Travel Now to Help Haiti Rebuild

Right now. Trees are being destroyed along the Dominican / Haitian Border. Virgin forests on protected lands are being burned away to raise illegal crops. Trees are being smoked into charcoal which is then smuggled into Haiti which has already lost practically all of it’s original lush forests.  For almost 100 years, Haiti and the DR were two of the largest exporters of Mahogany in the world. Now many Haitians never see a mature Mahogany tree their entire lives. Making charcoal smokes away as much as 70% of the energy  available if the wood was used directly for cooking. However, charcoal is lighter and much easier to smuggle.

Trees of all varieties are being cut down when they are barely saplings and baked into charcoal. Cactus has very little cellulose, but huge cacti are being destroyed for a few ounces of charcoal per plant.

Without help from concerned international citizens, the fragile forests of the Dominican Republic will follow in the tragic path of the forests of Haiti. The time to act is NOW.

El Fuego del Sol GeoTourism EcoVillage has partnered with the Dominican NGO, Grupo Jaragua, to deliver Sun Ovens, built according to Fair Trade standards, to people on both sides of the Dominican / Haitian Border.

Sun Ovens can cook delicious traditional food on over 90% of the days in the border regions. The pilot project is now in place toward the goal of delivering  over 100 Sun Ovens to the region within by June 2010

Traditional cooking methods are physically and economically disastrous to poor Dominican and Haitian populations. Women and children are the members of the society most negatively effected. It is the women’s responsibility to gather wood and charcoal for the fires, which generally takes the majority of their day. Then the fuel is burned inside the home in order to cook their food, creating deadly smoke that damages both the woman cooking and all of the children that she may be caring for in that same room.

The Sun Oven dramatically improves the situation. While the food is cooking, the cook/caregiver has much more time to spend with the children and doing other beneficial work including chores and handicrafts. The Sun Oven can even keep food warm for hours after the sun goes down thus allowing for suncooked suppers.

Previous solar cooking initiatives have failed due to inferior technology, and improper training programs. It is not easy for people to change their traditional behaviors. The El Fuego del Sol / Grupo Jaragua solution is community based. Grupo Jaragua operates and assists with local community centers. Potential recipients of donated Sun Ovens first cook with the Sun Ovens preparing food for the other volunteers, and do additional community service in order to earn their own Sun Oven. This keeps the Sun Oven from being taken for granted, and familiarizes the recipient with solar cooking techniques well in advance of their receiving a Sun Oven.