Newsletter: ¡How Beautiful is Carnaval!
- Joshua Holmes
- Mar 3, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 8
The following is an El Terreno newsletter published on 3rd March 2023
In Guaranda, February only means one thing - ¡Carnaval! It's the biggest celebration of the year and we lived it to the full! It's an inspiring time filled with cultural events.
Our charity status is also big news and opens many doors, especially as we begin seeing in influx of passionate and skilled interns making community impact.
Joshua Holmes
Founder, El Terreno
Carnaval Spirit
More than anywhere else in Ecuador, Carnaval is celebrated in Guaranda. It's the culmination of weeks of preparation, processions and celebrations. It's in the very fabric of the culture and the people themselves. Our involvement is an honour and an opportunity to celebrate this amazing time with local people.
The Sunday hosts the largest precession of all, with over 50 different different groups from all over the country - or in our case - all over the world! We were privileged to be a part it, alongside volunteers from the Peace Corps, Casa del Mundo and more!
It Was Wild! - as to be expected - as well as a memorable way to become even more a part of the local culture. Next year we hope to join the celebrations again!
'Fundación El Terreno' Finally Approved
We formally started the process in April last year and delivered our statutes in August. Finally, after more than 6 months of waiting, Fundación El Terreno has been approved!
The charity is a key part of our strategy, to channel all future donations and lead our social impact initiatives. In the next few months, we look to strengthen our English Classes, develop an Organic Agriculture Education Programme in local schools and supply additional resources to our intern's High-Impact Community Activities.
A massive thank you for our regular donors for supporting us so far, It is your generosity that makes these projects possible.
Orsolya Imre
Hilary Green
Michael Green
Louis Ravenscroft
Kath Tharby
Reuben Tighe
Ruth Holmes
Bob Green
Tim Clements
John Van Meter
Nicky Rothon
Simon Carleton
Jaime Amling
Colin Malsingh
Lily Davis
Emily Stuyvers
Owen Bailey
Guy Middleton
If you want to be a part of the change
consider becoming a one-off or monthly donor.
Building the Future in Rural Communities
Our internship programme is gaining momentum, as international students begin leaving their mark here in the Ecuadorian Andes.
Bart Koppejan, a 21 year-old architecture student in Holland, joined us for 4-weeks on our Architecture & Sustainable Construction internship programme. Over that time, he successfully measured, redesigned and presented a renovation project for an abandoned adobe building near El Terreno.
Impressive work, no doubt, but not just an intellectual exercise. These plans will be used for future implementation, to restore local architectural heritage, provide future accommodation to interns and tourists, and provide an income to a local family.
"My time and internship at El Terreno provided me with the perfect opportunity to combine my vision and ambitions with my profession. I learned tons by doing an internship in sustainable architecture. Joshua and Karina are very kind and put in a lot of effort to ensure I, and the other people staying there, had a good time and they helped us organizing activities on the weekends.
Ecuador is a beautiful country and with the right people you're sure of an excellent time. I found those people here and would recommend more people to join their program!"
- Bart Koppejan, Netherlands
If you want to make a difference through a hands-on project, while developing your professional skills alongside trained professionals, get in touch to arrange what an personalised internship might look like for you.
Regenerating Native Forests
Nearly all of the native forest in the region surrounding Atandahua has vanished, replaced by conventional farming that relies on substantial chemical inputs.
To help rebuilt the soil fertility, biodiversity, erosion resistance and ground moisture, in February we planted 100 trees with our volunteers; 70%+ being native varieties. 400 more were/will be donated to the local community, building a stronger regional ecosystem for future generations. In total, these trees will sequester approximately 11,000 tonnes of carbon (22kg per year per tree) when mature - that's over 3,500 return flights from London to Quito.
These plants were acquired through a local government initiative, which exchanges used plastic bottles for trees. In this small way, we make another positive impact on the environment.
The building is beginning to take real shape. If you're a passionate craftsman with skills to match, come & join us in 2023 on an exciting build that will be a hub for social innovation & cultural exchange!
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