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El Terreno

9.49 (69)VerifiedSince 202122 Programs

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 ...

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El Terreno Reviews

Hear what past participants have to say about the programs

Overall Rating

9.49

Total Reviews

69
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Social Entrepreneurship at El Terreno

May 24, 2026by: Elise Nam - United States

Program: Agroecology & Community Farming Internship in Ecuador

10

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!

Law & Community Economic Development

May 24, 2026by: Luke McDermott - United States

Program: Law & Community Governance

10

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.

Volunteer Intership Rural Ecuador

Valuable experience working with community

May 14, 2026by: Eilidh Allan - British Virgin Islands

Program: Gender Equality & Reproductive Health Internship in Ecuador

9

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.

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Interviews

Read interviews from alumni or staff

Cristian Daniel Vargas Altamirano

Cristian Daniel Vargas Altamirano

Interviewed in 2023

Staff

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.

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Sebastián Araya

Sebastián Araya

Interviewed in 2023

Staff

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.

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Lucía Carolina Mayorga Naranjo

Lucía Carolina Mayorga Naranjo

Interviewed in 2023

Staff

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.

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El Terreno

El Terreno

9.49Verified

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

Community Choice AwardCommunity Choice Awards 2024 WinnerTop Rated HostTrusted Provider