Posts by Lori McIlvaine
March 9, 2009
Thursday night, One.org along with other partner organizations hosted a showing of the documentary A Powerful Noise in 450 theaters across the nation. Following the film was a panel discussion about it that featured many people prominent in the women’s rights, social entrepreneurship, and global healthcare fields. The movie featured three women who are empowering other women in their communities for social change.
The experience was inspiring for me and Salud del Sol, as it reaffirmed the pertinence of the issues that our organization hopes to address. Themes such as appropriate development, the fight against infectious diseases, and women’s empowerment are all encompassed within our mission and objectives, and I am so glad to know that these themes are receiving such national and international attention and respect.
February 27, 2009
Me and Mrs. Arnone, the school Principal
I was able to share about how my teachers at Sacred Heart were the first to encourage my math and science skills. From then on, I searched for a way to use my God-given skills well. I spoke about my faith development throughout my education, including my experience joining the Lay Marianists through the University of Dayton. I explained a bit of what engineering is, and what a solar autoclave is, as well as presented photos from my experiences in Nicaragua. The girls had really great comments and questions for me. What a great audience! I tried to emphasize that faith development and the search for one’s vocation can be a life-long process, and that I am certainly not near the achievement of either, but that I get closer with every day and every new experience. Salud del Sol’s development has been so encouraging to me, and I am so happy that it may serve as similar encouragement to others in their search for their own purpose in life.
February 22, 2009
I recently had the amazing opportunity to meet with the Executive Director of MedWish International, Tish Dahlby. She was kind enough, and excited enough about the solar autoclave, to meet with me for an hour and a half at the MedWish facility in Cleveland. It was a very fruitful conversation, resulting in lots of ideas on the future of Salud del Sol fundraising and grant-seeking. It also served to really re-inspire me in our efforts. Although our team has weekly conference calls, with full agendas and task-lists every week, at times it still feels as though we are wandering. But my conversation with Ms. Dahlby reaffirmed me that our organization is actually on a solid, healthy path toward our mission. It was encouraging to hear, especially when our path seems quite fluid and even muddled at times!
February 5, 2009
This past semester, in Cornell University’s Engineers for a Sustainable World class, there was a Solar Oven Team that worked on problems presented by Grupo Fenix. Led by Tim Bond, the team advisor, Cornell students have worked alongside Las Mujeres Solares and Grupo Fenix in much the same way that University of Dayton students have. Similar to our Design and Manufacturing Clinic class, their Engineers for a Sustainable World class allows students the opportunity to work on appropriate technology issues while still in the university setting.
Their most recent report on their work, from December 2008, provides much valuable knowledge, much of wish I would like to share with you.
First, the team did an investigation into the best ways to prep the solar cooker before painting it, such that the paint does not chip off. This is important for aesthetic purposes, for the women would like to sell the solar cookers (and eventually autoclaves). The team found that sanding and phosphoric acid treatment are significantly better metal preparation methods than soap, vinegar, or no preparation.
The team also did an investigation into the possibilities of cooking more food with a larger oven. They built a new cooker 50% larger by volume than the original, with one dimension (the width) increased. It was found that the scale up did not affect how well or quickly the oven cooked the food. Along with this conclusion, the team also provided valuable construction suggestions and effective testing procedures in their report. They also found that the amount of water heated is more important to cooking time than the number of pots.
Finally, the Solar Oven Team did an energy and carbon cost analysis on the solar ovens. They compared the costs of the solar ovens with costs of traditional cooking methods in order to prove that the solar ovens are an effective way to decrease energy consumption and carbon emissions. The team concluded that a solar cooker “pays off” its production carbon and energy costs in just 41 days. Because solar cookers last many years, they are obviously effective. Assuming a two year lifetime, each solar cooker offsets over 8000 MJ of energy. Especially important to this is that Las Mujeres Solares use recycled newspaper printing aluminum for the inside of their cookers. Of course, the team points out that many assumptions had to be made in order to reach these conclusions, and transportation costs of the raw materials were neglected. But even after taking this into consideration, solar cookers still are quite effective at reducing energy use and carbon costs.
