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| Old stove using too much wood, dirty and smoking out the house |
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| Instructing the family on the use of the stove |
Approximately 15 years ago, I joined a Northwest Medical Teams group to install stoves in the hills of Oaxaca, Mexico. We had to hand build these stoves using bricks, mud, re-bar and a few tools in very primitive villages. Previously, families would build small fires in the middle of their shacks and the smoke charred both the inside walls as well as their lungs. Additionally, they used way too much wood and had to travel miles to collect what wood they could find due to depleting supplies.
Ben started a new ministry here in Zihuatanejo installing stoves. The problems are the same, however the technology is much improved over what I used in Oaxaca. Interestingly, these units are now manufactured in Oaxaca and easy to assemble. The cement structures are prefabricated and sit on cinder blocks. We installed two yesterday and vented the exhaust out the roof. They use a fraction of the wood and provide a healthy living environment. Needy families are identified by Zihuatanejo Christian Fellowhip. Ben ordered 50 units, so there's lots to do.
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| Sisters in front of their new stove |
The first photo looks like the kitchen of a Neandrathal! What a difference between the first and third environments. I'm guessing Ben ordered 50 stoves, because that's how many he could afford (and intends to install). This is another great story, just like the new roofs, new orphanage kitchen, Jose's re-equipped business and visits to the families living at the dump. It also sounds like there is a thriving stove business in Oaxaca, the creation of jobs/income. How does the saying go, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, but teach a man to fish and you feed him (and his family) for a lifetime."
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