Stoves For Santa Clara HELPING EL SALVADORIANS DROP IT LIKE IT S HOT MONICA MALLINI, MECHANICAL & ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AND MARIA SPREHN,ANTHROPOLOGY, AND STUDENTS MONTGOMERY COLLEGE
The Bright Minds Involved Engineering students led by Professor Mallini Anthropology students led by Professor Sprehn Montgomery College chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Washington, D.C. chapter of EWB
Applied Anthropology Applied Anthropology is the use of anthropological data, perspectives, theory, and methods to identify, assess, and solve contemporary problems involving human behavior and social cultural forces, condition, and contexts. Our Goals Find an effective way of helping local people Identify the locals needs for change Work with locals to design culturally appropriate and socially acceptable change Protect locals from harmful policies and projects
Down To The Roots Applied approaches work best at a grassroots level. Grassroots Approach: allowing and encouraging the participation of the local peoples in order to avoid the process of western assimilation. The local people should choose to adopt new technology not be forced to Grassroots approaches involve social capital. Social capital: The intangible resources existing in social ties, trust, and cooperation
Possible Problem A possible problem we face is that the locals wont accept the new stoves Many large projects with foreign aid often fail because local cultural context is overlooked A comparative study of 68 rural development projects revealed the projects that were culturally compatible to the needs of the locals were twice as financially successful compared to projects that were incompatible. Engineers Without Borders (EWB) is using a grassroots approach.
Engineers Without Borders has Identified the problem by listening to the residents of Santa Clara when EWB was working on a separate issue Begun to address cultural fit by taking into account the local culture (a one size fits all approach has been shown not to work) Investigated the most effective solution to the cultural context of adopting a new design for wood burning stoves
Survey Using Observations and Questionnaires Addressing differences in: House types Open versus enclosed homes Cooking patterns Three times a day versus all day long Family sizes and needs Health concerns Gender and age Stove usage and proximity
Methods of Applied Anthropology The emic (or locals perspective) on the problem of using the current wood stoves and the implications for adopting a newly designed stove are crucial for the success of the project. In a preliminary exploration of the issue, we surveyed the literature and interviewed several women who had used open, woodburning stoves in El Salvador. The information gathered from the women highlights why the local s perspective is so important and how each project must address the local cultural context.
Take Me to the Locals From a woman s perspective: Stove adoption would occur if it improved health by reducing the harmful effects of smoke Stoves should be at waist height for the women -- high enough to prevent children from getting burned. Many families do not have cabinets, so counter space on the new stoves is important. Traditional stoves could last years without requiring repair or replacement. We know that people must play an active role in the changes that affect them and that the people have information the experts lack. From an interview: My friend had to stop cooking on her stove because her doctor warned that the smoke coming from the stove was causing permanent damage to her eyes.
Our Mission Design a cost-efficient stove for the locals in Santa Clara Create an accurate test facility to evaluate possible variables Provide a safer way to live and eat
Addressing An Important Matter There are problems concerning the stoves being currently used in Santa Clara Excess smoke Particulate matter in air Children burned by open flames Safety of surrounding structures
Our Focus The town of Santa Clara shares similar traits with other under-developed towns
Preparing For Success To ensure a better stove for the citizens of Santa Clara we must Engineer 2-3 stoves designs that improve upon current stoves being used Invent a testing facility capable of simulating current living conditions in the town of Santa Clara Monitor and record data to compare to data collected in El Salvador
Houston, We Have Ignition The Rocket stove is the most effective and costeffective design The citizens of Santa Clara have around 6 dollars allotted per stove They would prefer the new stoves to replicate the old models while making life safer and easier for each family
CURRENT CONDITIONS ROCKET STOVE PROTOTYPE Comal
Creating An Environment Data collected in Santa Clara includes Consumption and efficiency concerning fuel use Air quality (smoke and fine particulate matter) Injuries caused by open flames We must create an environment that mimics conditions found in Santa Clara This will allow the most accurate data possible
Staying Safe The testing area will keep students safe while collecting various data Fireproof canvas will be used to simulate varying amounts of wind protection Proper ventilation will allow for easy breathing during testing
Questions and Answers