I would like to congratulate the team on a job well done, and the administrators for the success of their program thus far. The reflections offered by the students at the end of the report illustrate the value of the class to them and to Grupo Fenix. The students learned a lot about engineering and appropriate technology through their experience, as well as gained exposure to development issues unlike those encountered in many engineering courses. Their reflections were inspiring, and I was greatly impressed by their approach to working with the women. They showed respect for the women’s needs and opinions, which I have learned is so important to work like ours.
January 27, 2009
The Tech Awards is a program to honor technical innovations that benefit humanity. If you check out the website, www.techawards.org, you will see that Salud del Sol would be an excellent fit for such a nominee. Not only is there a possible monetary award to support the project, but the program provides other opportunities for networking and learning. Salud del Sol has decided to apply for this award later this year or early next year, once the solar autoclave has been in the field some time.
January 24, 2009
I recently came across this excellent overview prediction about social entrepreneurship in 2009 at change.org. Most importantly, the author, Nathaniel Whittemore, predicts that social entrepreneurship will play an ever-increasing role in social change. The article highlights seven predicted trends for 2009: a partner in the White House, green innovation, blended value investing, online action platforms, mobile technology, measuring social impact, and globally-engaged education. We in Salud del Sol have witnessed some of these trends, such as the popularity of green innovation in the generous reception of the solar autoclave project into the engineering design course. We have also seen the increasing importance of globally-engaged education, with the growth and success of the ETHOS program, as well as in our attendance and interactions with other universities at the recent Colloquium on International Engineering Education in Rhode Island. The entire emphasis of the weekend was exploring ways to educate engineering students for the global workplace. The workshops focused on partnerships in exchange programs, internships, and international projects.
I found one trend particularly enlightening: measuring social impact. Here, the author discusses the many forces that are pushing non-profits to provide more proof of impact than mere anecdotal stories, such as forces from new blended-value investors who seek good economic, social, and environmental investments; forces from the people that programs are supposed to help; and pressure from the economic crisis and its effects on endowments and other grantors. Third party consulting has taken off as a way for organizations to measure their social impact in ways that compare them to other organizations. The author also predicts that some organizations will find new ways to hear the voices of the organizations’ beneficiaries, such as by using mobile technology.
Measuring our success is something that Salud del Sol is in the midst of figuring out. We have some of the women’s stories here on our website, complete with pictures and even video. The interviews have confirmed the intensity of the needs we hope to help meet: an environmentally sustainable way to sterilize medical instruments in the small local clinics, employment and empowerment for the local community, and a boost to the Nicaraguan economy. But now, how do we measure the progress toward these goals? Fortunately, accountability is built into our business plan, especially with frequent immersion through the ETHOS program, which is continuing again this year. But besides self-accountability, we are currently searching for ways to measure our social impact. Any ideas?
- Lori
January 22, 2009
Sunday, January 11, Lori met with Amy Elliot of MedWish International (www.medwish.org) to learn more about the non-profit organization and to discuss ways that the two organizations could partner. She was first given a tour of the MedWish facility in Cleveland, Ohio, where she learned all about the great work that is being done there.
MedWish has a mission to save lives and save the environment. They collect usable medical equipment from local hospitals and other healthcare providers and then send these items to underserved populations. Thus, they help to save lives in developing countries and to reduce solid waste in landfills by recycling medical equipment. They also pay close attention to their own operations to ensure they are fulfilling their environmental mission through recycling and other green practices. Additionally, MedWish is a host for medical mission trips to some of these same countries.
The business has a focus on sustainability, as evidenced by their policies. For instance, the supplies are provided to recipients free of charge, but the recipients have to pay shipping. This prevents abuse of their services and creates vested interest. MedWish International was founded in 1993, but has seen especially blossoming growth in the last few years, receiving 380,000 pounds of equipment in 2008. They have five staff members in Cleveland, but much of the work is done by volunteers from all walks of life.
