Hello from Rwanda,
My time here is well past half way and the results are good. There are nearly 2000 households that don’t choke with smoke each evening because our stove is there. There are 700-800 mothers who don’t worry that their toddler can tip over a pot or trip into the open fire. The elimination of smoke and burns is a huge blessing that will translate into improved health and economy for each of those families from now on. Success in this larger scale is a daily challenge that anyone who has started their own business will recognize. The need for training, logistics, policy, team building, marketing, etc. makes impossible demands on our meager time and finances. Still, bit by bit, as best as we can, we build the system that produces an impact to surprise even us.
Success on the smaller scale is witnessed in the delight of a grandmother who used to search every day for wood, some days not finding enough even to cook her rice or potatoes. She now goes 3 days a week, satisfied to bring twigs and corn stalks that suffice to heat her meals. It’s the heart-touching testimonial by a mother who shows the scars covering her 4-year-old neck to waist caused by the pot that tipped from her former 3-stone fire pit: “Don’t wait,” she pleads with the group of her neighbours, ”because the new stove will protect your children.” It’s also the satisfaction and dignity I see in the faces of our stove makers when they receive their salary. Regular jobs are few in the private sector and we have created 15 self-sustaining positions. They work hard for $50/month, carrying 48 lbs of clay up from the quarry in the valley, fashioning the stove, and then, after a week of drying, carrying it off one, 2, or 3 miles to install.
The people love the stove mostly because it uses less wood and doesn’t sting their eyes. The bigger benefits of diminishing creosote in their lungs and no burns for their children are mostly unrecognized by the users. The clinics, however, say the health benefits are noticeable after 6 months. It's like stopping a 2-pack-a-day habit. A worry is that the poorest don’t buy. If you’re wondering what you might do for them, $50 lets me give 20 stoves to the most needy. Through the clinics, we could distribute 60 a month among the 3 locations - and have a lasting impact that would remove that worry from my mind.
Thanks from the heart of Africa, Bwana John.
