Stoving Ecuador Style

This past week Rufus, GVI Phoenix's official stover, started our stovebuilding in our Ecuador projects, with the initial phase beginning up in the Andean community of Larcacunga where we are hoping to build 3 stoves over a three week period, with the first to be built in the school.

The first week has seen very little actual building action, but as is normal has been filled with a lot of the background work required to make the project work in the long term.

Talking to the community to find out what they need and want, sourcing the various materials needed and trying to get competitive prices, and organising transport and delivery as the community is pretty remote out in the hills surrounding Otavalo.

However, things progressed so well that we were able to make a start on the building on Friday and despite the 'carnaval' water fighting that surrounded us in the school, and with the help of Angèl one of the fathers in the community, we were able to make a cracking start completing the concrete base in record time. During week two we'll be aiming to finish off this stove and make a start on the second also.

The community in Larcacunga have been very welcoming to us and helpful; several of the mums (including one with child strapped to her back!) helped unload the lorry of materials when it arrived and they have sorted out the carrying of the materials to each of the sites in the community.

We have also entrusted the community with deciding who gets new stoves and when as they know best the living conditions of each family, and again this makes them more involved in the whole process.

Once we have got the the ball rolling in Larcacunga we hope to be able to extend the stoving project, with the anticipated help of our many willing volunteers, to the other three communities in which we work in Ecuador.

Stoving Ecuador Style