture. Absolutely grateful to Joshua for his support and dedication in the project and for making my internship such a wonderful time.

Doing my internship at El Terreno in the rural Andes was an extremely valuable learning experience. Thanks to the human-centered character of my internship, I got to work with many locals, and discovered new methods of participatory research. I appreciate the most, the variety of skills that my internship have taught me. Besides conducting my qualitative research, I made myself to learn Spanish faster, networked with various stakeholders, hold a workshop with teenage girls and improved my graphic design skills. Working with the community and learning about the challenges they encounter was a strong motivation during my internship. I loved engaging with the local stakeholders and realizing possible solutions with my teammates. Although, the topic of my research was at times challenging, I enjoyed every day that I worked on my project thanks to the friendly atmosphere at El Terreno. And waking up every day with the view of Chimborazo is pretty awesome too!

I spent 3 months interning at El Terreno, learnt so much and genuinely felt I made an impact. I worked alongside the local potable and irrigation water committees on strategically planning improvements regarding water quality, quantity and infrastructure through regional organisation. I was part of a team that successfully led a proposal for the legal formation of a regional water committee (2nd degree organisation) compromising 7 communities as a platform to pool resources, knowledge and facilitate legal collaboration over protecting water supplies in the area. I had so much fun on this internship but more importantly, for my personal goals, I learnt a huge amount about development in real-life contexts. What I loved most was the balance between the freedom to design and implement my own project with a team of like minded interns while also having constant access to field experts Sebastian and Cristian - their support was invaluable. Among other things, key activities included community site visits, attending conferences and field research. Furthermore, having the weekends free allowed time to travel Ecuador and visit other areas of Ecuador - something i was very grateful for! Overall, I really enjoyed my internship and feel it has been a key part of my journey in the field of international development.

El Terreno is well organized, they are always approachable and caring, creating a space where everyone feels comfortable. It’s a super living space, and the work is diverse and super enriching and humane. They support your personal strength and interests and the social community work is amazing. The people from Atandahua are lovely and the kichwa culture is rich and humble. The nature is beautiful!!! Thank you for this expanding and enriching experience! I highly recommend to everyone! :)