Here is a 35-minute video of instruction on how to build a CooKit model solar cooker, how to use it and why Girl Guides and Girl Scouts are promoting and teaching the technology in fuel-short countries around the world. It's yours for a donation of $20.00 (US) to the Girl Scout Solar Cooker Fund. U.S. or Canadian postage is included. Every one for which we receive money, allows us to provide one free to the Guide Associations which are actually doing our work. In your request for one, please indicate the format you need - NTSC, PAL or SECAM.
Sorry - so far it is available only in English.

 
 

 
We have lots of news from Girl Guides in fuel-short countries, where they are practicing and teaching thousands of other people. But we rarely hear from Canadian and USA Guides and Girl Scouts who are the major contributors to the Girl Scout Solar Cooker Fund, which makes possible the good works of those girls and adults in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the South Pacific.
 
So - - - if your Girl Scout/Girl Guide group has a solar cooking project, please let us know about it:
barby@barby.com

 
   


 
What's Happening in    Africa?
 Although the progress in solar cooking training has slowed way down in the countries in political turmoil, the Girl Guide trainers are giving workshops as funds are available. The people are begging for training in this skill, because every penny they do not have to spend on fuel is a penny that can be used for food when they can find it.

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Tanzanian Guides in Pilot Program

In 2000 the Girl Guides of Tanzania hosted a full trainer training seminar, graduating twelve women prepared to lead workshops, but for reasons beyond their control they were not able to begin their project right away. In 2003 they requested another trainer course, and we decided that this was an opportunity for expansion and experimentation.

EXPANSION: The Association recruited trainer trainees from each of the country's geographical divisions, with the understanding that each trainer would be responsible for spreading the technology in her district

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Text Box: A big advantage of this second time around was that we had five trainers from the 2000 seminar, who helped train the new recruits. They already knew that Girl Guide training was supposed to be fun, and they helped those from distant districts build their cookers and then learn how to use them, enjoying it all.

EXPERIMENTATION: Instead of inviting friends of trainers to be the participants in the full-day workshops required of the trainers before graduation, we decided to hire a bus and go to a village to train anyone who was interested. We felt that this would result in participants who really needed the technology. And that was the result.

Text Box: What we did not expect was the large number of men who came. In Africa cooking is considered woman's work, and a man who cooks is rare. These men were bachelors, and they came wanting to learn how their dinner could be cooking while they were at work. They expressed great enthusiasm for what they were shown