El Terreno

My experience at El Terreno was truly recommendable. During my time there, I had the opportunity to participate in physiotherapy projects and work closely with the community, which allowed me to apply my knowledge while learning from the people around me. This experience gave me a better understanding of the importance of accessible healthcare, human connection, and community-based support. I appreciated the welcoming environment, the cultural exchange, and the opportunity to contribute through my field of study. It was a valuable experience both professionally and personally, and I would highly recommend El Terreno to anyone looking for a meaningful learning journey.

El Terreno was an incredible experience, one that is difficult to fully explain because it is something that can only truly be understood by living it. My time there allowed me to step outside my comfort zone, connect with new perspectives, and experience a way of life that completely changed how I see the world. Through the people, the community, and the daily experiences, I gained a deeper appreciation for simplicity, collaboration, and the value of meaningful human connections. This journey expanded the small bubble I once lived in and gave me a renewed perspective on life, personal growth, and the impact we can create when we engage with others. If I had the opportunity to relive the entire experience again, I would do it without hesitation. El Terreno will always remain a meaningful chapter of my life.

Learning traditional construction methods with native materials, and working directly with community residents provided the ideal cultural immersion and educational experience to expand my knowledge of vernacular architecture.

Thank you for this experience and for welcoming me in Atandahua. I will never forget this time. During my stay, I had the opportunity to work closely with local families on the chocho production project, learning about the agricultural processes, challenges, and traditions that are such an important part of the community. It was inspiring to see the dedication and resilience of the farmers and to contribute, even in a small way, to a project that supports local livelihoods. Beyond the work itself, what made this experience truly special was the kindness and generosity of the people I met. Living and working alongside the community allowed me to better understand their culture, values, and daily life. I am grateful for every conversation, every shared meal, and every lesson learned. The friendships, memories, and experiences I gained in Atandahua will stay with me forever, and I will always look back on this time with gratitude and appreciation.

I absolutely loved my stay at El Terreno. I had the opportunity to apply my passion of social entrepreneurship to craft a project with the incredible support of the El Terreno staff and mentors. I am so grateful for El Terreno as it has shaped my life trajectory and pushed me to become a better individual both personally and professionally!

El Terreno is a wonderful experience to learn about social, economic, and cultural realities, allowing participants to engage in deeply meaningful work that contributes to sustainable solutions and creates a lasting positive impact on our world.

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 hands-on experience with Gina and her family. I learned a lot being fully immersed with the culture and people in the community. I am also grateful for the push and support the mentors and other volunteers and interns gave to work on the projects.

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

Lo pasé genial en la fundación El Terreno. Pude participar en varios proyectos diferentes. También tuve la oportunidad de vivir experiencias con la gente de la comunidad. Conocí a gente maravillosa con la que fue fantástico compartir estos momentos, ¡y las comidas de Karina y Nelly siempre estan deliciosas!

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 part of the culture , we got to dance. I now have memories and friends for life thanks to el terreno.

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.

