Whats cooking in Panama?

Life in La Mina has been going great. Two months have passed and I know everyone on a first name basis and have built some great friendships.

In terms of work, I have been organizing 2 main projects. The first primary project is ecological stoves. The traditional cook method in Panama involves the pot on top of 3 rocks and underneath is an open flame. However, people is it an open flame, this method uses an abundant amount of firewood, takes a long time to cook since the heat escapes, and the smoke has hazardous effects on the cookers. 

Traditional cooking method

The ecological stove is very similar to a fireplace that encloses the flame and traps in the heat. There are three main benefits to the eco-stove:

1. Less firewood is used. Because the heat is trapped, it is not necessary to use as much firewood. As a conservation volunteer, I am promoting the reduction of wood use and deforestation. Estimates vary, but deforestation is thought to claim up to 50,000 hectares (123,500 acres) of forest a year in Panama. Also, since less time is required to look for firewood, there are social impacts. With development, more women are leaving to look for work and are learning trades to earn their own salary. With less time spent around the house (looking for wood) this time can be spent supporting the family.

2. Less smoke. Millions of Panamanians suffer from lung diseases such as asthma, lung cancer, cystic fibrosis, and bronchitis. It is estimated that many of these sickness were smoke related from cooking over an open fire. It is estimated that the eco-stoves produce up to 50% less smoke.

3. Cooks faster. It is estimated that the eco stove cooks in half the time of the traditional 3 rock method.

Bad ass eco stove

Community members and I picking up materials

Making the bricks

The materials mainly consist of bricks and cement. I will be writing a grant to pay for the bricks, cement, and iron grills. With the help of the community, participants will be providing local materials such as sand, rocks, and ash.




There have been some challenges that have come along with the eco stove project. As a volunteer we are always trying to promote educational projects. For those who wanted to participate in the project and receive a stove in their home, I had several mandatory meetings (stove benefits and deforestation), participants had to agree to look for their own local materials, bought materials will be dropped off in a local area and participants had to agree to look for their materials to bring to their house, and participants agreed to pay $5 to help with transport costs and help pay for food when we have communal work days.
Some participants are trying to get out of the requirements by having family members attend the meetings to share the information. Others just want to pay the $5 and have others look for the materials and participate in the work days. There are also several families who want to participate but do not live permanently in the community, making participation difficult. Others do not use a 3 rock stove and use a gas stove but still want an eco-stove because they see it as an opportunity for a pretty gift (I could criticize the Panamanian government here, who constantly gifts things to its citizens, making the people very dependent on their aid). To help avoid putting all of the decision making on me, I helped found a Stove Committee- president, treasurer, and secretary to help me not only with the challenges but also so the community itself can feel responsible for the project.

The second project we are initiating is trash management. The previous volunteer was able to solicit bins to organize recyclables. Now my job is to create a responsible group to organize transport and funds. There is a recycling facility about an hour away from the community and the Ministry of the Environment has agreed to help with the transport of the recyclables. I have also been working on the educational aspects of the risks of burning trash, the time it takes for trash to decompose and trash crafts.

We started construction on a recycling center. The idea is to build a house to store the bins away from dogs or other animals. And when the bins fill up- we have extra storage. It has been very inspiring seeing the community coming together with the necessary materials- nails, wood, zinc sheets, ect.

I also spend one day a week in the school garden. The students, teachers and I have worked on organic compost, organic bug repellents, seed beds and seed saving.

I have also taken some time to explore the beautiful surrounding areas- aka the province of Cocle. Many community members have a second house close to their farm up in the mountains. I have been lucky enough to hike up into the mountains to check out the beautiful views and enjoy the fresh breeze! 

Also Peace Corps Panama now has its own website! Check it out
http://panama.peacecorps.gov/content/community-environmental-conservation-0