January 15, 2009
Lori in Sabana Grande, Nicaragua 2008
During our first year of existence, we made huge strides toward fulfilling our mission: to provide communities in Nicaragua with the opportunity to improve their own healthcare systems while supporting sustainable development that creates jobs for members of these communities. In the spring, the four founding members wrote a full business plan for the solar autoclave venture, which led to winning $10,000 toward the project in the University of Dayton Business Plan Competition. During the summer, three members and a few other ETHOS students were able to travel to Nicaragua to perform testing on the autoclave, conduct business and computer training, and begin networking for Salud del Sol and Las Mujeres Solares.Throughout the year, five engineering students were researching and developing the solar autoclave during their senior capstone course at the University of Dayton. As the year ended, I completed my Honors Thesis: “Solar Autoclave for Rural Nicaragua,” which ties together all of the efforts that have been happening over the last three years.
Alongside these accomplishments, we have recently been increasing our organizational capacities as well. This month, we will file to become a non-profit corporation. We are forming our Board of Trustees, establishing our roles, and constantly moving forward.
We hope that you will continue to peruse our website, as 2009 promises to be another exciting year. We already know that four ETHOS students will be traveling to Nicaragua this summer for ten weeks, including our Director of Product Research, Daniel Hensel. Opportunities continue to pop up, and we continue to take full advantage of them. Please feel free to write any questions, comments, or advice for us through the comment threads throughout our website, for we are constantly looking for new ways to grow our organization and fulfill our mission.
With appreciation,
Lori Hanna
Executive Director
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