by mannytheseacow » Tue Apr 07, 2015 10:52 pm
Hi WJ. I think it is a wonderful idea if you and your wife would like to do something like this. Teaching others to teach others is probably the most impactful thing you can do. The main goal for me was not to do anything for anybody but rather teach people to provide for themselves, using what they already have in a conservative way.
I do have some contacts in the NW part of the continent, but I feel like that is already done and there's little reason to go back. I'm working with a woman who is doing some natural building/rocket stove work in Cameroon, so she pretty well is covering the NE part. We're looking for funding to take the project to every country on the continent and have several leads. If we get funding, I'm really feeling like our stove building team would be the best people to implement the program because they already know the cultural preferences, lifestyle, etc., and they are so many thousand miles closer already it would significantly cut down on travel costs and make any funding we get go so much farther. Not to mention, this is their trade now, it just feels really good to see them doing it.
But, don't let me knock down your ambition. If your heart is in it, a good place to start would be the Global Ecovillage Network. They can connect you with someone who will host you in exchange for your teaching. Be prepared to sleep on floors, eat with your hands, and hear some heart-breaking true stories... and learn more about yourself than you might think possible. You may also never look at the developed world the same way again.
Another option is the Peace Corps. I had the opportunity to speak with over a dozen Peace Corps volunteers while I was there and teach them rocket building too. They are all taking it back to their own remote work locations. Even though their specific mission isn't rocket building, they have the opportunity to do this on the side and most are doing some other awesome permaculture stuff. Peace Corps will take you an your wife together. It's not an option for my wife and I right now but a few years down the road it will be.
If you're serious I'll send some feelers out to my contacts and I'll p.m. you with any prospects. Otherwise, if you have any experience with grant writing you would certainly be welcome to help us get this program going. The ball's in your court.
"Knowledge is power. Arm yourself."