ShelterBox is an official partner project with Rotary International designed to help provide immediate emergency assistance before traditional relief organizations can reach disaster areas due to logistic obstacles. ShelterBox accomplishes this with advance-sponsored boxes/kits (such as from our club), which are pre-positioned in regional warehouses around the world, and are then deployed by participating air forces (including the USAF and RAF) and charter companies immediately into a disaster area. These kits are disaster and area-specific, intended for short-term survival with the most basic necessities to support a family unit of up to ten with approximately ten days of food, water, shelter, heating, tools - until the traditional disaster relief organizations can reach the affected area.
Our club initially took this on as a worthwhile international project; to date we have sponsored five boxes and one kit. All but one of the five boxes we sponsored have been deployed to assist in disaster areas around the world:
2012 Niger - floods
2012 Lebanon - Syrian refugee crisis
2015 Nepal - earthquake
2016 Syria - civil war
2017 Puerto Rico - Hurricane Irma
We have $30.00 towards another Shelter Box (cost is $1,000). Will you help us reach this goal?
Navajo Solar Light Project FAQs
When will the next installation project take place?
The next installation will take place June 19-23, 2019. Volunteers from around the country will gather on Wednesday afternoon. That evening there will be introductions, a brief orientation to the project and installation, and dinner. We will work Thursday, Friday and Saturday and depart on Sunday.
Where does this all take place?
We will gather at the Sanostee Chapter House, a part of the Navajo Nation in New Mexico. That will be our central base. The work will be done throughout the Sanostee Chapter as well as other nearby Chapters as selected by tribal elders
What are the accommodations?
Accommodations are very rustic. We will be sheltered at the Chapter House in a common area. Meals will be provided there as well. There are toilet facilities and rudimentary showers
What do I need to bring?
The basic items you will require are: air mattress, sleeping bag, pillow, toiletries, work gloves, a hat and sturdy work/hiking shoes/boots. A complete list of necessities will be provided each volunteer well ahead of time.
Who can work on the installations?
Anyone!
How many can work
There is no limit to the number of volunteers. There is plenty of work to be done.
How can I help?
You can help by volunteering at one of our twice-yearly installation projects. At the installations we need people to do the installation, work support to those installing the kits, act as messengers between team members, an to explain the kits to the residents as they are installed. There are many things that need to be done that do not require great physical exertion.
If you cannot join us you can help with our fundraising committee, help coordinate volunteers who are going, donate or spread the word.
Why should I participate?
Besides offering service, it is a terrific opportunity to learn about a different culture right here in the US. Everyone who has participated has felt that it is a life enhancing experience.
What does it cost to install a light kit?
There are three different kits, ranging from one light fixture to three and ranging in cost from about $150-$300 dollars each. There is also the cost of fittings and other items required to complete the installation.
If I want to join the effort, what should I do? How can I learn more?
Contact John Allman at NavajoSolar@StateOfJeffersonRotary.org
Navajo Solar Lights Update 2018
Submitted by project subcommittee chair John Allman:
Over the weekend of June 15-17, I joined with members of the Durango Daybreak Rotary Club (Colorado) for installation of more solar light kits on the Navajo Nation Reservation. With Rotarians Joe Williams and Nancy Lauro from the Durango club. About a dozen motivated middle schoolers from the Noble and Greenhough School (Boston) also participated in this hands-on community specific project, as did our own eClub treasurer John Cox and his grandson Nicholas.
Dodging spot showers, braving the wind and heat, we installed over 8 solar light kits in individual residences. A large number of Durango club volunteers were unable to participate due to the destructive wild fire that was threatening their homes and livelihood. Also, regular volunteers Roger Allen and Molly McCallum from our club were unable to attend due to health issues. Our thoughts go out to all of them.
Although our club has been supporting this project since its chartering with volunteers, donations, and matching district grants, it might be useful to take this opportunity to look at it a little more closely. Most people in the United States take electricity for granted. Only if a powerful storm hits and it is taken away do we get an understanding of what it is like to depend entirely on the sun for our light. There is still a significant number of families who live in the heart of the United States (barely a 3-and-a-half-hour drive from the comfort of my home in Albuquerque,) with the sun as their only source of light - that is the Navajo Nation. The reservation, bigger than the state of West Virginia, sprawls across Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico, in a harsh, beautiful land marked by extremes of temperature, sun, wind, and dryness.
