Solar Ovens Brighten Afghan Futures
The Rotarian, May 2003
World Community Service
Written by Seth Rosen
The scene is all too familiar to Rotarians: Dozens of
women in a refugee camp wait patiently in a slow-moving
food line under a scorching desert sun. The camp is located
in Afghanistan, though it easily could have been any war
torn country, and the women lack many of life's basic
necessities, including a cheap and efficient fuel. The
Temple Solar Project, spearheaded by Rotary clubs in District
6450 (Ill., USA), offers a solution. During the past year,
Rotarians have helped send five solar ovens to needy communities
in Afghanistan to provide residents with advanced cooking
capabilities and to serve as a catalyst for self-sufficiency.
 "The
goal of the project is to provide cooking ability in
areas such as Afghanistan that do not have electricity
and where propane is expensive," says Walt Jenkins,
chairman of the Temple Solar Project and a member of
the Rotary Club of Naperville, Ill. "If you use
solar energy you don't have women and children going
out eight to ten miles in search of wood every day."
The ovens, which cost US $11,000 each, can feed up
to 2,000 families a day and can last up to 20 years.
In Afghanistan they are used to bake bread, 60 servings
of naan, a leavened flatbread, in an hour. The Temple
Solar Project received donations from 300 Rotary clubs
throughout North America to purchase and distribute
the ovens.
"Money has come in from all over the place and
Rotarians have been so wonderful and generous with their
donations," says Pat Merryweather, a member of
the Naperville club and fundraising coordinator for
the Temple Solar Project. "How the Afghans are
using the ovens for the benefit of the community is
amazing. We're just aiding them."
Two of the ovens are in the northwestern town of Kholm
supporting two schools and a hospital. Three more serve
refugee camps, two outside of Kabul and one near the
Tajikistan border.
Since 1995 the Temple Solar Project has placed more
than 50 ovens in 13 countries, usually with the assistance
of a Rotary club in the host country. But since there
are no Rotary clubs in Afghanistan, established nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs) such as Shelter Now International
and Samaritan's Purse have installed and managed the
ovens.
"We looked for NGOs currently working in Afghanistan
that would have an ongoing presence," Merryweather
says. "Schools and hospitals are being developed
by NGOs, and after the communities stabilize then the
ovens will be turned over to the people."
After the refugee crisis subsides, the ovens will be
used to open local bakeries and help many women become
self-reliant. "The ovens should really bring up
the economic level of the towns," Jenkins says.
"There are very few jobs for women in Afghanistan
and this will provide an opportunity for enterprise
development."
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