From: Hubert Paul Normil, Director of Development
To: Della Land, Program Coordinator
Monthly Report: August 2001

During a summer camp organized for the benefit of the youth of the Free Methodist Church of the Upper Artibonite District, a solar demonstration was organized by a GAVOL member on August 4th at the National School of Petite Rivière of the Artibonite. During the course of this demonstration, only three eggs were cooked, but they were cooked without water in the sun. Some young people saw, for the first time, a solar cooker at work, and particularly the cooking of eggs without water. Astonished, they cried, “What a wonder!” Due to a lack of communication, the general population wasn’t really impacted by the first phenomenon of solar energy.

On Monday, August 6, at the request of the Director of Development, all the members of the Program met to plan a program for the year with the hope to train 435 people on solar cooking techniques and the environment from August 2001 to August 2002, including the four districts: North, South, Upper Artibonite and Lower Artibonite.

Two meetings were held the 8th and the 16th of August at the Free Methodist Bible Institute with several members of the Program and Mr. David Blowers, the promoter of solar cooking for the Nazarene church. The objective of these meetings was to prepare an agenda in order to evaluate some activities realized by the participants of the seminar held May 23-25, 2001. A program and possible questionnaire were worked on for an evaluation by the participants.

During these meetings, it was plain to see that Mr. Blowers believed in the experiences of the members of the Program and particularly its dynamism for a splendid launching of a Solar Energy Program in the Nazarene Mission.

Following these meetings that were held with David Blowers, an evaluation meeting took place on the Nazarene campus situated on Route Freres. A reflection on the parable of the talents illustrated well the context of the meeting. This passage from Matthew 25, verses 14-30 sensitized the participants. Fifteen participants out of nineteen responded positively to the invitation which surpassed the quorum necessary for the meeting. Listening to them all speak, there wasn’t one participant who had not worked with his solar cooker and the material received.

87% of the participants had the experience of cooking at their home as well as away from home: at the church, the school or with a group of friends. A point to underscore: there was one participant who used hers at her home at Gros-Morne and at Marchand Dessalines. She had already carried out several training sessions in a school where she is in charge. Her objective is to introduce the techniques of solar cooking as subject matter in her school. The last stage of the meeting was a workshop on a plan for three months of activities relative to solar cooking: demonstrations, seminars, planning and evaluation meetings. (A copy of the plan was annexed to the original report) November 1 is reserved for the evaluation of the planned activities.

We organized a solar cooking demonstration the 9th of August in Carrefour at College Nissage Saget at the request of the Vice-director, Wilbert Jean, with the idea of holding a seminar for the teachers of that school. Eggs were cooked. Around 27 people, directors and teachers, took part in this demonstration. They were very satisfied and even surprised to see the eggs cooked in the sun without water. They asked for a seminar in order to have solar materials and to be able to practice their solar cooking.

Still within the area of spreading the Solar Energy Program, a demonstration was held at the Saint Paul Church for the festival of St. Paul at the request of Mrs. Elvire Douglas, an employee of World Vision in Haiti. About 80 people were able to see the system of a solar cooker cooking food with the sun: white rice and eggs cooked without water. After having followed this big phenomenon, some of them, overcome with excitement, exclaimed, “Oh, a seminar on solar cooking is necessary right away.”

From the 21st to the 24th of August, a seminar was held in the Verettes Parish under the direction of a priest, Jean Francisque, with the help of an animator from our Program and two members of GAVOL. The previous estimate of 100 persons was reduced to 54. There is no way to express how even the children of the area were really touched by solar cooking. This is to say that two children of about seven years of age were numbered among the participants. Concerning the cooking, they cooked dry beans, white rice, breadfruit, sauce and finally lalo, a vegetable greatly appreciated everywhere by the people of this area. During these days of seminar, thanks to God, the sun was shining. At the end of the seminar, the parish solar committee together with the trainer from the Program set new dates for seminars. There are October 15-18, 2001 and March 11-14, 2002.

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