Last night the Soroptimist International of Junction City honored Nancy with the Ruby Award for her work on behalf of women in Mexico and Central America. This award is named for the first federation president of Soroptimist International, Ruby Lee Minar. The award honors women who are working to improve the lives of women and girls in their community or abroad.
Thank you, Soroptimists of Junction City!
When I attended University of Oregon, spring break was, for me, simply a chance to briefly unwind from a stressful winter term (which usually meant catching up on sleep and then taking off for a couple of days to go skiing). Now UO students have a special opportunity to have a fun AND meaningful spring break through the UO's Alternative Break Program with the Holden Leadership Center. Through these service learning trips students travel to exciting places (Jamaica! Honduras! Dominican Republic!) and do great work, too.
This year, StoveTeam is privileged to be a part of UO's Alternative Breaks program. In less than a month we're taking 20 undergraduates to Copan Ruinas, Honduras along with four UO educational partners and several StoveTeam volunteers. We'll spend a week doing kitchen performance tests, construction projects at the factory, and immersing ourselves in Honduran culture (and of course, practicing our Spanish). The students have been meeting weekly to prepare.
For the past two Sundays StoveTeam led a 'Stove Camp' to give students a chance to learn about fuel-efficient stoves by getting their hands dirty and actually making one. Led by volunteer (Advisory Board member) Bob Way, students made Ecocinas from start to finish, learning welding, cutting tiles, perfecting their wire-basket-sewing techniques, and making and pouring cement for the stove. We were fortunate to have Dr. Larry Winiarski, designer of the Ecocina, visit each time to teach the students the principles of fuel-efficient stoves. Nancy Hughes and I made hot apple cider, which we (of course) heated on the Ecocina.
You can see photos from Stove Camp on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/StoveTeam
We had a great time and were impressed by this motivated, smart group of students. We're looking forward to our trip with them in a little less than a month!
Each day for about a week, volunteers will visit El Tigre to conduct Kitchen Performance Tests in each home to track fuel usage. At the end of the week each family will receive an Ecocina stove; the trip will culminate with a celebration at the school jointly hosted by the community of El Tigre, StoveTeam, and the Rotary Club of San Miguel-Midday. StoveTeam will return later in the year to conduct a second round of Kitchen Performance Tests and find out how the Ecocina is impacting families in El Tigre.
We're looking forward to visiting El Tigre and meeting these families. Thank you for all of your hard work, John!
StoveTeam received this message from Victoria Pierce in San Miguel de Allende this morning. Check out the StoveTeam Facebook page to see the photo.
Here's some news from El Salvador. Thanks for sending an update, Lillian!
"In January, 2010, a group of parishioners from St. John Neumann Church in Strongsville, Ohio visited Chiltiupan in El Salvador. They returned to Strongsville hoping to raise funds to purchase stoves for the people of Chiltiupan. Money was raised from a "Fiesta" and Fish Fries and sent to Sister Rose Terrell, an Ursuline nun in Chilitiupan, a member of the Cleveland Latin American Mission Team. Sister Rose purchased over 100 Ecocina stoves from Gustavo Pena in Sonsonata.
In January 2012, eleven of our parishioners again visited Chiltiupan. They said the people were very excited about the stoves and how they have changed their lives for the better. They were grateful to the people of St. John Neumann, and their pastor, Father Bob Kraig. Sister Rose plans on purchasing more Ecocinas.My congratulations to Nancy Sanford Hughes for winning the 2011 Purpose Prize. What a contribution she has made."
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