please help contextual solutions raise $6k to build smokeless stoves in central america

This past March, I had the serendipitous good fortune of crossing paths with Steve Bliss and staying with his lovely family in Boquete, Panama.  At their farm, Finca Selah, I helped out with the production of smokeless stoves for indigenous people of Panama.  Well, Steve is taking his brilliant solution on the road and needs to raise $6,000 to take the molds and set up training sessions throughout Central America.  Steve Bliss of Contextual Solutions, shared this article he wrote on how he plans to help and what he needs to make it happen. Thanks in advance for taking a few minutes to learn about what he's doing to help the respiratory health of Central America's indigenous and impoverished populations.

The time has finally come to build more stove molds. It has been amazing to see the interest not only from organizations, but people in villages requesting them from organizations. Fortunately, we just received a grant from Bid 4 Boquete to help get the next round of molds started and we are very grateful.

We originally ordered fifty molds from a company in the States and had them shipped down to Panama. As of the end of next week, they should all be in the field producing stoves. Those original molds were made of vacuum formed plastic but the new ones will be made of fiberglass. A couple of reasons for the change is that we found the plastic wasn’t consistent in thickness tolerances, which has led to some premature failure in the outside mold. Fiberglass is readily available here in Panama and is a reparable product, unlike plastic. Building the new molds out of fiberglass will ultimately extend the life of the molds.

The master mold was shipped down here a while back and when my boys and I opened it up to make some modifications, it had actually split up a bit from shrinkage so some work had to be done to restore it to a functional state. We also planned on modifying the master mold for the next batch of stoves molds.

CHANGES
After testing the finished stoves, we found some simple modifications that radically improved the performance.

Change 1: The height of the stove. While testing the performance of the stove we found that an 18.5 inch tall stove (the original) would bring five liters of water to boil in forty five minutes. If we reduced the size to 15.5 inches, the time to boil was reduced to thirty minutes. One of the reasons for this is the clay acts as a heat sink. Clay is to heat as a sponge is to water; it just sucks up heat energy that should be going into the pot. We also found that anything less than 15.5 inches was difficult to achieve a smokeless burn which negates our desired goal.

Change 2: The mold will have a six inch hole pre-made in the top. This will save us the step of cutting this hole to allow for the placement of the wood- center cone piece.

Change 3: We are extending the risers, which the pot sits on, toward the center hole. This will allow for smaller pans to be used.

Change 4: We will be increasing the rigidity of the large opening flange and the top of the mold to allow for longer life expectancy. A benefit of using fiberglass is if/when there is damage to the mold it can easily be repaired. Our hope is to comfortably get 500 stoves out of each mold. This will in turn change the lives of approximately 3000 people. With every fifty molds that enter the field approximately 150,000 people will be affected.

We should be able to keep the costs down to approximately $50.00 per stove mold. Each mold is donated to a village where the community is then trained thus empowering them to literally make their own solution. Our monetary donation for that one mold is $50.00. So if $50.00 changes the lives of 3000 people, then we can say that it only costs less than 2 cents per person. That is an amazing cost benefit.

 The materials needed to build the stove is clay, sand, water, reed grass and 1/3rd bag of cement. Everything can be sourced free and locally except for the cement that will cost a community member approximately $3.00 per stove. This is the cheapest stove approach on the market and it is one that reinstates dignity through participation to those who need the life-saving solution. And that, my friend, is an approach we feel good about.

THE PLAN

Spreading the Technological Knowledge:

We are planning a trip through Central America late July to introduce this approach to organizations currently working in these countries. We have found that when those who cook on three-rock fires are introduced to our stove, they request it from the local trained organization. Our goal is to bring the solution to organizations so they can bring an effective and lasting solution to the communities in need. If you know of any organizations working in Central America who could benefit from this technology, please contact us and let us know.

Our strategy

We are planning to set up one or two training sessions in each country where we invite organizations to train and take a mold back to the villages where they can train the people in the communities in which they work. Train the trainers. This will minimize our time and costs to get the stove initiative started in each country.

How we will be going

I’ll be driving the molds in my truck and staying in cheap hotels. The trip cost is yet to be exactly determined but a quick budget estimate is around $6,000.00 (including the molds).

If you would like to be a part of taking our stove solution to organizations around the world, starting with Central America, please donate. You can donate by clicking the link below and no amount is too small. Without your donations, this trip will not launch. We thank you in advance for your support.

new blog post on women on their way - voluntourism isn't all about the volunteer

Ten months into The Global Citizen Project, I'm still having "ah hah" moments at every turn.  My recent voluntourism project with Globe Aware in Costa Rica was no exception. Read more about it here in this month's blog post for Wyndham Worldwide's Women on Their Way Jane Air Crew.

dumbass

Dumbass is the only word that sums up how I felt after I had my laptop stolen during my recent volunteer travels in Costa Rica and Panama. In my many years and hundreds of thousands of miles of travel, I have never had anything stolen. Call me lucky or call me cautious, but all things considered, I’ve managed to survive all sorts of high risk travel unscathed. (Knock on all surrounding hard surfaces, please.)

