On Saturday, June 20, our students departed for a new host family and a new setting to begin their Service Term, the second half of SST. Stay tuned for more updates about the communities in which the students are living and the volunteer work they're doing with nonprofits, community organizations, and municipal governments!
News
Carbon Onset in Mindo
Jan 25 2026
This weekend, we visited the beautiful city of Mindo in the cloudforest. In an effort to onset our carbon footprint from the flights to Ecuador, we partnered with our friend Klever Tello, an employee in the Mindo municipal government, in a project to clean up the city’s parque infantil (children’s park).
Goshen College already has a partnership with the city of Mindo after helping fund the installation of solar panels in the park through the help of a carbon onset grant. It was special to return to this park and continue the good work one year after the installation of the solar panels.
We worked hard to clear away weeds and brush, clean fruit trees that were infested with fungi, and clean and repaint the curbs.
It was gratifying to leave the park a little tidier than when we arrived.
Klever Tello expressed that, more than simply cleaning the park, our work reinforces motivation in the town to continue investing in reforestation efforts. Thank you, Mindo, for the opportunity to collaborate in caring for pacha mama, mother earth.
Study AbroadBeginning Service Term in Ecuador
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