I'm Going to Senegal!

Finally! I'm off to Africa again!

This time, I will be working for two weeks as an InStove consultant in Senegal, located in Western Africa. I am going with InStove's Executive Director, and we will be working with PERACOD and GIZ. PERACOD is an organization in Senegal working to improve access in rural areas to renewable energy. GIZ is a Germany-based group that does a lot of impacting work throughout Africa to build sustainable development. Our goal is to illustrate how our 100 Liter Stoves could be integrated into cooking for hundreds of thousands of people during national celebrations - as well as in schools, clinics, and the like. 

We will be in Senegal over Christmas for the Gamou Celebration; I will report on that when I get back to the States! It is wonderful to be getting a chance to illustrate my use in the field, and I'm excited for (hopefully) more trips in the future! I cover all shipping and travel logistics in the office, so I got to pick our flights! Fred and I have a short layover at IAD on the way there, and only two layovers on the way back; I'm pretty proud of finding those tickets at a reasonable price during the holidays.

As a side-note, the team at InStove has been working around the clock on our Indiegogo campaign. My main tasks have included fundraising research, social media strategies, and formatting the campaign. Please take a look: Indiegogo Campaign.

Delving into the World of Nonprofits

As it is the beginning of a new year, I find it a great time to share some of my own reflections. I am in awe of how fortunate I am. Truly! A lovely apartment with a great roommate, a supportive family and boyfriend, and friends who are understanding of how hectic my schedule is! I have a job at Institutional Stove Solutions (InStove) that is rewarding, frustrating, thrilling, and overall helping the exact demographic I have wished to serve. I have been able to delve into every area of the organization from development to manufacturing, finances to operations. 

A few months ago, I went to my alma mater to recruit possible interns and raise awareness. I was honored to have some of my past professors ask me to share on my professional development and the organization. It was a wonderful way to share with current students that determination, excess consumption of coffee, and networking really does pay off! 

Note: For me, it has always helped to be able to identify long-term goals and short-term actions. What can I do to make my 1 year goal a reality? What about my 5 year goal? I tend to write my goals down and plan out how I can achieve them. 

In other news, InStove has a few proposals out to partner agencies that include me acting as a consultant abroad! If all goes well, I will be serving in Uganda and Kenya this year! Working at InStove has really peaked my interest in nonprofit management. I’ve been perusing online certificate programs in the subject and might start taking a few classes. Still, one of my goals is to get my master’s degree.

InStove Has Gone Viral!

Dennis and I with a couple of the stoves.

I am now the Executive Assistant at InStove (Institutional Stove Solutions) in Cottage Grove, Oregon. This summer has been a fantastic experience with an amazing organization. I was able to join and see the development occur right from the start; from applying for nonprofit status to creating employment applications. One of my main goals has been to increase our online presence including website development, a Facebook page, blog, Linkedin account, new email system, etc. I am gearing up to represent InStove at Green Festival in San Francisco, California in November.

It is so hard to believe that my dream to work for a nonprofit organization to increase international health equity (especially in Africa) has come true. Now, I can't wait to continue working and travelling abroad while  pursuing more job opportunities within the organization.


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We have also been showcased in the Eugene Weekly on the front cover and with a two page spread. You can read it here at Eugene Weekly.

Institutional Stove Solutions

Well, I just graduated last Saturday and started my new internship the following Monday! It has been a fantastic experience and I am really looking forward to join the paid staff soon. The organization is Institutional Stove Solutions, and I am the Intern and Volunteer Coordinator (as well as wearing an array of other hats depending on the task). I have already integrated well into the professional world and am enjoying not having to prepare for any midterms or finals!

Our mission is to provide organizations with super-efficient institutional stoves serving populations in the developing world, that address three critical needs: food security, medical sterilization, and safe drinking water. Population growth, climate change, and regional conflicts over natural resources combine to create a global challenge as we enter the 21st century. Tens of millions of people now rely on institutional settings for their food security, including schools, orphanages, and refugee camps.

Institutional Stove Solutions is a non-profit humanitarian organization dedicated for believe human suffering and the promotion of sustainable development. I am loving my involvement and looking forward to traveling to some of the African countries to help cooks use the stoves.

Two Months Later

It has been two months since I arrived in Oregon, and I can not wait to go back to Africa. I still think, for a moment, there might be a lion in a bush if I hear rustling. I miss eating warm chapati. I have to resist starting most stories with, “When I was in Kenya…”. My experiences in Africa confirmed what I want to do with my life!

I also have a new outlook on wants, needs, and desires. I want new Toms, I need food, and I desire a happy life. There are so many people in the Western world who don’t know the difference; but I also know that people who have never seen a different way of life can't be blamed for their worldview. Currently, I am back at school and work in Oregon. I do homework, hang out with friends, and am a regular college student, but I won't ever forget how my first experience in Africa shaped me. Basically, every facet of my life has been effected by that one month- and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

I can’t wait to go back to Africa whether that be for service, education, or work. I'll keep you in the know once another adventure presents itself! Thank you so much for your support, interest, and prayers. 

Welcome to England

Well, got super sick the night before I left Kenya. I got a horrible migraine, throwing up, you know the drill. Went through security and everything in a daze but started feeling so much better on the plane. Leigh and I got great seats behind the partition between economy plus and economy so we had a ton of legroom! We also met a lovely flight attendant named Kyle who snuck me some extra diet Pepsi (go virgin airlines!). The flight was nine hours long but with Leigh and I watching tv shows, stretching out our legs, and drinking ample diet Pepsi, the flight went by very quickly.

When we all arrived in England it was time for goodbyes amongst the students. It was pretty hard but, hey, we have facebook! A few of us were staying in England, either for the night or longer, so we had to go through customs. In line we got to see Bill Murray! Talk about culture shock! I then ran to the coach for the three hour ride to my cousin Amy's flat in Cambridge. I walked from the coach stop to the flat in about an hour. Amy and her family are wonderful! She and her husband, Pete, recently had twins: Isabelle and Peter. They are all smiles! In the last couple of days I have walked around city center and toured some of the colleges with Cameron, a friend of Amy and Pete's. We also all went and saw the last Harry Potter! Everything here is gorgeous. It still blows my mind that some of the architecture is hundreds of years old. I'm certainly experiencing a little culture shock, but I'm loving it! It is so strange to be surrounded by so many people with white skin. Bright lights and pavement are everywhere and there are so many accents! It is strange to walk through crowds and not be with my fellow students from Kenya. I have enjoyed being here and I think it has really helped me with culture shock. I leave for the States in two days! Seeing more of my family and friends will be wonderful!

This Is Africa

This is my last day in Africa. I can't believe it. Everyone was an emotional wreck yesterday, including myself! We held a goat roast for the staff and watched a video that Molly and some other students worked on as an attempt to summarize our adventures here. The video was amazing (I will post the youtube link soon) but I still can't explain or express what this safari (journey) has meant to me. I know I need to come back. I am leaving too much of myself here to never return. We talked a lot about reverse culture shock yesterday and that got me thinking of all the the things I will miss about this place- and all the things I am looking forward to in the States! I will miss taking a shower and seeing Mt. Killimanjaro. I will not miss taking cold showers! I will miss my banda, my bandamates, and my mosquito net. I will not miss checking for deadly snakes under the bed. I will miss standing on the seats of the land rovers watching giraffes. I will not miss the fake dust tans I received from doing so! I will miss the local staff, the SAM staff, and my peers. I will miss the friendly people, the roadside stands, the baboons in the backyard, bushbabies, chipatis for lunch, market days, and so much more.