Cocina Project

As alluded to in previous posts, we´ve been working on an improved cook stove project. Thanks to a recent U of M alumni, Rob Cerato, we were able to get an informed jump start on this project. Rob has been working in Peru for the past year on creating an improved cook stove that is made from locally available and accepted materials.

The notion of an improved cook stove, or cocina mejorada, is another way to say a stove with a chimney, one that doesn´t produce plumes of smoke, and cooks efficiently. Many families living in the surrounding rural areas of Puno cook using a open fire inside their homes. This requires much fuel and produces a grand amount of smoke, which is damaging and irritating to the lungs, not to mention smoke pouring into ones eyes.

With the help of our friend Dr. Ivan and his father we have been able to begin building these stoves in the campo of Huanuscuro. We began by introducing the project and explaining that we will provide supplies, the family must only have a free day and a number of adobe bricks ready for the project. Another thanks goes out the the Ginsberg center of Ann Arbor as they have provided us with a grant to fund the project. Thus we began a few fridays ago with one man who was ready to have a stove installed, many of the community members came to watch, speculate, and help out.

We´ve now built a few stoves in the village of Huanuscuro and in our final week here in Puno we plan to work alongside some of the medical students from ACEM-UNA to build more, as well as distribute the plans to the villagers before we leave.

If you click on the photo below it will lead you to an album filled with photos surrounding the stove project, including some of our testing phase at the acilo.

click me!

Con amor,
Erin

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When We Aren´t Working...

Stress

Ceviche, traditional Peruvian dish

Ceviche, Dr. Ivan and Freddy taught us

Adela taught us to make empanadas

Andrew is really good at it

We were welcomed at a party on our street

Danced with the neighbors

Celebration

Next on the stoves,

Erin

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San Jose

Another one of our projects while here in Puno has been to teach English at one of the local elementary schools. Initially we were unsure as to whether it was really our place to be teaching, and if the effects of our teaching would be regarded as positive or negative to the community.

After questioning both Dr. Ivan and the school director we were reassured that teaching English to these students would be both appreciated and beneficial to the students futures. Puno is world known as the folkloric capital of Peru and thus receives many tourists on a year round basis. Many students here go to college to work in the tourism industry, and English being an international language is often used and required. The director of the school was adament on the basis that the school does not have any English teachers and often the students who do learn lack the pronunciation skills. Also the school that we visit, San Jose, has many children attending who live on the Uros Islands, a group of people who make their living on the tourism industry.

With the students we have been teaching 1st through 6th grades. Its been a challenge coming up with the curriculum and there was a lot of trial and error in our first few sessions. Pulling on our own experiences in learning language we have come up with a number of modules suited to different ages and attention spans. Aside from learning colors, numbers, and other group sets we´ve attempted to give each group some practice in converstional abilities.

Right now the students are on break, we can´t wait to start where we left off next week when school starts back up.

More to come,

EGW

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