As I mentioned a number of posts ago, I started my volunteer work here with the volunteer organization Peru 109 doing various small projects. After about a month of this, I decided it was time to find one bigger project on which to focus my work in order to have a larger impact while I was here. My search for a new volunteer organization lead to frustration as I found many were CHARGING large fees (Some over $1000 per month) TO VOLUNTEER and others I found not suitable for one reason or another.
In my search I did however find interesting projects other organizations were working on. I decided to research clean burning wood stove design, construction, and installation as the smoke from cooking over an open wood fire I learned causes a whole host of respiratory and eye problems. I found it actually kills more people each year than malaria! Learning this I decided it would be a worthwhile project to pursue.
Typical stove used in rural villages
Woman in Smoke filled home
After finishing my research, I started sourcing materials. When doing so I hit yet another setback. When talking to villagers I found they did not have any clay available in their village, a key ingredient in my stove design. Searching a bit more, I came across a very interesting place where bricks and roofing tiles among other things are fabricated. From the pictures below you can probably tell it more than likely was not up to US safety or pollution standards! I thought here I might be able to find someone to fabricate my own ceramic stove design, but I came across something even better. The volunteer organization ProPeru which has installed over 5,000 clean burning stoves in Peru was fabricating their stoves in the same brick yard.
Worker (12 years old) feeding the kiln fire
Digging for clay
In an effort to save time and money, as this design was already being mass produced, I decided I would install stoves using this design, but once again encountered a set back. After talking to a number of people in the brick yard I learned the design was patented and that I would need to talk with the directors of ProPeru before I could use this design. It was then off to meetings with the directors. After a great deal of convincing that I was not actually out to steal their stove design or compete by taking volunteers from their organization, (concepts I really don’t understand considering it’s volunteer work and all) I finally got permission to use this design.
At last I was on my way to doing some meaningful work. I went back to the village of Puma Marka, where I had searched for clay earlier, in order to start the project. Initially I spoke with the president of the village, telling him about my project to see if I might be able to talk with the community about my project and get some help in selecting the families that would receive the stoves. He was very excited to help. I too was pretty excited because after he asked me where I was from and I said Michigan in the United States he asked if I knew of the University of Michigan!! I was pretty much in the middle of no where in a village of about 120 families where the houses are made of adobe and the fields are still plowed with the help of cows and this man I was talking with asked me if I had ever heard of the University of Michigan! I smiled and told him it was my alma mater. Apparently there was a UofM professor there a few years ago doing some work in the village and the president of the community remembered him well.
The village of Puma Marka
Plowing a field with cows
Herding sheep
After a bit more preparation, I was on my way. When setting things up I needed to give a few speeches...in Spanish...to groups of over 100 villagers. Normally a speech in English will get my heart going. Doing things in Spanish did not make it any easier! Overall, however, I think the speeches went well and the people understood the point I was trying to communicate. After one speech I even got a standing ovation from the villagers thanking me for the work I was doing.
Finally, I began installing stoves. Just as I did, I found some villagers working with clay. I came to the village weeks earlier in search of the material, but the villagers told me they had none available. Apparently the last time I was there I did not communicate my point very well. The people I had spoken with told me there was no clay in the village, but failed to mention that just about a half a mile outside the village there is a mountainside full of clay which could easily be obtained.
Finished Stove
With this new knowledge, I began installing stoves, however, after having done so much research on stove design, I began my project not feeling completely satisfied with the work I was doing.
Until next time, keep livin’ the dream!
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