Newsletter: ¡You Too Can Empower Communities!
- Joshua Holmes
- Jun 10
- 3 min read
The following is an El Terreno newsletter published on 10th June 2025
I'm excited to share some important and inspiring projects taking place here at El Terreno - especially the prospect of installing solar panels in key community buildings to ensure we don't repeat last year's struggles with electrification!
Thank you to everyone for continuing to be a part of improving the lives of rural communities in the Ecuadorian Andes.
Joshua Holmes
Founder, El Terreno
Solar Energy Crowdfunder Now Open!
In January of this year, we received an intern, Paul Hendricks and his family here at El Terreno. Paul is a solar installer back in the USA and he put his skills to use, conducting a research project to assess the viability of installing solar energy in community buildings, including the health centre, local schools and the volunteer house at El Terreno.
But back in the US he took it a step further: helping us partner with the non-profit Twende Solar to acquire second-hand solar equipment and Blossom Solar to join us in installing in September!
¿Why is this Important?
Last year, Ecuador suffered the most severe drought in 60 years.
This resulted in water shortages of up to 23 hours a day and power cuts of up to 14 hours per day (as most of Ecuador's electricity is hydroelectric) - forcing businesses and public services to go on hold for long period of the day, creating huge economic losses and holding back sustainable development. Since then, there has been no substantial improvements in the electricity systems and communities are still very much at risk!
We Need Your Help!
These installations will ensure that the lights stay on, kitchens and computer labs continue to function, and vaccines in the health centre stay refrigerated year-round.
While we have equipment ready to go in storage, we still need and additional $12,000 to help pay for equipment shipping, travel for Blossom Solar installers (they are offering their time free of charge!) and other essential expenses.
For this we are reaching out to you for your support - please help us ensure that rural Andean communities can continue to access energy for vital health and educational services, even when the national grid fails them!
Getting Our Hands Dirty
Learning about ancestral techniques in natural building is just one of the ways we look to preserve cultural heritage, while also creating beautiful spaces that can generate an income to local people.
Fernando Cano, a local architect who specialises in bioconstruction, ran a workshop for local professionals and our interns interested in these fun and accessible techniques. Through both theory and practice, participants learned about testing soil samples, making adobe mixes, as well as natural paints!
These are the types of practical activities that our interns get involved in, as well as unique design projects and fascinating site visits here in the Ecuadorian Andes.
This year, we've got some more exciting sustainable building projects lined up!
If you're interested in building your hands on skills and joining a design team, arrange your free discovery call today!
Ideating with Local Communities
When developing sustainable development project, it's easy to get excited and tempting to jump onto the first ideas you have. However to create real, lasting change you need to include the stakeholders and beneficiaries on every step of the way.
Inspired by Design Thinking, our methodology ensures that we engage locals about identifying the problems they are facing, clarify the world they want to see and co-create ideas that can realistically be implemented.
This is was what Wies 🇳🇱 and her mentor did earlier this year in an ideation workshop for the school of Cochapamba, inviting students, parents and teachers to collaborate together to address the issue of high drop-out rates of students at high-school age. The insights gathered from this event have paved the way for future projects that you'll be finding out about soon!
If you want to develop your professional skills in the real world, why not come out to the heart of the Ecuadorian Andes join one of our internship programmes and see for yourself?
Empowering communities through sustainable energy initiatives is a truly inspiring mission. Access to clean energy not only reduces environmental impact but also creates opportunities for growth, education, and better health. One remarkable way to contribute to this change is by adopting innovative solar technologies that are both practical and accessible. For example, the gosun ev solar charger makes renewable power more mobile, allowing people to harness the sun’s energy anywhere. Solutions like these demonstrate how clean technology can bridge gaps, support community development, and encourage a brighter, more sustainable future for everyone.