As Eva and Bety set up to build the stove, the father said to Chato, “the women are going to build?” Chato said, “Yes, and Bety is my supervisor.” This came as a big surprise. During the entire process of building, the daughter sat on a chair and watched Eva and Bety work. I kept thinking that she must be inspired to see these two strong women working together outside a traditional role.
While I would say that San Sebastián was one of the most beautiful places that I have traveled, it was also one of the most difficult. It was a 15 hour drive from Antigua to San Sebastián, but I found that the town’s remoteness was part of the reason for its beauty. Located at about 10,000 feet in elevation, we were literally up in the clouds, and the misty air and tall pine trees reminded me of the Pacific Northwest.
We’re thrilled to provide meaningful employment for ten local people through our Justa project in Guatemala, but we don’t talk much about the local supply chain that we rely on to provide the materials, transportation, and other services that keep this project running. We took a moment to chat with many of these crucial artisans and tradespeople, and they gave us their thoughts on what it means to them to work with StoveTeam!
It is difficult to believe that so much could happen in one year. From hiring our first full-time field employee, to providing aid during COVID-19 for all of our local partners, to launching a successful pilot project based on a new stove model, this was the year of new endeavors and unexpected challenges.
The United Nations has announced 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to promote better health, equality, and environmental stewardship as we approach the year 2030. StoveTeam’s mission directly or indirectly contributes toward all 17 goals, but we picked our top six to explore in-depth.