Although our club has been supporting this project through volunteers, donations and matching District Grants nearly from its Chartering, it might be useful to take this opportunity to look at it a little more closely. Most people in the United States take electricity for granted. Only if a powerful storm hits and it is taken away do we get an understanding of what it is like to depend entirely on the sun for our light. 
There is, however, a significant population in the heart of the United States, (and only a 3-and-a-half-hour drive from the comfort of my home in Albuquerque,) that live their lives with only the sun to light the way. That is the Navajo Nation.The reservation, bigger than the state of West Virginia, sprawls across Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. It’s a harsh, beautiful land marked by extremes of temperature, sun, wind, and dryness.
Many Navajo — Diné in their own language — have lived in these rural areas for generations, as the land is passed from grandmother to granddaughter. Although they are blessed with big skies and vast desert vistas, these remote locations are often far from services and paved roads. According to a 2016 assessment, about 16,000 Navajo homes don’t have access to electricity. Nearly a third have no running water, and more than half lack kitchen and toilet facilities. Many Navajo are caught in isolated pockets of land, which are called The Checkerboard. Electric lines traverse the land on the horizon, and many hogans are wired and ready for electrical power, but with all of the permissions and work required by the utility, it would cost from $30,000-$80,000 to connect to the power.
Due to the remote location of many homes, children often travel by school bus for multiple hours every day. Before having light in their home, all homework had to be completed on the bus, or by candlelight or kerosene lantern. The Navajo Solar Lighting project is an effort that bring solar lights to at-risk populations on the reservation, especially elders over 70 years old and disabled tribal members.
A solar light is a simple thing: just a small panel the size of a baking sheet, which mounts onto a roof with a pole. A wire runs from the panel into the house, where up to three rechargeable lights hang from hooks on the ceiling. To turn on the lights, Domingo simply has to touch a button.
To use the light as a flashlight for going outside at night, a recipient simply unhooks it. A fully charged lamp offers dim light for 75 hours or bright light for 7½ before needing to be recharged. They can also use the flashlights to go the outhouse at night, a comforting prospect considering the bears and mountain lions that live nearby.
"To see a house go from kerosene to solar ... it’s life-changing. No longer do they have a proclivity for upper respiratory infections because of the soot." -- Rotarian Joe Williams
It seems a simple thing. The whole setup consists of just one, two, or three hanging lights and a cell phone charger, with a small solar panel to power it. Each solar light kit costs a little more than $300, but the impact this has on the people living in the home, however, is huge. Our recipients report better health, improved grades, improved finances and generally happier lives.Elderly recipients report that they fall less when there is light to see where they are going at night. Before receiving the lights, many recipients relied on kerosene lanterns or candles, significantly reducing air quality in the home. The beneficiaries are largely elders, the disabled, and other at-risk individuals and families.The lights are a real plus for them. They use them for basic necessities. They can stay up longer, play cards, read books; their grand-kids can do their homework. The lights provide more time in the evenings for elders to practice and pass on long-held traditions, such as weaving, to their families. One mother in Sanostee explained that she normally sent her daughter to her grandparents to complete her homework since they had power. She is happy that she will see her daughter more and be able to supervise the homework.
A Note from Joe Williams, Project Coordinator, RC Durango Daybreak:
Greetings to our friends at Rotary E-Club of the State of Jefferson! Thank you again for your continued support. We have surpassed installation of solar lights in 220 homes and with $89,000 raised through your efforts, our work continues. From a humble beginning in 2012, our credo “people are served, lives are brightened” now means something. Our little band of “hands on” volunteers has shown 1.2 million of our fellow Rotarians that a partnership of terra and ether clubs can effectively bring positive change to those in need!
After a hard day of work, there was time for some fellowship at the Toadlena Trading Post where Wes Studi (of Last of the Mohicans and Joe Leaphorn fame) was playing with his band.
The Navajo Solar Light project and our plans for a Spring, 2017 work party on the reservation.
