Remember the classic school greenhouse project? A plastic cup, a wet paper towel, a bean seed on the windowsill, and the small thrill of watching a sprout push through the soil a week later. Maybe your class built a shoebox terrarium, or your biology teacher walked you through photosynthesis using a jar and a sunny window.
For a lot of students, that hands-on moment is the first time science stops being a textbook page and starts being something you can actually touch. Now imagine taking that same curiosity and applying it somewhere it actually changes a family's life.
That's the idea behind a greenhouse project abroad: instead of building a model greenhouse in a classroom, high school and college students travel to communities abroad and help construct a greenhouse that will be used to grow food year-round. If you're a biology, environmental science, agriculture, or global health student (or a teacher looking for a program that goes beyond a worksheet), this is the kind of experiential learning that turns a class concept into a real-world skill.
What is a Greenhouse Project Abroad?
A greenhouse project abroad is a short-term service-learning program where students travel to underserved communities and help build a working greenhouse for local families.
In practice, that means students and teachers travel to a community with limited access to fresh food or agricultural infrastructure, and spend part of their trip physically building a greenhouse alongside local residents.
These community development projects are coordinated directly with local leaders and families ahead of time. The goal isn't to "drop off" a finished structure, it's to work side by side with the people who will actually use and maintain it, so the impact lasts long after the group goes home.
For students, that means the project isn't abstract. You're not reading about food insecurity or climate-driven agricultural challenges in a textbook. Instead, you're mixing concrete, framing structures, and learning about drip irrigation. And at the end of the week, you're talking with the family whose dinner table will look different because of the work your group did.
4 Main Project Activities and Learnings
A typical greenhouse build, like the ones run through MEDLIFE's Service Learning Trips in the Peruvian highlands, follows a hands-on daily itinerary:
- Site prep and construction: clearing land, prepping soil, assembling the frame, and installing UV-resistant paneling designed to trap solar heat and protect crops from frost.
- Irrigation systems: learning how drip irrigation works and why it's critical for water conservation at high altitude, where rainfall is unpredictable and getting shorter every year due to climate change.
- Community collaboration: working directly with local leaders and families, often guided by community coordinators who've been part of these projects for years.
- Cultural exchange: shared meals, conversations, and daily routines with host families, which is often the part alumni say stays with them the longest.
Also, beyond the technical skills, students walk away with something harder to teach in a classroom: an understanding of how infrastructure, health, and economic opportunity are connected. A group project like this pairs naturally with coursework in environmental science, public health, international development, sustainable agriculture, or civil engineering. And looks strong on a college application or resume as documented community development experience.
About Greenhouse Projects in Cusco, Peru
Some of the most active SafeHomes greenhouse construction projects right now are happening in the highland communities surrounding Cusco, Peru. Like Chahuaytire, situated roughly 1.5 hours from the city at nearly 12,500 feet above sea level.
At that altitude, farming is truly difficult. Families in the area have traditionally relied on potatoes, corn, and grains. These crops can withstand the cold and poor soil, but they offer little nutritional variety.
Due to sudden frosts, an increasingly short rainy season, and soil erosion, growing vegetables such as lettuce, onions, or tomatoes in open fields is nearly impossible. The result of all this is a diet high in starch, which over time has real consequences for children’s nutrition and development.
In this regard, a greenhouse is an incredible solution. By creating a controlled microclimate, it retains daytime heat, keeps soil temperatures stable at night, and protects seedlings from frost. This allows families to grow fresh produce year-round instead of relying on a short and unpredictable growing season. Thanks also to drip irrigation, which conserves water by minimizing evaporation, families can maintain a steady harvest even during periods of drought.
The impact of a functioning greenhouse in families is:
- Grow a wider variety of vegetables (strawberries, lettuce, onions, and more) for their own household
- Sell surplus produce at local markets, creating a new source of household income
- Reinvest that income into school fees, healthcare, or home improvements
- Reduce dependence on distant, expensive urban markets for fresh food
At SafeHomes, our team collaborates with the Andean Greenhouse Farming project, working directly with community members in each of the following phases:
- Helping select materials
- Setting up ventilation,
- Installing irrigation
- Training families to repair and maintain the greenhouse long-term.
"The goal is for each family to be fully capable of running their greenhouse independently, long after volunteers have gone home."
This is also why the work fits into a broader picture: reliable access to nutritious food is closely tied to health outcomes and school attendance. This connects directly to Safe Homes' wider mission around housing and education.
Take Your Class on a Greenhouse Project Abroad
If your students grew up building windowsill gardens and shoebox terrariums, a greenhouse project abroad is the natural next step: real tools, real communities, and a real outcome they helped build with their own hands.
Whether you're a teacher looking to organize a group trip, or a high school or college student searching for a hands-on program that actually matters, we'd love to help you plan it.
To learn more about how you can get involved, check out our Safe Homes Movement brochure or fill out the interest form below. And remember, for less than one coffee a month, you can make an impact in low-income communities by becoming a monthly donor and directly assisting communities in need.
