AUTHOR: Nancy TITLE: Excitement for 2010 DATE: 1/12/2010 08:06:00 AM ----- BODY:
It's been a heck of a week here at StoveTeam International headquarters, and I'd like to bring you up to date on the latest news, but it will be brief as there is so much to do.

EL SALVADOR - Gustavo Peña sent us the TWO front page articles from newspapers in El Salvador showing his first shipment of 500 stoves to Chiapas, Mexico. His factory no longer receives any support from Rotary grants, and he's well on his way to success.

HONDURAS - Gustavo is employed by us as a consultant and is also doing some work for us this week in Choluteca, Honduras to help with their initial production of stoves. The stoves are well accepted and he's giving demonstrations to villages and teaching the INCATEC and Rotary people how to do promotions.

Welcome news also arrived from Copan Ruinas, Honduras. David Sedat is on-board with starting a stove production facility. He and his family have a business in the area and are willing to expand it to include the Ecocina stoves. He's a member of the local Rotary and we will meet with him on our upcoming trip in mid-February. We proposed a grant to Rotary District 5110 this week, and it has been approved pending confirmation from Rotary International.

- ROTARY NEWS We attended the District 5110 Rotary World Community Service meeting this past week and not only received approval for the Honduras grant, but also for a Business Development grant to aid factory owners in learning good business practices. It continues our effort to make the factories profitable and sustainable.

- GUATEMALA Juan Carlos Cheves has met with Marco Tulio Guerra in Guatemala and they have come to an agreement regarding distribution of the money from Irvine Spectrum/Guatemala Sur Rotaries, and stove production will begin immediately. There is a Central America Rotary Fair in Antigua the end of this month, and our stoves will be featured there as well.

- VOLUNTEER REUNION Sunday was the reunion party for the volunteer group who went to Guatemala in November, and not only were most of the participants there, but Beatriz and Fred were there from Nicaragua. We are meeting with them this week to complete the process of becoming a non-profit subsidiary in Nicaragua as well as other Central American countries.

- PRESS If you haven't seen the article in Sun Valley Magazine, please take a look at the Media section of the website. I've been interviewed quite a bit lately, and we'll continue to post the press as it appears.

Nancy

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