El Salvador
Shelby, Emerson, Kim & Gustavo attend a stove demonstration in Sonsonate, El Salvador.
I have just returned from two weeks of travel with StoveTeam’s Board Chair, Kim Forrest, and Christadelphian Meal a Day of the Americas board members to visit all three of our partner projects in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. This month I’m happy to share some of these photos and experiences with you….
Our next stop is visiting long-time StoveTeam partner, Gustavo Peña in Sonsonate, El Salvador. Gustavo is one of the pillars of StoveTeam and has been distributing fuel-efficient cookstoves to his community for over 14 years. One thing about a visit to Gustavo’s factory - you will never be bored! In 2 days we visited many of the 250 Justa stoves that his team of stovebuilders has installed since the spring. (Five stovebuilders are recent graduates of the Maestros Comaleros stovebuilder training academy.) We also participated in 2 community events where Gustavo educates women about the benefits of improved cookstoves, and we met the Mayor of one community who is an active partner.
We met so many women who tell us their stories of living in SMOKE. All of these stories have one thing in common -- women love their new stoves because they no longer have to spend their days breathing toxic smoke to take care of their families.
“Gustavo is deeply known and trusted by everyone in the community: from the Mayor to the individual women who have received stoves. He has a real talent and passion for communicating the personal dangers of open cooking fires and persuading individuals and municipalities to invest in learning about clean cookstove technology.”
It is always so great to be in El Salvador with Gustavo because he makes you feel right at home. Gustavo has been with StoveTeam since the very beginning and deserves his place in our history. At Gustavo’s factory, it is truly a family affair. Gustavo’s wife Elvira helps set up all the community events and does the accounting. Gustavo’s youngest son, Emerson, is in charge of all stove checks and surveys and is quickly becoming Gustavo’s right-hand man, and we hope, he will carry his legacy into the future. It is particularly heart-warming to meet the guys in the factory and to know that Gustavo has employed most of them for over 20 years.
“Gustavo treated us to a visit at the new double-decker marketplace at Izalco, which is home to nearly 20 independent pupuseria stalls. Had Gustavo not been involved in helping the municipality see the benefit of clean cookstoves, the women who run these businesses would be cooking over old-fashioned smoky and inefficient cook surfaces. However, thanks to Gustavo, each stall has a built-in improved pupusaria stove that makes a safer and more profitable work environment for these female entrepreneurs.”
We had some time to cook pupusas on a Justa stove in the factory and we ended our visit with a delicious BBQ prepared by Gustavo’s family (all El Salvadoran food and beer). We were stuffed to the gills by the end and sent away with well-wishes and hugs to so many of YOU, from Oregon, and across the country who have visited, worked, and contributed to make this effort in Sonsonate, El Salvador possible.
Our next stop on this journey is Esteli, Nicaragua to visit the Avanza factory owned and operated by Elida Olivas. We hope you will continue to join us. Stay tuned…..