I checked into The Purple House (La Casa Morada) in David, Panama after enduring the 10 hour bus trip from San Jose, Costa Rica and tedious border crossing via Tracopa. Hot, sweaty and hungry, I high-tailed it to the nearby grocery store for snacks and a few .45 cent Balboa beers. All well was well in my world once again, as I sat outside on the patio at The Purple House, sipping an ice cold beer and Skyping my boyfriend to let him know of my safe (although not exactly swift) arrival in Panama.

When I returned to my shared dorm room (6 people, 3 bunks) around 11:30 p.m., lights were out and everyone appeared to be asleep. Not wanting to disturb other weary travelers, I opted to not lock up my laptop in the locker where my other belongings had been safely stored. Instead, I wrapped my laptop in my Hold Steady sweatshirt and placed it on the floor below my bottom bunk – mere inches below my head.

Although I was dead tired, I was woken several times throughout the night by my Guatemalan roommate, with whom I exchanged pleasantries with earlier in the evening. Although she didn’t speak a word of English, I managed to convey that I’d volunteered in her country in January, had a wonderful experience (despite doom and gloom reports on the crime situation in Guatemala City), so much so that I adopted and brought home a puppy from the animal rescue I was working at. She seemed like a sweet, twenty-something gal, until she shot up straight in bed in the middle of the night, pointing out the window, saying “Look! Look!” Over and over again. Wait a sec. Didn’t this woman tell me that she didn’t speak any English? Mildly confused, I fell back asleep.

Around 7 a.m., I awoke to this woman standing over my head, faux swatting a “cucaracha” from my head. Had I not just come from the rainforest, where your average size insect makes a cockroach look like an ant, I may have mustered more of a reaction. Instead, I rolled over and fell back to sleep. At this point, three of my dormmates had already checked out. The Guatemalan gal proceeded to make several trips to the bathroom before disappearing for good.

Semi-rested, I woke up for good around 8:30 a.m., reached my hand under my bed, only to find my sweatshirt – my laptop was missing. Immediately, the pieces of what happened came together and I rushed into the hostel lobby to speak with the owner, Andrea. She alerted me that the Guatemalan woman, who now had a name, Lisbeth Mejia, had scooted out of the hostel shortly before, three days before her intended checkout.

I felt like a moron as I realized that I screwed up by not taking one simple precaution – using a lock – a lock I was already using to protect my other valuable belongings. Andrea was gracious and understanding as could be as she suggested several possible courses of action – everything from checking the bus station for Lisbeth to calling local hostels to see if she had checked in. I opted not to file a report with the Panamanian police, as I needed to make my way to Boquete to meet some friends from Canada who were meeting me to volunteer. Volunteering seemed like a far more fun option, plus I didn’t have full confidence in my Spanish skills to convey exactly how the situation went down.

Yes, it’s a sucky feeling to have something stolen from you. But, I was partially to blame for the laptop loss by not taking proper safety precautions. Reality is that I was wielding an expensive piece of technology in a developing country. My laptop was easily worth one month’s salary in Guatemala. I may as well have been walking through David with dollar bills stapled to my body. It’s disappointing that anyone, anywhere would steal from another human being, but that’s life. Different people have different challenges, needs and means of survival. My laptop may have meant some kind of opportunity for Lisbeth, or simply another meal. I don’t know. As much as I wanted to wish the karma gods to puke carpal tunnel or the blue screen of death on the woman, I know that she has to live with her actions, pending her existence of a moral compass. My laptop, and pretty much everything else I own, is just stuff. Stuff that can be replaced. As my friend Ryan McGovern pointed out, there are much bigger problems in the world to worry about – especially right now.

So dear, Lisbeth Mejia – I hope my laptop is everything you hoped it would be. As for me, I will always use a lock to protect my “stuff.” And if you still decide to steal from me, obviously you need my “stuff” more than I do. I'll deal with it.

P.S. I booked a room at The Purple House on my outbound trip from Panama back to Costa Rica. Despite my incident (which was no fault of the hostel), I cannot recommend The Purple House enough. Andrea truly is the hostess with the mostess. Muchas gracias.

media mentions: 944 magazine and the volunteer revolution

Hola! I’m back from nearly a month of volunteering in Costa Rica and Panama. Sadly, I had to cut my go good endeavors short in the latter destination, due to my boyfriend contracting something unexpected in Costa Rica – dengue fever. It’s been a hellish week for him and hard for me to be so far away while he was going through the thick of this nasty virus. Thankfully, I have rockstar friends in Seattle who took excellent care of him until I was able to get home (via planes, cars, taxis, a bus and 60 hours, oh my!).

As soon as I get back in the groove of things, I promise to report back on the volunteer work I did with Globe Aware in Costa Rica via the Travelocity Travel for Good grant I won, as well as in Panama with Global Humanitarian Adventures and Dead Wheat.

