There was a lively and informative skype (typed) chat this week at the Wednesday's weekly online meeting between the Nigerian and the UK Team.
There was indeed triple good news this week
- The UK were delighted to learn that the JAWS training at Fantsuam Academy is provisionally scheduled to start 28 June.
- Cecily, a VSO at Fantsuam Foundation also kindly emailed the UK the article written by Reuben Buhari, a reporter for This Day. Fantsuam Foundation had received a full page and with a photo! (If I can find an online link to the article from THISDAY's website I will add it here- but so far it has evaded me)
- Bala and Pam gave feedback about the Appropriate Power Special Interest Group (SIG) which met online on the previous Thursday ( to catch up please read Pam's posterous and the archive. )
- The team then started to chat about various bucket stoves and the UK were pleased to hear that around 100 of the save 80 stoves had been made available to the local community as microfinance loans. Comfort ... updated the UK about the Save 80 stove, named as such because it uses 80% less fuel. She confirmed that it is virtually smokeless and does indeed use less wood.The women cooking at the local restaurants use and the stove is a good size, since the pot can cook for a family of 8 people. It was confirmed by the Nigerian team, that cooking all kinds of food, especially the local beans, which usually take hours cook faster on this stove. Bala informed us that there is a different kind of stove that the SIG discussed which burns biomass but give tar as a by product. Also that there is one currently being used in Haiti that gives charcoal as its by product. Cicely described the stoves that she had seen women cooking in the local restaurants ( ? elsewhere in her travels) and instead of using the traditional 3 stone stoves they used stoves made from wheel rims.The women cooking at the local restaurants used it Bala commented that the rim may be a perfect alternative to the skirt mentioned during the Thursday discussion, as it would help to capture the heat. Bala has expressed an interest in building his own bucket biomass stove using bricks and this discussion I am sure will develop. In fact the next "Topic Thursday" is scheduled for Thursday May 13th. and bucket/ biomass stoves has been 'pencilled in' for the agenda.
Amongst other matters,(ranging from Attachab Ecovillage , Nings and our website CCK upgrade) time was spent discussing Fantsuam's latest news in their efforts to combat Sickle Cell Disease:
John Dada informed us that The Fantsuam Support group is meeting today (Wednesday 5th) to start planning how best to celebrate the Global Sickle Cell awareness Day on June 19th.
They are currently thinking of a music rally and procession through the town, plus inviting some top public figure to address the audience.
Prior to this there are plans for some community theatre presentations in the schools in Kafanchan.
I look forward to seeing the photos and video coverage, especially if the day proves to be such a successful one as the "Day of Change" that Cicely captured so beautifully in her blog...in fact it made me feel as if I was there too!