MedWish International has supplied aid to over 70 countries, including Nicaragua. In 2008, they helped to send an ambulance filled with medical equipment to the St. Martin de Porres Hospital in Chinendega, Nicaragua, as well as an additional 20-foot container shipment of medical supplies later in the year. This hospital hosts international medical brigades from the U.S. that provide medical care, which include people from Ohio.
During her visit, Lori learned of the dire need for solar powered autoclaves within the organization of MedWish. Amy explained that every recipient of a MedWish shipment made in 2008 would have requested an autoclave if one were available. However, discarded autoclaves that still function are hard to come by. They currently only have two in stock, despite the vastness of supplies collected. It is this need that prompted the meeting and discussion with Salud del Sol. MedWish could be a distributor of Salud del Sol’s solar autoclave, or perhaps they could be a distributor of a Salud del Sol manufacturing kit that provides instructions for communities to build their own solar autoclaves. There are many opportunities for partnership between Salud del Sol and MedWish. Other ways that the organizations can benefit each other include finding funding sources, partnering for grants, networking with customers and recipient groups, and connecting with mission trip groups. Salud del Sol is excited about the possibilities for future work with MedWish International, as this meeting was just the first step toward brainstorming a mutually beneficial relationship for two organizations with very intertwined missions of social and environmental responsibility.
Enjoy!
- Lori
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
August 4, 2008
The past two weeks have been spent in a lot of thought. I was sick for a good part of it… hence, the lack of blogging. But don´t worry… it was just a really long fever and cough–I slept for four days straight–I didn´t even know that was possible!
I´ve had some good time spent with my host family. Heyling and I went on an excursion to Dipilto, where a holy site called La Virgin de La Piedra is. It was a beautiful area, frequented by many pilgrims. And I had so much fun riding in the back of pickup trucks and eating bananas and peanut butter with Anna, Pete, and Heyling! I also got to go to another Noches Segovianas in Ocotal with my family… Adelina, Heyling, and Alexandra came this time. We got dinner on the street, then watched the show. Alexandra was ecstatic, because she rarely gets to leave Sabana Grande.
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July 20, 2008
Since my last update, Salud del Sol has had a lot happening. As you may have read on the homepage, we were able to get government blessings for our project. As many people have righteously expressed concern over whether or not the Ministry of Health would allow a solar autoclave into their clinics, I was so happy to finally receive this permission and support. We met with Dr. Orochena, the Director of Services Organization, and he was so enthusiastic about our project. He told us what our next steps should be, and he offered to be the liaison to other areas of the Ministry of Health. He will also emphasize sterilization questions in an upcoming survey of medical equipment in health care facilities in Nicaragua, so as to gain further support. Dr. Orochena also provided us with lots of much-awaited health clinic statistics to use in our marketing analysis. As Susan Kinne said, the Holy Spirit is watching!
The same day, Anna and I also had a meeting with Onell Morales, who did a thesis on another solar autoclave design and is currently working on yet another, and a chemistry teacher from the UNI who has some undergraduates interested in a thesis involving the solar autoclave. We brainstormed, and decided on two possible projects. One is to continue testing throughout the year on a few different autoclave designs and continuously correspond with our Design Clinic team at the University of Dayton. The other is to find an inexpensive, locally-available substance or something to verify sufficient time and temperature for sterilization, which I thought would be very relevant because they are chemistry students and we are not. These plans will all be verified before we leave Nicaragua.
Despite the huge successes in Managua, I’m really happy to be back home in Sabana Grande. It is so much cleaner, cooler, and more relaxed. Since then, we’ve been running tests during the day, going to soccer games after work, and usually watching the craze soap opera, Madre Luna, at night. We did some tests on the dry heat design with a ketchup bottle as a container, painted black on 1/3 of the side. It reached 124C, which is decent considering all of the clouds. We then switched to testing a pressure cooker inside of a solar autoclave. Unfortunately, while all around the pot has reached around 130C, the inside air has not broken 100C. Most days, it is cloudy more than it is sunny, and recently it has been raining the majority of the day. In fact, I heard it is a hurricane… is that true, and what’s its name?
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