February Newsletter:
The following is an El Terreno newsletter published on 02th February 2026
Hola there,
The end of 2025 was a time for El Terreno to begin growing our team and our impact. We now have 2 new full-time staff to improve the quality of service we offer to interns and projects to the community.
Here’s just a few of the initiatives from the end of last year - bring on 2026!
Joshua Holmes
Founder, El Terreno
Delivering Care Where Roads Don’t Reach
Through our long-term partnerships with local schools, health centres and nurseries, we’ve heard a lot about about the chronic health issues due to a lack of accessibility and resources.
While there is a health centre just 10 minutes drive from Atandahua, it is responsible for 5,000 people in 11 communities - for those without a vehicle it can be up to 2 hours walk away. With these issues and the lack of medicines available, many rural communities suffer from ongoing issues that could otherwise be easily treated.[foto más llamativo - brigadas médicas] |
 That’s why, last summer, we collaborated with Kaya Responsible Travel, EcuaExplora and the Sinclair School of Nursing at the University of Missouri, to bring 8 students to deliver a week of rural home visits, community medical attention and clinic support. Watch a video of their final medical brigade in the community of Guantug Cruz |
The students on this Global Health Programme, who also lived with local failies, were exposed to the realities of rural indigenous communities, while being able to apply their skills to make a genuine impact. |
If you have a group that's interested in a similar experience, get in touch with us today to find out more about our personalised programmes. |
Where Agriculture Builds Futures
Nearly everyone in the region we serve relies on agriculture for at least part of their income. Thanks to the work of previous interns Elise and Luke, we’ve been developing an initiative within the El Terreno Foundation to train farmers to grow viable crops with sustainable techniques, as well as access profitable markets.
In December, the first step was to invite leaders of local communities and agricultural associations to visit Salinas de Guaranda, a nearby village which has taken thousands of rural people out of poverty through their community agricultural enterprises. |
We then called a community meeting with 60 attendees to participate in our pilot project to plant the Andean Lupin bean. High in protein and calcium, not only does the lupin have great nutritional value, Alimentarse SE with their range of milk alternatives like LUPWI came to request their collaboration and provide market access. |
Fast-forward to 2026, we are now planting a range of Lupin varieties to see which grow best in the region, as well as working with a small cohort of local farmers to provide them with training and seeds. |
Migration in Motion: People, Data and Economics
To become a more effective changemaker in sustainable development, it’s important to learn about the underlying causes impacting people’s decisions and wider trends.
As a poltical scientiest an researcher, our internship coordinator Cristian Toscano, knows a lot about wider socioeconomic issues faced in rural communities in the central Andes.
His presentation is a fascinating insight into the communities we work with here in Ecuador. |
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