Greetings from the James’ in Limbe Valley.  As you may know Haiti is becoming rapidly deforested.  The rate at which trees are being cut down is phenomenal and the Haitian people as well as expert environmentalists are alarmed and can only imagine the “ disasters that are waiting to happen” and actually did happen.

This last fall when the hurricanes hit, one after the other, in the central plateau and especially in the town of Gonaives, that small city was almost wiped out.  Gonaives is still recovering from the major flooding partially due to rapid deforestation of the surrounding mountains.

Most of the 7 million people that inhabit the island of Haiti use charcoal to cook their meals each day.  Charcoal is made from a variety of trees but lately even bread fruit and mango trees are being used for charcoal.  These trees provide important food staples that are being  sacrificed to make charcoal.    There are reforestation projects in  Haiti but they cannot begin to keep up with the demand for charcoal.   Although Steve and I work primarily in the area of health care, we also see our work as “holistic” or encompassing needs that impact needs of the family and the community. I, Nancy got excited when a long-time friend of ours on a visit to Haiti last year, mentioned his discovery of a clay-based cooking stove that uses only
small sticks instead of charcoal. 

Jon and Flip Anderson were agricultural Missionaries in Haiti in the 80’s and 90’s and have returned often to bring ideas and encouragement to the local farmers in the area. This time we were happy to host them while they introduced the “Rocket Stove” to the people of Haut Limbe.  The stoves are fairly simple to make but are actually designed by a rocket scientist from Oregon. It can be made with locally found materials of clay, rice-husks and sugar. The design of the stove produces a very hot fire using only small sticks and branches for fuel.

Not long after they arrived,  Flip and Jon were able to hold a number of work shops demonstrating how these stoves are made and used.  Their enthusiasm generated much excitement and interest in the stoves and already several families are starting to make them and use them.  We are hopeful that by even one family using them regularly neighbor by neighbor interest will be generated.  We have had the help of a  volunteer living with us this year, Roy Durgin, who arrived in early February and has been a big help in the project.  With his skill and ingenuity he has developed several simple tools that have helped in making the stoves easier to make.  Except for a pair of tin snips, every thing else can be made with recycled locally found materials.  After Flip and Jon returned to Oregon, we have been able to set up two “raycho woket”(Creole for Rocket Stove) behind our home here in Limbe and have had fun experimenting with cooking on these new stoves with the help of Micah and Roy.  Although we are spoiled having a propane stove in our home, we have discovered that actually our food cooks faster on the Rocket Stoves with just small twigs and branches for the heat source.  A miracle!

Yesterday on our routine clinic visit about two hours distance from our home we talked to the staff about the stoves.  They were very eager to learn and we have set a date to bring a workshop to them next month at Quartier Morin.

In the coming months we will keep you  posted on the progress of these potential new stoves for Haiti that use twigs instead of precious, expensive charcoal.

Blessings,

Nancy & Steve