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From: Aprovecho Research Center
Category: Donations
Date: 12/4/98
Time: 11:30:26 PM
Remote Name: 206.163.180.7
December 5, 1998
Dear Friends,
As most of us are aware, Honduras has suffered horrible losses at the hands of Hurricane Mitch. Homeless: 1,932,000 Deaths: 15,000
Even one month after Hurricane Mitch, there is still an enormous need for assistance. Four members from Aprovecho: Peter Scott, Michael Hatfield, Marcus Lorusso, and Dr. Larry Winiarski(who was born in Honduras) are travelling to Honduras after Christmas to help in the relief effort.
Earlier this fall Aprovecho's Appropriate Technologies staff were invited to Honduras by New Forest Projects West to teach a number of groups working in Honduras (Peace Corps, ADHESA, and Prolena) how to build our fuel efficient Rocket Stoves and haybox cookers. Since the arrival of Hurricane Mitch, our trip has become doubly important. Now we will be bringing not only our knowledge of stove design, but whatever physical and material aid we can offer to help Hondurans recover from Central America'a worst natural disaster this century.
This is where you come in. Between now and our departure date of Dec. 28th, we will be acception donations of money, medicine, baby clothes, non perishable foods, and plane or bus tickets. These items are urgently needed but from recent reports it appears buying these supplies in Honduras will be more effective then transporting them from the U.S. For this reason money is the most useful donation as this will enable us to purchase supplies in Honduras.
LASTING EFFECTS OF HURRICANE MITCH
FOOD SHORTAGES This week the Honduran government said that "a real possibility of famine exists" even though some centers have received food shipments. The problem is finding vlunteers to bring materials to the people who are in need. Ravi Subramanian, or office coordinator's brother, just returned from Tegucigalpa and explained that villages ONLY A FEW MILES FROM THE CAPITAL still hadn't received aid since Hurricane Mitch. Marcus. Michael, and Peter are planning on arriving a few weeks early to volunteer at an orphanage and work on arranging the delivery of what goods we can purchase to outlying areas.
MISPLACED AID Some of the relief money raised in the U.S. hasn't made it to Honduras. According to Hondurasa This Week, A Honduran newspaper, of the 100 MILLION DOLLARS donated to the American Red Cross only $14,000 ever made it to Honduras. We will be traveling directly to Honduras. All donation are tax deductible and will only go to our Honduran Relief effort. We will send you a tax receipt and keep you updated on our efforts in upcoming NEWS FORM APROVECHO.
DEFORESTATION Wood provides 90% of the fuel for cooking in Honduras. Sometimes whole forests are cut down to produce charcoal which is then sold in the cities. The inroduction of Rocket stoves, hayboxes and other Apro technologies will help reduce the demand on Honduran forests. The persistent rain falling on Honduras' deforested hillsides is still playing havoc with the relief effort. As most of you know Aprovecho has spent the last 18 years researching fuel efficient stoves. Our stoves have been built in over 60 countries, most recently in the Rwandan refugee camps of Zaire. This trip represents an important step in disseminating our latest research in stove technologies.
We hope that during this time of need you will find it possible to give a little to those trying to make it through tough times and that in doing so will find yourselves rewarded many fold.
Make donation to: Aprovecho Research Center 80574 Hazelton RD Cottage Grove, OR 97424 (541) 942-8198 apro@efn.org
Thank you for your help,
The Aprovecho Staff