We stopped but the good work continues!!

Last week we received a report from the Guatemala Partnership of New Castle Presbytery. What a great email it was. In 2009 our little Help for the Highlands of Guatemala NGO started a project in Guatemala working with a local Guatemala NGO in Quiaquix called AJPU. It was a partnership that was to last for about 10 years. In that time we had built Biosand water filters, vented pit latrines, and fuel-efficient vented stoves. We introduced AJPU to some great ladies connected with New Castle Presbytery. That led to a connection with the Mam Christian Women’s Association. Our three groups worked together providing water filters, VIP latrines and stoves right up to 2019 when Help for the Highlands of Guatemala came to a close as many small NGO’s do after a period of time. However, the work did not stop and as the following article shows, the initiative started in 2009 is still going strong led by the Guatemala Partnership. Please read the article and then look at the links provided to get a small idea of how a good work started can keep on going. Thank you to AJPU, the Mam ladies, and all of the invested people from the various churches who are helping to make life better for many families in Guatemala. Please support their good works.

Stoves: A Hot Commodity  In celebration of the Supporting Our Sisters initiative, we will be sharing real-time updates of the many projects and programs we support in Guatemala. And as summer heats up, there is no better way to start than with the delivery of Fuel-Efficient Stoves!     Just last week, our manufacturing partners of AJPU delivered 30 stoves to Association women in a remote village in the Western Highlands. The location is so remote, in fact, that the AJPU team had to stay there for three days to complete the installations! (The recipient families graciously hosted them, providing meals and lodging.) These 30 families are now cooking their daily meals on new stoves that use less wood, save money, vent smoke outside, and provide heat for the home. Loading the truck to make the journey into the mountains.AJPU typically has a quick turnaround time for delivery and installation of their products, but the COVID crisis changed all of that. Travel restrictions and building material shortages caused significant delays last year. Thankfully, everything is now back on track.Alfredo teaches the women how to use their new stoves.To date, about 300 stoves have been delivered to Association members, with another 40 stoves scheduled for delivery in late July. We are grateful to all of the generous donors who made this possible! These stoves are so popular that there is still a waiting list of 60 additional women who have saved up their share of the cost and are waiting for a stove. If you would like to purchase a stove with one of these women, simply donate online or use this order form. You can learn more about these stoves and our partnership at www.ncpguatemala.com. Thank you for Supporting Our Sisters!Support our sisters today.Share and Stay Connected!ForwardShareTweetWebsiteFacebook

December 1, 2015 Field Report

 

The past week was a busy one. The sun started to shine about mid-week. However, it is still mighty cold once the sun sets.

Sept 2013 PEG article

Nov, 2013 – Here is an article that was published in the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta, the PEG, about the Chinook ( Ecoplancha Heat Exchanger) and the students who designed it.

October 19, 2013 Field Report

Filters and Stoves

Here is an update on the project work in Qiacquix, Guatemala.  Ajpu has installed 33 filters and 28 stoves.

CAWST Learning Exchange

Report by Bill Skinner

Each year CAWST holds a Learning Exchange over two weeks in their Calgary office.  The purpose is to bring together all their staff to share what they have observed, studied, or heard over the previous year about the main topics that CAWST supports.  That includes a variety of water and sanitation issues.  A small number of volunteers

Chinook Heat Exchanger July 2013

Update on the Chinook Heat Exchanger – July 2013.

In a previous blog I mentioned the five following next steps with a time line that need to be implemented before the Chinook can be released to the general public. 

University of Calgary Heat Exchanger Update

Chinook

That is the name of the heat exchanger that has been designed by the U. of C. students. It is a great name. For more on the students, please click on this link:

U. of C. 4^th year students

In our Alberta, Canada geographic location Chinook is the name given to the warm dry wind that descends from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. This causes a rapid rise in local temperature. This warm rise in local temperature is exactly what we want to happen with the heat exchanger when it is used in the Highlands of Guatemala.

Donor trip to Quiacquix Guatemala April 2013

Donor trip

 Some of the donors to our project in Quiacquix went on a trip to Quiacquix organized by Bill. They left on April 6th for a week of seeing first hand what we are doing in the Highlands of Guatemala.

Overview by trip coordinator – Bill:

Heat Exchanger for the Ecoplancha Stove

Update on heat exchanger for Ecoplancha Stove

In case you have not read earlier blogs on the heat exchanger for the Ecoplancha stove, here is a brief recap and update.

Ecoplancha Stove Flue Heat Exchanger

Stepping up. That’s what they are doing. This is a group of 6 young adults who have a chance to change the living conditions of many people in developing countries. They will do this by designing a functional, low cost heat exchanger for the Ecoplancha stove that will heat homes in the highland areas of Guatemala.

They are 4th year students in the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Calgary. I wish them all the best. Their efforts could benefit many people through numerous NGO’s and other non-profit groups.