AUTHOR: Nancy TITLE: El Salvador update DATE: 2/03/2009 10:02:00 AM ----- BODY:
Here's what's been happening…..

We came to the factory and there were about 80 cement stoves finished and ready to go out the door. There are also 80 metal stoves finished and stacked in the "living room". Everything at the factory is spiffy, even to the extent that there are flowers and nice tile work near the entrance to the house. Anna, Dina, Nery, etc. are all hard at work on cement stoves and molds. Elvira and AnnaLuisa seem to have all of the bookkeeping in order…again, it's a matter of getting the paperwork to US that seems to be the problem. We're working on that today so things should get to the USA shortly if all goes well.

So, yesterday we met with the main office of Peace Corps El Salvador and they are THRILLED with the stoves from all reports from the field. They will now include our program in all of their Peace Corps Training. This is a huge step forward and we are very excited. Also, we met with the stove maker for Trees, Water and People. It turned out that he and Ken and known each other 6 years ago so it was a good reunion for them.

Last night we met Martin's replacement, Ben, who is a clone of Martin, and went to the festival of Sonsonate complete with crazy rides, a rodeo, etc., but also with a booth where the women from Inversiones Falcon were making pupusas as a stove demonstration. Gustavo sold 50 stoves on the spot!

This morning was a peak day for us at the factory. At 8am we met Ben and another PCV who arrived with the leaders of his village in the Santa Ana area. We fired up the stove and had the women cooking in no time. Just as they started to cook the Minister of Education came here to the factory with the local Sonsonate Superintendent of Schools. (Of course, Gustavo has known him for 20 years).

The Minister of Education (a woman) had heard of the stoves, was mightly impressed, totally enthusiastic and left after a few moments with the Superintendent in charge of negotiations. He said that they currently have a pilot program with the Turbococina, a $300 stove that requires electricity, and they want to do a pilot program now with the Ecocina.

We offered to give them six stoves, two for each of three poor schools, as a trial. IF they like the stoves, and we think they will, they will order stoves for all of the poor schools in Sonsonate (about 100). If Sonsonate likes them, then the Minister of Education will order them for all of the remote, needy schools in all of El Salvador. They believe the trial will be completed this month and an order will come by the end of the month.

So, at the moment the two PCVs here are designing two papers for us. One to give to each PCV at the beginning on "how to get a stove project going" and the other to give to the community on "how to introduce the stove to your community and what to tell people…as in small pieces of wood and clean out the ashes daily."

All is well. It's hot but not unbearable (about 87) and we're feeling very accomplished and pleased with what's happening here.

Love to you all who make this possible!

Nancy

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