Connecting Languages, Communities and Careers!
Updated: Oct 6
The following is an El Terreno newsletter published on 10th March 2026
Hola there,
After a vibrant Carnival season filled with colour, community, and cultural exchange, El Terreno returns with renewed energy and fresh momentum. This time of celebration reminded us why our work matters — bringing people together, strengthening local partnerships, and nurturing sustainable change.
With new ideas sparked and collaborations growing, we’re excited to share the latest initiatives that are already shaping the months ahead. Here’s what’s been happening since Carnival — and what’s coming next.
Joshua Holmes
Founder, El Terreno
Building Bridges Through Bilingual Education
In Ecuador's Intercultural Bilingual Education System, teachers not only educate students in Spanish but also English and their native language - in our region this is Kichwa.
However, due to a lack of practical resources, many teachers struggle with the ability to adecuately engage their students and provide the education to the levels required for university.
Conor 🇬🇧, an experienced educator and English teacher, joined us for the final weeks of 2025 to share his experience. Following our Design Thinking-based Methodology, he interviewed students, education institutions and teachers system before co-creating a Didactic Toolkit.
Not only did it only focus on language proficiency, the initiative also addressed a deeper challenge: many students struggle to see how language learning connects to their identity, daily life and future responsibilities.
In addition, the project also included the coordination of practical environmental science classes from the visiting Yaku Water Museum, Quito!
Watch a video of supporting bilingual lagnuage teaching in Rural Andean Communities
This internship was a huge success. Congratulations to Conor for his work supporting 35 multicultural educators from around the province.
If you're interested in a meaningful, hands-on international internship this summer, we only have a few spots left!
Connecting Communities with Opportunities
Sunday past, Lexi 🇸🇪 coordinated our first 'Social Fair' in the rural community of San Juan de Llullundongo. It inspired by the lack of knowledge and access to exsiting services offered by public institutions and non-profit organistions.
To get the stakeholders on board, a strategic meeting was convened with the provincial Governer and key representatives from the Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador, Ministry of Education of Ecuador , Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Ecuador, and Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion of Ecuador.
With the collaboration with the community leaders and the generosity of several donors like you, the morning-long event featured El Terreno volunteers, hundreds of community members ad 15 organisations in areas such as as health, agriculture, education and social services, in a shared effort to strengthen local wellbeing.
Just another great example of the wide variety of internship projects possible here at El Terreno.
Find out more and arrange your Free Discovery Call to find out what you could be doing in an advanture into the heart of the Ecuadorian Andes. |
Last Chance for Summer Internships
If you like what you see here and would like to experience a summer adventure to get hands-on experience in your chosen profession, immerse yourself in another culture, practice your Spanish, build your resume and leave and impact while living in an international community, El Terreno has just few places left next season!
Also until the 1st April, our programme is discounted from $250 to just $220 per week - that's less than $32 per day! |
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