Newsletter: ¡Protecting Culture & Ecosystems!
- Joshua Holmes
- Dec 5, 2023
- 3 min read
The following is an El Terreno newsletter published on 5th December 2023
As we reach the end of the summer and the wet season is soon upon us, it's time to begin harvesting the last days of summer and planting seeds for the rains to come.
We've been doing this through work and play, while also learning about how indigenous culture is under threat from global influences.
Joshua Holmes
Founder, El Terreno
Preserving Indigenous Culture & Language
Due to globalisation, discrimination and high levels of migration to the USA (800% increase in the past year), the culture in indigenous communities throughout the region is under threat. Less than 5% of indigenous children now speak Kichwa and many young people no longer embrace the clothes, customs and ways of life of their ancestors.
Deepening the understanding of this dynamic was the challenge for Celine, an Anthropology and International Development intern from the Netherlands.
Over the course of 9 weeks, she performed interviews with community members and leaders, as well as spending time help families with daily routines and in the local school.
She concluded her project by making a short documentary, sharing the voices of the older generations who share their feelings about their culture being lost.
If you want to help preserve indigenous culture through a hands-on project, while developing your professional skills alongside trained professionals, get in touch to find out what an personalised internship might look like for you.
Taking Steps to Protect Our Precious Water Sources
Although Ecuador has seen electricity cuts and protests leading to gas shortages over recent years, the most pressing concern for many communities such as Atandahua is the lack of clean, reliable water.
If you have been following us for a while, you will have seen the progress made by previous interns to investigate the ecological, infrastructural, organisational and socio-cultural causes of this issue. This project resulted in the uniting of seven community water committees and training of local water operators.
With a motivated community leadership team, Atandahua is making strides towards protecting its water sources. In October, our volunteers and interns joined a community minga to improve the water tank and fence of the water catchment zone for reforesting.
We are looking to provide further support to the community water committees, in their efforts to reforest water source, replace damaged infrastructure and educate the local community.
Please consider becoming a monthly supporter to help make this possible:
The Smuggler's Route
Bolívar is one of Ecuador's most diverse provinces, and Ecuador is one of the most diverse country's in the world! With that in mind, joined a hike organised by Habitat Travel Tours from the high Andes of Salinas de Guaranda, down to the coastal subtropics.
Over the course of a day, we descended 2,000m through speculator scenery to what could be the highest waterfall in Ecuador!
It was foggy when we arrived, so the above photo doesn't do it justice. Here it is in all its glory!
The route used to be used during Ecuador's alcohol prohibition to smuggle the sugar-cane liquor from the jungle up to the mountain communities, where it's drunk to help take the edge off the cold!
We camped overnight and spent the following with an early-morning hike to see howler monkeys, relax and take a swim in the community swimming spot!
¿Want to see what else the Bolívar province has on offer?
Check out our guide with many of the activities you can do while visiting this spectacular part of the world.
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