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!
