AUTHOR: Nancy TITLE: December 31, 2009 DATE: 12/31/2009 08:53:00 AM ----- BODY:
Hi everyone,

It's the end of an extremely productive year for StoveTeam International. Funding has arrived from the Irvine Spectrum/Guatemala Sur Rotary grant for Marco Tulio Guerra's factory in San Antonio Aguas Calientes, Guatemala. Funding has also arrived from a Eugene Southtowne/Choluteca Rotary grant for production of stoves at INCATEC, a technical school in Choluteca, Honduras. We have a signed agreement for Ecocina stove production in collaboration with Trees Water People at the Proleña factory in Managua, Nicaragua, and we are waiting for paperwork to be completed for a Eugene Southtowne/Leon Rotary grant in Leon, Nicaragua.

Our new focus is Business Development, and we are submitting a proposal to Rotary District 5110 to work with Sirama Rotary in San Miguel, El Salvador to assist new factory owners with accounting, business projections, and general business procedures.

Gustavo Peña's factory, Inversiones Falcon, in Nahulingo, El Salvador has completed the production of all stoves for the final grant with Santa Ana Rotary, and he is now producing and selling stoves as an independent factory. I heard from him yesterday that he is in negotiation with someone in Mexico who will be ordering 500 Ecocina stoves monthly. How exciting to know that his factory is doing well on its own. He continues to be employed by us on a consulting basis and will be traveling to various sites to check on production and quality control in 2010.

Other exciting news is that the very first Ecocina stove was produced in Paraguay and there are people interested in starting a factory.

Don Steely traveled to Fiji in late December and has interest from a group in Savusavu. Of course, we'd all love to visit Fiji....

The publicity supplied by the Eugene Weekly, the Register Guard and Sun Valley Magazine has also helped bring attention to the project. The New Yorker did a nice piece on Aprovecho Research Center that also brought attention to the stoving world. Aprovecho has supported us, tested our stove, given us advice, and continues to support our work with the Ecocina in Central America. Our stove continues to be the very best for much of the world, and we love the idea that it is produced locally thus giving employment to those who would otherwise be unemployed.

Of course, all we're trying to do is provide employment, contribute to better health, reduce deforestastion, and save the world.....and YOU are part of the effort. We absolutely couldn't do it without you.

So, thank you and have a wonderful 2010!!!!

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