Continuing our tradition of service to the people of the Navajo Nation, we will be participating in the Spring, 2017 installation of solar lights on the reservation. Our work will focus on the residents near Sanostee, New Mexico and we will enjoy the hospitality of the regional Navajo Chapter House.
Our project will begin on Friday, May 12th and continue on Saturday and Sunday of that week. This year we have a few ancillary projects in mind in addition to solar light installations. Last year, for example, some of our volunteers installed a very large vegetable garden near the chapter house as both a demonstration and inspiration for healthy food sourcing at the local level.
We will join with the Durango (CO) Daybreak Rotary Club once again and owe a tremendous debt to Joe Williams, a staunch Rotarian who grew up on the reservation. Joe works closely with the Chapter to select lighting recipients, coordinate our lodging and meals and ensure that all necessary supplies are available to the installation teams. As with last year's project, we will be able to sleep indoors at the gymnasium that is part of the Chapter House complex. With an inflatable mattress, a bag or blankets and a pillow you'll be dry and warm at night. We would estimate our individual costs for the two nights and three days duration at about $60 per person for food, lodging, and supplies.
Please drop me an email if you can join us this year or call me with any questions. Thanks again for your enthusiastic support of these under served Americans!
Pat Crane
Boulder, Colorado
patcrane80301@yahoo.com303 954-9858
EVE Faq
Update Jan 2017
A big focus this year will be on building Emerald Village. We received land use approvals for the 22-unit affordable tiny home community this past October. Site construction is scheduled to begin in March. Once the infrastructure is set and the foundations are poured, we have 13 different design-build teams ready to erect a tiny house. In addition to that, SquareOne will be organizing skilled volunteers to assist in the construction of 8 more tiny houses using structural insulated panels (SIPs). If you have building experience and would like to help out, please email John Cox and we'll add you to our list to contact when we are ready to begin. There will be a call for more volunteer opportunities later in the year. The first 18 households have been selected through an application and interview process, and we've begun hosting monthly village meetings to begin building community prior to move-in. We're still accepting applications. A few of the larger designs remain to be filled, so we are especially seeking couples or small families for those. So EVE will need some volunteers to assist probably sometime in April-May. These unskilled will assist the “skilled volunteers.” I have worked with some of the skilled volunteers.They are skilled!
We participate in this project as a District Grant; John Cox is our contact. Visit the Emerald Village Website.
August 19, 2016
Fellow Rotarians,
Many times over the last ten years you may have heard us mention Project Amigo located in Cofradia de Suchitlan, Mexico, a small community of about 1500 people. Project Amigo was started by two Rotarians 30 years ago, and the project is still going strong. After being involved in work weeks in 2007 and 2008, we headed down there for a five-month stint in 2008-2009 doing volunteer work for them. We have now made plans to attend another work week (November 12-19) which is entitled Community and Culture. It would really be fun if some of you could join us. There is room for 23 participants. The requested donation of $1,200 per person includes double-occupancy accommodations, all meals, pick-up and return airport transport, local transportation, entertainment and cultural activities, snacks and non-alcoholic beverages. Add $125 for a single room. The donation does not include transportation between the U.S. and Guadalajara or Manzanillo, long-distance telephone calls or alcoholic beverages. Please visit their website projectamigo.org for further details. Click on “Get Involved” and then click on “Work Week Info,” and scroll down to the section “Community and Culture” to get an overview of the work week. And, if you scroll way down to the end of this page, you can view the various accommodations available. If you have questions, please contact us, and we can fill you in. We have also attached a sample work week schedule, as well as the “welcome letter” we received after we recently registered for the work week. It gives lots of information. If you look at the accommodations section, you will see what nice rooms you stay in. You know that neither of us are about to throw out my sleeping bag on the jungle floor in order to do volunteer work! So here’s hoping that you will consider joining us.
Sincerely,
Hal and Francie
Attch:
1. Welcome to Project Amigo
2. Work Week Schedule Sample
__________________________________________________
Hello from Cofradia de Suchitlan and Welcome to Project Amigo!
