Twentyfour fuel efficient cookstoves were made in three days for low income families in San Jose de Bocay, Nicaragua by a group from Blacksburg, Virginia as a part of a project undertaken by Trees, Water & People (TWP), a nonprofit organization founded in 1998 by Stuart Conway and Richard Fox.
The group, including 11 Virginia Tech students and residents of Blacksburg, stayed in San Jose de Bocay from 2-14 January, 2011 as a part of a service learning project aimed at building fuel efficient cookstoves for 25 homes. The stoves were built with the aim of reducing indoor air pollution, deforestation and other problems caused by traditional cookstoves of excessive fuel consumption and the related costs.
The project is an outcome of a visit to Bocay by TWP and a Proleña stove technician in October, 2010 who evaluated the cooking practices and fuel wood consumption trends of the inhabitants. The beneficiaries of the stove were identified and based on the requirements of the place; a stove was designed by Proleña which suited the cooking needs of the women in Bocay.
“We had a great week in San Jose de Bocay. The whole group was great, the arrangements worked well and we managed to build 24 stoves in 3 long days, and greatly strengthen our sister-city relationships in San Jose de Bocay,” said Jim Bier, the trip leader.
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