In 2025, I had the opportunity to participate in a three-months internship program at El Terreno, Atandahua, Ecuador. My project was focused on the improvement of the drinking water situation in Atandahua and the neighboring communities. Before starting the project, I had a short interview with Joshua, CEO and founder of El Terreno, to figure out what my motivations and expectations of the project are, what kind of character I am, and if I’m a good match for the team. Arriving at the airport in Quito, there was an organized pick-up for the transfer from Quito airport to Atandahua. Arriving on the same day as two other volunteers, I had the opportunity to get to know them a little bit on the four-and-a-half-hour-long drive. Travelling from Quito airport to Atandahua would have been possible by bus aswell, but for that, a better understanding of the public transport system in Ecuador would have been necessary. Now, with the experience I made in Ecuador, I could easily achieve that. Back then, it was a lot easier with the organized pick-up. Having arrived in Atandahua, we were very warmly welcomed at “El Terreno”, where I could very comfortably move into my new home for the next three months. And indeed, it became a home. The bed in a shared dorm with three bunk beds (six beds in total plus one individual bed, but only at max four of them occupied at a time) were comfortable. The kitchen space was big enough to comfortably cook on the six gas stoves provided, even with several people cooking their food in parallel at a time. The organization of the food storage inside and outside of the fridge is strict, but very well done, even though one fridge proved to be a bit small if there’s a lot of people. During my stay this issue was solved by installing a second fridge. From the beginning, Joshua and his family were lovely people, and it felt really good staying with them. Joshuas wife Karina provided one warm meal per day for lunch time, which was super delicious, and I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to taste original Ecuadorian food. “Quilico”, the house where the volunteers live together, is a very comfortable home, with a woodfire oven, gas stoves in the kitchen, and hot water showers. A big common area invites everyone to spend time together, but at the same time it is possible to retract from social life and have a bit of private time in the shared dorm rooms. The cleaning regime of “Quilico” is very well organized and Joshua has a strict eye on the tasks that need to be fulfilled by everyone to make a comfortable living together possible. The project work is very well organized, oriented at the design methodology approach. An introduction to design methodology is provided by Joshua. Mentors give an insight into the setting, the community and the problems and objectives of the project during the first four weeks. This is the basis for understanding the aim of the project properly. The next phase (additional four weeks) is the planning of actions aimed at providing solutions for the problems identified in the first phase. The last phase (another four weeks) is the execution of the plan to put the possible solutions into reality and testing their strengths and limitations. The social life at El Terreno is beautiful, with the opportunity to meet people from all around the world with the same intentions of doing something valuable for the community. There is sufficient free time to get to know each other, play games, cook and eat together and even have a party or watch a movie on the beamer. Once a week there is a pub quiz (“trivia”) in changing locations in Guaranda which is always fun to participate in. There, local people from Guaranda and the surrounding communities meet the foreigners of El Terreno and other organizations to answer trivial yet sometimes pretty tricky questions in a relaxed atmosphere with food and beers. The perfect opportunity to get to know the locals. I always loved trivia! 😊 As beautiful as my stay at El Terreno was, there is one point that should have been communicated better during the execution of the project, which is the continuation of the project after me having left El Terreno. Unfortunately, the projects prototype didn’t fulfill the expectations to a hundred percent which were put into it in the first place. My understanding was to figure out the issues and improve the prototype to finally achieve an optimized and reliably functional product. After I had left El Terreno, the prototype was exchanged against an off-the-shelf solution, which I intentionally had avoided due to major drawbacks in terms of long term costs and sustainability. Knowing this, my work and effort at El Terreno felt somehow wasted and I feel I could have achieved more focusing on other aspects of the project which my skills and expertise would have been more useful in the long run. With that said, I want to add that I definitely have all respect for the decision of El Terreno not to continue with the prototype because I am leaving after three months going back to Europe, but El Terreno has to make sure the equipment provided is working properly and must defend it against the community’s interests. The off-the-shelf solution was definitely a quick and more reliable solution for the water quality issues, yet with - from my point of view - major drawbacks in sustainability. Still, I enjoyed my time at El Terreno a lot and I’m happy coming back to the beautiful place on the outskirts of the Chimborazo volcano soon.

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.

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.

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.

I think that the work of Joshua, Sebastian, Cristian and all the other important people (maintenance, cooking, Neiser) is a great chance for the region to improve in so many ways. I felt part of the team from day one, and tried my best to make a difference. I think there's much to say about the programs, the house, the surrounding nature and the local people. But the most important thing to me was that this organisation brings out the best in the people they work with. Maybe it's a vibe, maybe it's structure, and maybe it's just the patience I experienced there every day. Adding to the greater good in society and improving the lives of so many, El Terreno simply rocks.

Quería hacer parte de un proyecto que usaba materiales naturales para una arquitectura social y sostenible. Definitivamente una experiencia genial tanto en el aspecto humano como profesional, lo recomiendo al 100%.

This internship was a highly valuable and rewarding experience. It allowed me to step beyond the digital, academic side of my studies and gain hands-on experience through building and working on site. Being able to see ideas translated into physical reality gave me a much deeper understanding of the design and construction process. Working in a new environment pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me develop practical skills, adaptability, and confidence. The experience also gave me insight into collaborative, community-driven work and reinforced my interest in hands-on, impact-focused projects. Beyond the professional growth, I also formed strong, lasting friendships and bonds with the people I worked alongside, which made the experience even more meaningful. Overall, the internship was both personally and professionally enriching, and it has strongly influenced how I view my future work and career direction.