[Stoves] Ken Goyer's first Uganda letter of June 2006

[Warren Goyer]

Back in Uganda June 23,2006

Dear Friends,

I have returned again to Uganda. I have safely arrived in Entebbe after the
standard long flight  from Seattle and Mathew and VJ have picked me (they
don't say up) from the airport and we are now in Kampala in the College Inn
Hotel.

Some of you have been Worrying about my health and I should report that I am
in good condition. Whatever problem(s) I might have had seem to have gone
away. If I believe the CDC antibody test (and I do) I don't have
schistosomiasis. I'm not sure what was wrong with me but my energy has
returned and I hope that I am back on track.

I will have about three weeks here in Uganda and then I will go to Turkey
where I will meet Wilfred Pimintel and we will renew our acquaintances with
our friends at the Sehan Rotary Club of Adana. Last year I went with Wilfred
to introduce the Rocket stove into their ongoing Solar Cooking project. Now
they have a 3M matching grant and they plan to make stoves big time. Wilfred
and I are returning to help them with some details.

After about three weeks in Adana and Eastern Turkey, Wilfred and I, and
several other people from Adana will return to Armenia. While we have not
yet enticed the Rotary Clubs in Armenia to start a stove project, we will
instruct the incoming Peace Corps Volunteers to Armenia on energy efficient,
firewood and dung burning Rocket Stoves as well as the solar cooker and the
insulated cooking box technologies.

I know that a good reporter would put the best and most interesting news at
the top of the story but I have chosen to keep the story in chronological
order. Since last December Dan Wolf of the International Lifeline Fund has
been trying to get visas  for us to go to Darfur and start a stove project
in the camps. An entire book could be written (by Dan) on the difficulties
he has already faced just trying to get visas. It has been a very difficult
task  But at last, everyone except Mathew has his visa to go to Sudan, and
we expect Mathew's visa to arrive anytime soon. 

So VJ and Mathew will go to Sudan while I am in Turkey and they will get
things started for another stove project. By the middle of August, Mathew
will return home to Uganda and Dan, Deborah and I will join VJ, who
hopefully by this time be established in Darfur.

So that's my path for the next three months.

Best wishes to everyone,  Ken

Ken Goyer
Aprovecho Research Center
AidAfrica
285 Maple Street
Eugene, Oregon, 97402
Email kgoyer at comcast.net
Email aiduganda at comcast.net
http://www.aiduganda.org