Nancy Hughes is StoveTeam’s founder. In January 2022, she and StoveTeam’s Executive Director Shelby Kardas visited StoveTeam’s partner projects in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

San Jose el Viejo language school and hotel in Antigua, Guatemala

Nobody but a crazy person would design a trip crossing borders into three countries during a pandemic outbreak, but that’s exactly what I did. I wanted to visit all of my friends in Central America and see the results of our work starting StoveTeam. Although I’d seen Gustavo, I hadn’t seen his factory in El Salvador for almost ten years, and I was anxious to go. Although I planned to travel alone, I planned the trip very carefully with my trusted driver, Saul, and I made reservations in all of the secure hotels that I knew well and had stayed in previously. Our Executive Director, Shelby Kardas decided to come, and then our Guatemala Country Director Alex Eaton decided to join us and be our driver, so amidst cancelling and revising plans, we started out.

Alex, Shelby and Nancy share their first meal in Guatemala

Nancy with the tree planted in her honor at the language school in Antigua.

We spent our first week at Escuela San José el Viejo in Guatemala where I met with my teacher every morning as Shelby and Alex worked. We had breakfast at the school and lunches and suppers at Fermento, Cafe Rainbow, Casa de Sopas and Cafe Sky. I enjoyed supper with Estuardo and Jeanette Noak at the new Finca Cayetano and later met Juan Carlos Cheves and his wife at Panza Verde, both restaurants now on my list of favorites. Later I enjoyed chiles rellenos at home with Maria Elena and Jerry Leech, the owners of Casa de Jades. My conversation with Jerry gave me new insights as to the difficulties of being the owner of a tourist business when all tourism ceases.

My family was obviously concerned about possible exposure to COVID, but I felt very secure as masks are mandated in all of Central America and there are devices at the entrance of every restaurant and shop that take your temperature and disseminate gel. In El Salvador, I was told that 97% of the population has received at least two inoculations and they have hardly any incidence of disease. Also, COVID tests are everywhere - you just have to make an appointment and pay $25.00 for each test. So, as we went along we got tested within 24 hours of crossing each border. In El Salvador, for an extra $5.00, a nurse came to our hotel room to test us with printed results available after two hours.

Nancy and Shelby visiting Rossana Berganza (center) and StoveTeam’s partner project in Honduras.

Our second week was spent between Honduras and El Salvador, and at every border we had something questioned. There were no real problems, just delays.

In Honduras, we found that Copan Ruinas had changed dramatically with almost none of the restaurants I remembered still in operation. Don Udo’s hotel was there, as was Casa de Cafe, but both were suffering from a lack of tourism. We visited the NGO, Casita Copan, and from there we visited San José las Lágrimas where we had installed and tested Ecocina stoves ten years ago. Our partner project in Honduras, now run by Anibal Murcia’s wife Rossana, has recently distributed a number of Ecocina stoves for the village where previously most homes were made of black plastic and tree branches.

The little Chor'ti village has grown, and there are now many actual houses, so I didn’t see the homes we visited previously, but as we spoke with a few residents, we learned that there is a real problem of violence. We met with the mayor of one group of 33 families who had split off from the others and set up a new school — all to assure the safety of their children. I would have liked to have known more, but we didn’t have enough time.

We crossed into El Salvador, and I noticed a sign indicating bombs for sale. I was concerned until Gustavo told me it was an advertising gimmick - they had bombed the prices and now everything there was cheaper.

Gustavo and Shelby inspect pupuseria stove molds at the factory in El Salvador

Our final visit to see Gustavo’s factory and Gustavito’s orthodontic practice brought tears. Gustavo has done his best to keep the factory running during the pandemic and keep his two loyal employees, Salvador and Neri, working. They are making a wide variety of stoves including large pupuserias, and also huge flower pots. Anything to keep the money coming in.

We also visited Gustavito’s clinic in Sonsonate and were impressed by the number of patients he now has. Not only is his practice growing, but he has made enough money to buy the building. He took me aside and told me that most people who study dentistry have a family connection that helps supply a location and equipment, but he only had his father’s income from stoves to pay his tuition, and a room above his father’s stove factory to hold clinics, and the one piece of dental equipment that my brother Ray had donated through his Rotary Club.

Nancy and Gustavito at the orthodontic clinic in Sonsonate.

I realized then that even that small donation made a world of difference.

Although I’m happy to be home and see my friends, I’ve booked three weeks in Guatemala in 2023.

See you there!