Stove Delivery

Our entire team traveled together for the first time yesterday to Xepocal. In addition to holding a women's health training, wanted to see the three new latrines the men built, Kevin's pottery wheel, and, most of all, be there for the delivery of 10 ONIL plancha stoves. When we arrived the stoves were stacked neatly in the Methodist Church's Sunday school building.

Some nearby families came to pick up their stoves, and the rest were loaded onto a pickup for delivery. We sent two teams to accompany the stoves, congratulate the families, and see for ourselves the old stoves-which were actually 3 stone fires. The kitchens are mostly small adobe buildings with a dirt floor, a fire, a small table for preparation of food, and utensils hung on the wall. Walls and ceilings of all the kitchens were totally black with soot from the cook smoke. Some were so smoky we coughed when we entered even though no fire was burning.

The families were extremely grateful for the stoves, which require 7o% less wood, saving them time and money gathering fuel. Most importantly, the new stoves burn much cleaner, reducing the risk of respiratory illnesses, a leading cause of illness in the Mayan children. The new stoves are also much safer and will reduce the risk of burns.

We have now delivered all 50 stoves! The stoves were made possible by donations from many of our team members, generous community members, and friends across the country. We have a waiting list of 25 families who need stoves, and more requests coming in as others learn about them. Each stove costs $117. If you are interested in purchasing a stove for a family, stay tuned for details in a future post.

Post and photos by Susan