In the meantime, I wanted to share some lovely media mentions that made the cyber airwaves this past week:

Big thanks are in order for Isoul Harris and K. Diane Harrington of 944 magazine in Atlanta. I adore the “Around the World” profile/interview they did on me and The Global Citizen Project.
Click here (scroll to page 91).

TGCP also got props twice in Global Humanitarian Adventures’ blog, The Volunteer Revolution. Thank you Robb, Caroline and Lisa at GHA, as well as the beyond wonderful Bliss family at Finca Selah/Dead Wheat for putting  your humanitarian efforts -- and Panama -- at the tip top of  my “must return to volunteer” list.  Also, thanks Jen and Julie, my dear Canadian friends, for coming to volunteer and to Heidi and Graham for rounding out the fun.
Read about TGCP here and here.

While I have you here lovely readers, I also thought I’d share some eye candy from these volunteer trips. Check out some of my photos from Globe Aware here and photos from Panama here. Be warned - there were puppies at Finca Selah. Five 'em to be exact.

february project preview: globe aware in costa rica

In February, I am headed to Costa Rica to volunteer with Globe Aware - The Road Less Traveled Rainforest Village Experience. This volunteer travel program offers a unique opportunity to help a small community next to the Carara Rainforest Reserve improve their well being and create a sustainable future in ecologically important areas. This project was chosen with the Travelocity Travel for Good grant I won via WE tv and Ladies’ Home Journal and I am beyond grateful to be able to bring my boyfriend along for the do good adventures.  He's been extremely patient and supportive of my volunteering efforts over the past eight months and I am excited to be able to share a small part of The Global Citizen Project with him -- especially in one of my favorite Central American countries.

The Carara Rainforest Reserve borders a tiny village where volunteers are immersed. Although the villagers love their natural paradise, they have struggled to make ends meet as much of their farmland was taken over by the national park. They hope to create sustainable community-based tourism, and Globe Aware volunteers will work on community development projects to help them reach this goal.

Projects will vary depending on the number of volunteers, which projects were finished with the prior group, what priorities have changed, weather conditions, which supplies are available, and often the interest and fitness level of the volunteers.

Some completed Carara Rainforest Reserve volunteer work projects:

• Built pedestrian bridges
• Buried and installed new PVC water pipe to bring new clean water source into community
• Painted school
• Built cabinas
• Planted hundreds of trees
• Built book shelves for school
• Built fence around school
• Set up First Aid center
• Made oil lamps to line public road
• Made and installed road signs to community
• Painted communal hall
• Built recycling stations
• Built waste receptacles
• Painted and installed identifying signs in rain forest

To learn more about Globe Aware and its volunteer vacations around the world, click here.

travel writer tip - 101 holidays - the harmony hotel

I admit it. I hotel-hopped like only Lindsay Lohan knows how in 2009 (in the name of work, natch). Although there were lots of memorable one-night stays, my slumber at The Harmony Hotel was made of top five memories and material.

Top UK travel writers and 101 Holidays editors, Mark Hodson and David Wickers, featured my travel writer tip for The Harmony Hotel today on their site. You can read about why The Harmony Hotel rocks here. You can also read my HotelChatter.com write-up, "Seek Out Cute Surfer People at The Harmony Hotel," here.

monday's inbox

Monday mornings never come easy for me, especially when I've been up fact-checking a guidebook until 3 a.m. the previous night. Throw in daily noon deadlines and I pretty much roll out of bed, head straight to the French press, turn on my laptop and hit the ground running. I usually fire up Tweetdeck, open Skype and plow through dozens of emails -- mostly from publicists pitching me story ideas. There's usually some confusion on how to spell my name (I get a lot of Cheryl, Karen, and Sharon), or they think I still live in San Francisco (haven't since 2003) and for some reason, think mother/daughter plastic surgery getaways qualify as a "travel story." Umm...that's so Real Housewives of Orange County and so not my beat. I usually just hit "delete" and move onto the next message. No big deal.

This morning, though, the inbox revealed a real gem. A Public Relations Coordinator in the British Columbia sent me a fully written article on her client in Costa Rica "free of charge, along with some excellent artwork to complement the story." Wow. Why have I bothered to travel the world, experience destinations first-hand and then report fairly when I can have access to spoon-fed material from the hired PR mouthpiece? Oh wait, that's because I'm a journalist. I was slightly less offended when I saw that the PR Coordinator not only managed to mispell her own name in the "From" line in the emaill address, but also the client's name in the email signature. Unbelievable.

I called out the agency's erroneous ways on the cyber super/social highway (a.k.a. Facebook and Twitter) and thankfully, my email response to "Sylivia" was far kinder than that of many of my colleagues who received the same slap to their journalistic integrity. Some journos may want to take the easy route. I'm not that gal. I seek a path of authenticity and I'm willing to work as hard as neccesary to find it.