Preserving Water, Natural Building Techniques and Ancestral Birthing Practices:
The following is an El Terreno newsletter published on 02th July 2026
Hola there,
As the summer sun reaches its peak at the solstice, so do our internship projects. I've been hugely impressed by the work being achieved by our current cohort in diverse proejct areas!
While the autumn season will be quiter than usual, it's so we can invest in some major building projects and evolutions here at El Terreno, so get in touch if you're looking for an adventure for the end of this year!
Joshua Holmes
Founder, El Terreno
Bridging Knowledge: Celebrating Inti Raymi and Supporting Ancestral Midwives
For the summer solstice celebration of Inti Raymi, the Panamerican Health Organization and interns at El Terreno had helped organise a 'Wisdom Dialogue' with local ancestral midwives and medical professionals from the Ministry of Public Health (MSP). |
This unique gathering served as a profound space for mutual knowledge exchange, focusing on a respectful comparison of techniques used by traditional midwives and modern health practitioners, when examining pregnant women and managing childbirth.
Rather than determining which approach is superior, the session aimed to build a collaborative bridge, blending the intuitive, time-honoured wisdom of traditional parteras with contemporary hospital expertise. |
For generations, these ancestral midwives have provided essential, compassionate care to women and families. Despite their vital role in community health, many continue to work independently, with limited resources, recognition, and opportunities to connect with the formal healthcare system. |
For this season's project, our interns need your help!
By making a donation, your support will directly empower 11 ancestral midwives from Guaranda and indirectly benefit 172 women and families. Funds will support visiting workshop faciltiators, transportation to a national midwifery congress, intercultural learning exchanges, and documentation efforts that help preserve ancestral knowledge, strengthen the midwives' collective voice, and contribute to the long-term recognition of ancestral midwifery across Ecuador. |
Preserving the Andes: Reforestation and Climate Resilience
We are delighted to present the vital environmental work achieved by our dedicated international intern, Berend (🇳🇱), who has been leading critical sustainability research in our local ecosystem. |
Berend’s comprehensive project focused deeply on assessing the impacts of reforestation and water security within the community of Atandahua. He evaluated the long-term impact of planting 20,000 trees and documented the day-to-day challenges faced by local farmers, highlighting that reliable water access remains the community’s utmost priority. |
To combat these challenges, the study proposes actionable, sustainable solutions, including the restoration of native cloud forests and the integration of advanced agroforestry practices. The research actively relied on community participation, utilising collaborative mapping to accurately identify local environmental vulnerabilities and risks. |
The final findings strongly emphasise the critical urgency of preventing forest fires and establishing robust water storage systems to sustain agricultural life during severe droughts. Moving forward, continued institutional collaboration and securing future funding will be absolutely essential to translate these valuable insights into lasting, resilient action on the ground. |
Building from the Earth: Sustainable Progress at Gina’s House
Incredible structural updates are emerging from Gina’s House, an initiative brought to life through the invaluable hands-on fieldwork of our interns this season - Ashley 🇺🇸 - working directly alongside mentors and skilled local trades people. |
This community infrastructure project focuses on bioconstruction and sustainable architecture tailored to the rural environment of the Ecuadorian Andes. We are thrilled to welcome our new cohort of brilliant interns—Marius 🇩🇪, Gwen 🇬🇧, Oscar 🇫🇷, and Enrique 🇵🇷—who have jumped straight into action, pouring their energy into painting the structure and continuing the vital work on the house's kitchen. Together, their collective efforts aim to rehabilitate and build beautiful spaces using traditional, low-impact techniques and entirely local materials that perfectly align with El Terreno’s sustainable development goals. |
Recently, the team achieved remarkable progress by building rammed earth and cord wood walls, building wooden structures and preparing 100% natural eco-paints entirely from scratch. The team processed local natural materials and earth to create aesthetic and sustainable solutions. |
Construction of the new kitchen is almost finished - but we still need your help on inspiring building projects that make a world of difference for rural families, and we are excited to build this dream together. |
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