Fuel efficient stove coop in action!

24 July 2013

Filling the molds with cement which is pounded down for compaction

Last year I was approached by a representative of a local women’s cooperative who wanted training to learn how to produce fuel efficient stoves. It’s a desirable technology in Ethiopia as traditional 3-stone fires consume a lot of fuel wood leaving Ethiopia at its present state of having lost nearly 90% of natural forest coverage. Additionally, these traditional fires produce a lot of smoke leading to pulmonary issues in women in children; this is common in Africa and is the 2^nd largest cause for mortality next to Malaria. Fuel efficient stoves reduce and redirect smoke, use less wood which saves families time and money.

The coop organized themselves by writing a business plan and formalizing themselves through the regional cooperative office. Meanwhile, I wrote a grant to some local NGO’s: FARM Africa and Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) who partnered with us to purchase our raw materials and provide us training. Our fuel stove training was done by FZS who brought 3 experienced women from Dinsho town.. Everyone was consistently punctual and worked really steadily.

Our advertisement in 3 different languages

The coop has 20 members: all women who are unemployed between the ages of 40-70, half of who are illiterate, all mothers with demanding families to feed, clothe and care for. I didn’t know what to expect with this group and I’ll admit I wasn’t initially eager to work with them because I was concerned they wouldn’t appreciate the reality of the opportunity as much as the concept (which I’ve seen with so many other people who approach me about collaborating on projects). My trepidation was quickly dismissed the first day when all women were present and punctual and continued to work 6 hours a day for the next 3 days until we finished. At the end we gave them per-diem for their work and they said they didn’t need to be paid for

learning this skill, so they decided to each donated 60% of their payment to the coop to build capital. My head was spinning I couldn’t believe how motivated and clever these women are! Our next step is to continue purchasing our supplies, build a workshop for our production and hold demonstrations at the weekly market to advertise our product. We’re on the way to something great!

This part diverts the smoke by acting as a chimney (see the advertisement photo)

4 of these parts make up the main wall around the fire

Hauling the cement from the mixing area

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1 of the walls waiting to dry after the mold is removed.

This piece is the final chimney to divert the smoke and is also used as a "stove burner"
for preparing wat and soup

traditional 3 stone fire

 

Finished Mirt stove. The main fire is covered by a large clay plate
which is used to cook injera, the main staple food of Ethiopia

Camp GLOW 2013!

17 August 2013

Last week I directed South Oromia’s Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) which was attended by 12 Peace Corps volunteers, 9 Ethiopian counterparts and 21 8-9^th grade female students. We selected only females of these grades because they will all be high school students next year. High school is a difficult time for girls in Ethiopia as their studies become more demanding so do their responsibilities with house chores and pressures for them to get married and drop out of school also increase.  Our main focus for this week of camp was self-confidence, good communication, HIV/AIDs and safe sex awareness, team work, strength, goal setting and creative writing. Here are some pictures from the week.

Discussing how the girls define "self-esteem"

Two of our amazing counselors who joined us at camp

Peer pressure skit

Self-esteem collages

We made it to the top of the mountain!

The whole camp before our hike

Highlights included a hike up Mt. Gelama, an enormous obstacle course, a professional women panel discussion, hilarious condom demonstration (included interactive song and dance), HIV + music band who came and performed songs and skits. On our final day we held a giant bonfire where we had the campers throw in their “I can’t” lists they had made earlier in the week, the act of incineration would symbolize  that over the camp they had gained skills and self-confidence so that all they had listed the first day as things they felt were their weaknesses had since been invalidated; the fire would devour their doubts in themselves, leaving them only with an “I CAN” attitude. I noticed one girl didn’t throw her “I Can’t” envelope in the fire and I asked her to do so, but she refused. I figured she was still holding on to doubts and negativity so I started in on a big speech about how amazing she is and that she needs to cast her self-doubts away. She replied “No, that’s not it at all” and she read her note inside the envelope which said ‘I can do anything I set myself to’. Apparently, some of the girls at camp didn’t need the self confidence boost as much as others.

It was an amazing week of fun and learning for EVERYONE, even the adult counselors who were teaching. I learned many new dance moves, gained several fantastic friends, got my first cornrow braids and only got thrown-up on once during the week. What a success! 

I look terrible terrible in braids but they feel so awesome.

24 hours of normal lunacy

Being a PCV has been more of an emotional roller coaster than I could have ever imagined. In America, or what I refer to as my "real" life, I considered myself to be a pretty stable and consistent adult. Ethiopia has brought out the scrappy 9-year old Bridget I used to be. Where I would pick fights, throw sass around and spend a lot of time in my bedroom dreaming about who I would be when I grew up. Well at 26 I didn't expect myself to become so familiar with niave and irratic inner child, but my life here has led me to discover that in order to survive living in chaos you must be insane yourself. Below is a brief documentary of a 24-hour period I experience recently. 

2 June 2013

6:00 pm: Paid $9 for my 1 hour full body massage

Feeling: calm and content

Thinking: money well spent

6:15: Mistook a monkey to be an alley cat

Feeling: surprised and enchanted

Thinking: Ethiopia is still awesome

8:30: In the middle of an unusual and very detailed dinner conversation of how the 7^th day Adventists started in Ethiopia 3 generations ago.

                Feeling: Amused and informed 

                Thinking: That pizza was delicious

10:00 Almost asleep except for the neighbor’s subwoofers and the barking dog. Soft spanish guitar in my headphones lulls me to sleep

                Feeling: too tired to yell at the neighbor

                Thinking: I wish I could find my earplugs

7:00am  Got caught walking in the early morning rainstorm and enjoyed the company of the street dogs

                Feeling: carefree and nostalgic

                Thinking: Puppy season is the best time of year in Ethiopia

8:00 received a long distance call from my dad and watched Amanda serve the sassy waitress a piece of her mind (no it was not on the menu)

                Feeling: loved and homesick,

                Thinking: Amanda is serious about her breakfast!

9:00 Paid 15% of my monthly salary to fill my propane tank; now I have 25kg/55lbs on my back and 2 buses worth of travel before I can get it home

                Feeling: Poor and apprehensive

                Thinking: I wish I had a private vehicle

10: Saw a man defecating on the side of the road. Rejected bus creeper’s attempts to initiate me in conversation.  

                Feeling: violated and nauseous

                Thinking: Ethiopia’s development goals are highly ambitious

11: After moving my heavy propane tank from 4 different vehicles I’m on the last leg in Shashamene. My onerous tank become the subject of controversy in the bus station: confusing argument in 4 different spoken languages leads to aggressive behavior in belligerent macho men and ends with me physically assaulting the figure of contention by way of my palm across his face.

                Feeling: adrenaline and dissapointment

                Thinking: I wish I could communicate more effective verbally than physically

2pm: Arrived at home in time to miss the rainstorm and in time to enjoy a cup of coconut hot chocolate and the first grapefruit I’ve eaten in 8 months.

                Feeling: relieved, introverted, exhausted

                Thinking: Home is the only place I can have privacy and peace

4pm: Skyped with Joe and counted down the days until his arrival

                Feeling: Adored

                Thinking: August 19^th can’t come soon enough