President's Message

 “Wailing that the sky is falling does nothing to stop it.”
― Neal Shusterman, Thunderhead
 
 4 BILLION, think about it.  It’s a huge number whether you’re talking about $$$, bugs, people, widgets or in this case open cooking fires around the world everyday.  I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that there are at least 4 BILLION homes everyday where people make their meals over an open flame that generates smoke inside their dwelling that is inhaled 24/7 by everyone living in that home.  And, someone has to continually gather firewood for the fire which quickly deforests that immediate area.  And, these fires by some estimates produce 20-40% of the CO2 that is driving the climate change we hear so much about.
 
So, as I said last week, I donated $100 to buy one cooking stove from this amazing Rotary initiative…StoveTeam International.  I got a very nice email back with more information and stories from the people installing the stoves and people receiving the stoves [see p. 2 of this piece, it may not have copied exactly but you'll get the idea].  Certainly, a small investment from me to offset my carbon footprint for one year but it feels good to do something.
 
 
Dear Mike,
At the beginning of 2020, a Peace Corps volunteer named Alex Eaton left his home in North Carolina and moved to Antigua, Guatemala to become StoveTeam’s first International Program Coordinator. We knew it would take a special approach to reach the nine million families still cooking over dangerous indoor cooking fires in Guatemala, so we drew from our ten-year history of helping local entrepreneurs to start their own initiatives and began the search for local partnerships.
Today, the project Alex spearheaded has already grown to include an inspiring group of local people, working as a team to build safe and clean-burning cookstoves for families in their own communities!
We’d love to introduce you to some of the team.
 
 
 
Betty Hernández, the project’s first female stove technician, is a single mother who beams with pride when she talks about her son Santiago. Betty began with no experience in stove building, and when offered the position said, "Before this I had only gotten work cleaning, never the opportunity to build stoves!" The beautiful stoves Betty builds, and the care she takes showing each family how to use and maintain the stoves, show the great pride she takes in her work.
 
 
 
 
 
Freddy Sanail is the team supervisor. He quickly became an expert in Justa construction through training with StoveTeam’s Program Director Mike Hatfield. Freddy inspects each stove and its parts, and ensures that every family is happy with their new Justa stove.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Keyla Macú is the project’s office administrator. A recent graduate from Colegio Nuestra Señora de Lourdes, Keyla fields phone calls and coordinates stove installations from a local office near Antigua, Guatemala.
 
 
 
 
 
Eva Hernández, stove technician, is a widow with two boys. When she first learned about the project she requested to have a Justa stove built in her home in Santiago Zamora, Guatemala. On that day she spoke up and asked, "Would there be an opportunity for me to join the project, even though I am a lady?" She has been a natural ever since! When she’s not building stoves, Eva weaves traditional fabrics.
 
 
Abel Sanail is the younger brother of Freddy. A proud father of three, he drove a motorcycle taxi for years before joining StoveTeam as our newest Justa stove technician. He is grateful to get to bring life-saving cookstoves to his own community and beyond!
 
 
Supporting local entrepreneurs is not always easy, but seeing the pride each of these technicians takes in their work is so inspiring for us, we wouldn’t have it any other way!
Mike, your donation to StoveTeam isn’t just changing the lives of women and children in Central America, it’s also making these meaningful jobs possible.
On behalf of our local technicians, thank you!
Eva, Betty, Freddy, Keyla, and Abel
StoveTeam International
P.O. Box 14707, Portland, OR 97293
(541) 554-4683
 
PS: A new update! 
We took a moment to chat with many of the crucial artisans and tradespeople who comprise the supply chain that makes this project possible, and they gave us their thoughts on what it means to them to work with StoveTeam!