El Terreno
Why choose El Terreno?
El Terreno is an Ecuadorian organization, based in Bolivar—one of Ecuador's smallest, poorest, and most ecologically diverse provinces. Communities in this province suffer from low education, health, economic and living standards, with hundreds of families relying primarily on conventional agriculture and livestock. In line with this, the organization aims to create opportunities for locals to ...
El Terreno is an Ecuadorian organization, based in Bolivar—one of Ecuador's smallest, poorest, and most ecologically diverse provinces. Communities in this province suffer from low education, health, economic and living standards, with hundreds of families relying primarily on conventional agriculture and livestock. In line with this, the organization aims to create opportunities for locals to learn and practice sustainable methods of developing and improving their economy while preserving their heritage. They bring together local Ecuadorians and other tourists across the globe to collaborate towards ecosystem regeneration, promote indigenous culture, propose employment opportunities, and provide a wide range of eco and community tourism experiences. El Terreno offers a variety of pr...
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El Terreno Reviews
Hear what past participants have to say about the programs
Overall Rating
Total Reviews
Fever-dream adventure
August 30, 2025by: Sophia Cherniavsky - United KingdomProgram: Community Water Management Internship in EcuadorIt was such a humbling but important experience. I learned a whole new approach to life, and am so thankful for all the opportunities to immerse Joshua and his team have created. I enjoyed the parallel nature of work and culture, how integrated the local people are into any project.
Inspiring
August 30, 2025by: Hope Kisakye - UgandaProgram: Architecture & Sustainable Construction Internship - EcuadorI really enjoyed learning more about traditional architecture and working alongside the locals to create beautiful designs that embrace their heritage. I hope to employ similar design philosophies to the work I do in preserving the cultural heritage of my country.
More than an internship
July 28, 2025by: Wies Brabänder - NetherlandsProgram: Anthropology & International Development InternshipMy ten months at El Terreno has been another deeply enriching and eye-opening experience in my life: one I can definitely call a whole 'chapter'. What stood out most to me was El Terreno’s commitment to working with the local community, rather than for it. It never felt externally driven or detached from the realities on the ground: "what you see, is what you get, and you have to work with that". I had a chance to engage with the local culture, reflect on different dimensions of development work, and grow both professionally and personally. While there are always areas to improve within organisations - particularly around project continuity and intercultural collaboration - I leave with a strong sense of appreciation and insight. El Terreno not only provided me with a valuable internship for my graduation semester, but it also - thanks to the community, Joshua, Karina, the animals, and all the wonderful people I met - turned my time in Ecuador into something much more: a place that felt like home
El Terreno Programs
Browse programs you might like
Join this hands-on internship and help low-income Indigenous communities access clean drinking water through education and infrastructure project...
Join this hands-on internship and help low-income Indigenous communities revive ancestral building techniques to create sustainable housing for a...
Help low-income Indigenous communities transition from deforestation and agrochemical use toward sustainable, regenerative farming. THE CHALLENG...
Research key development needs of low-income indigenous communities, and propose integrated solutions that also preserve their culture. THE CHA...
Dive into a hands-on, personalized internship focusing on gender equality, especially in education and sexual health, within low-income Indigenou...
Join this hands-on, personalized internship and help provide low-income Indigenous communities with greater opportunities through teaching Englis...
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Interviews
Read interviews from alumni or staff
Cristian Daniel Vargas Altamirano
Interviewed in 2023
Cristen is a mechatronics engineer with experience developing industrial projects from electrical designs for hospitals and public schools to robots, ...
Cristian Daniel Vargas Altamirano
Interviewed in 2023
What inspired you to travel abroad?
El Terreno, in Bolivar's province in Ecuador, is the poorest province in the country and the last province in every statistic. It has the worst economy, education, technology, environmental policies, social development, etc.
Sebastián Araya
Interviewed in 2023
Originally from Guaranda, Sebastián is a Zamorano agricultural school (Honduras) graduate. He has participated in agricultural & development projects ...
Sebastián Araya
Interviewed in 2023
What inspired you to travel abroad?
The main thing that inspired me to work with El Terreno is to be of service. This means in service to the interns, the communities we work with, and the natural world. Here we work on ecological issues, using community principles and values.
Lucía Carolina Mayorga Naranjo
Interviewed in 2023
Lucía began teaching English 15 years ago in the Central area of Ecuador. Now Lucia is supporting an important project called "El Terreno" in the comm...
Lucía Carolina Mayorga Naranjo
Interviewed in 2023
What inspired you to travel abroad?
First of all, the impact of being a teacher on the lives of students inspired me. The best reason to be a teacher was that I wanted to have a positive, inspiring impact on children's lives. I achieved this by being kind, caring, empathic, passionate, and funny.
Ready to Learn More?
El Terreno is an Ecuadorian organization, based in Bolivar—one of Ecuador's smallest, poorest, and most ecologically diverse provinces. Communities in this province suffer from low education, health, economic and living standards, with hundreds of families relying primarily on conventional agriculture and livestock. In line with this, the organization aims to create opportunities for locals to learn and practice sustainable methods of developing and improving their economy while preserving their heritage. They bring together local Ecuadorians and other tourists across the globe to collaborate towards ecosystem regeneration, promote indigenous culture, propose employment opportunities, and provide a wide range of eco and community tourism experiences. El Terreno offers a variety of pr...
El Terreno
El Terreno
Ready to Learn More?
El Terreno is an Ecuadorian organization, based in Bolivar—one of Ecuador's smallest, poorest, and most ecologically diverse provinces. Communities in this province suffer from low education, health, economic and living standards, with hundreds of families relying primarily on conventional agriculture and livestock. In line with this, the organization aims to create opportunities for locals to learn and practice sustainable methods of developing and improving their economy while preserving their heritage. They bring together local Ecuadorians and other tourists across the globe to collaborate towards ecosystem regeneration, promote indigenous culture, propose employment opportunities, and provide a wide range of eco and community tourism experiences. El Terreno offers a variety of pr...
Awards
Check out awards and recognitions El Terreno has received
