From: Hubert Paul Normil, Director of Development
To: Della Land, Program Coordinator
Monthly Report: February 2001
We received a second visit from Mr. Paul Munsen, the president of Sun Ovens International, as a result of a large demonstration organized conjointly with the United States Embassy and the Chamber of Commerce last July. This second visit of Mr. Munsen falls within the scope of a training project in solar cooking techniques and panel construction for 3000 benefiting families. The project will be accompanied by a Sun Oven assembly plant with a preliminary production of 2000 ovens which will be available for 2000 families within the framework of the project. This factory will be located at the “Haitian Academy.” It will be administered by a specialist, and distribution will be made through our program.
A meeting to present the project was held at the Villa Creole in Pétionville in the presence of two representatives from PNUD (United Nations Development Program): Mr. Fernando Hiraldo del Castillo and Mr. Pablo; and Mr. Wilfrid Saint-Jean, technical counselor to the Bureau of Mines and Energy. Part of the discussion centered around the contents and feasibility of the project. A demonstration on the function and use of ovens (Sun Oven and Panel) was presented respectively by Paul Munsen and Hubert Paul Normil. At the end of the meeting, the representatives from PNUD and Mr. Saint-Jean said they were favorable to the project “Solar Ovens” in Haiti which, according to them, contributes to the reduction of deforestation, and the emission of gases is effectively diminished.
Still within the scope of the project “The training of 3000 Families,” we had two meetings at the Ministry of the Environment with two representatives of the Environmental Education Services: Mrs. Altidor and agronomist Fritz Brutus; a representative from the department “Bio-diversity”, Mr. Jean André Victor; and Engineer Moïse Jean Pierre, coordinator of the project “Climate Changes. “ The following were the objectives of these meetings:
Following these meetings with the representatives of PNUD and those from the Ministry of the Environment, a solar-cooked dinner was prepared and offered by the Program within the parameters of the process of sensitization already begun. We took advantage of this opportunity to show the importance of solar cooking for a proper and sustainable development, and the relation it (solar cooking) has with the economy, health, environment and the organization and stewardship of time. The president of Sun Ovens International, for his part, shared his experiences about solar cooking in certain regions of Africa, and he concluded by showing that Haiti is a favorable zone for solar cooking. The guests (representatives of PNUD, the Ministry of the Environment, and the ex-Minister of Agriculture) were able to see the different models of Sun Oven cookers and the panel in operation, and they ate with satisfaction. The menu offered food prepared for the occasion: white rice, rice with green peas, black rice with mushrooms, chicken, pizza, cake, and cookies.
For Valentine’s Day, the members of the Program were invited by the committee from the Philo class from Etzer Vilaire secondary school to make a presentation on solar energy. During 45 minutes we explained to the students the two large solar channels: thermal and photovoltaic. We took advantage of the occasion to sensitize the students about the degradation of the environment and their responsibility in the administration and protection of God’s creation. This presentation was followed by the sale of cookies and chocolate cupcakes especially prepared for this time. An explanation on the functioning of solar cookers (Sun Oven and Panel) was given by one of the trainers from the Program.
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