Thank you for registering for a Work Week with Project Amigo. We know there are many service organizations offering volunteer work trips, and we thank you whole-heartedly for choosing us. We set ourselves apart by offering personalized service and an opportunity to build authentic, long-lasting relationships with the young people and families we serve. When you participate in a Work Week with us, you are transforming lives and providing hope for the future to very deserving young people.
The following information will assist you as you plan your trip. You will receive more information specifically about your Work Week as we get closer to your travel date.
Location: Project Amigo is headquartered in the village of Cofradía de Suchitlán, Colima. Cofradía is located 20 km (12 mi) north of the state’s capital, also named Colima, on Mexico’s west coast.
Staff: Project Amigo’s on-site staff in Mexico includes External Relations Director Anilú Mendoza; Visitor Coordinator Stephanie Mellross; Student Services Director Jorge Torres; and Operations Manager and Amigo Bus driver, Diego Martinez. Other staff members include the student services team as well as cleaning, maintenance and kitchen staff. All will work hard to ensure your best possible stay.
Program Fees: To reserve your stay, please pay 50% of your program fee as soon as possible; the balance is due 4 weeks prior to your arrival. The program fee of US$1200 includes comfortable, private accommodation in one of our beautiful houses, all meals, transportation to and from sites, entrance fees, a bilingual visitor coordinator, and all material required for work and service activities. Alcoholic beverages are not included.
Accommodations: La Hacienda is the Project Amigo headquarters where you will find our central office, common area, and dining room. Volunteers stay in Project Amigo homes: Casa Suegras, Casa Mayhew and Casa Johnson; all are within a 2 minute walk of La Hacienda. Your program fee assumes double-occupancy. If you would prefer a room by yourself, please let us know and we will accommodate you, if possible. We request an additional donation of $125.00 for a single room. WiFi is available in all Project Amigo facilities. Cofradia has cell phone service, but you will need an international plan for your cell phone. We also have landlines available for use. In remote villages, there is limited to no internet and cell-phone service.
Money: ***THERE ARE NO BANKING FACILITIES IN COFRADIA*** For the best exchange rate, withdraw pesos as the airport ATM on your arrival to Mexico. ATMs can be found in banks, large retailers, and malls. You may be able to exchange money at your bank before arriving. Credit cards are accepted some places; checks are accepted nowhere. Mexico is mainly a cash-based economy, and you will need cash for souvenirs and other purchases.
Getting here and away: You will make your own air travel arrangements into and out of Guadalajara (GDL,) Manzanillo (ZLO) or Colima (CLQ) airports. Project Amigo provides ground transportation to and from the airport. We drive only during daylight hours so please arrange for flights that arrive and depart between 10 AM and 6 PM. Cofradia is 3 hours from Guadalajara and 2 hours from Manzanillo. If you arrive or depart outside of these pick up times, please know that you will need either to wait for us or to make your own overnight accommodation arrangements at an airport hotel. When you have made your travel arrangements, forward us your itinerary so that we can meet you.
At the airport: You MUST have a valid passport to travel with an expiration date at least 6 months away. On the airplane, you fill out two forms: a customs form and a visa application. Fill these out before you land in México. Use this address on your visa form: Calle Nogal #51 Cofradia de Suchitlan, Colima, Colima. KEEP THE VISA FORM WITH YOU THROUGH THE CUSTOMS PROCESS AND DURING YOUR STAY. You will use it at customs and when you depart.
Health and Safety: You have likely heard or read about violence in Mexico. Project Amigo’s headquarters and housing facilities are nestled in a small, safe, hillside village. All of our staff live in and around Cofradia. Your safety is our top priority. We only visit areas we know to be safe and we drive only during daylight hours. All airport pickups and drop offs occur between 10am and 6pm. If conditions in Cofradia and the surrounding area were to change and we felt that there were risks involved in your visit, be assured that we would notify you and cancel the Work Week with a full refund.
Colima is not a Malaria zone, and no inoculations are required. Dengue fever and Chikungunya are two mosquito-borne illnesses that have been found in Colima. We advise visitors to take preventive actions against mosquitos, bring a DEET-based bug repellant and use it liberally. More information about these two diseases can be found on the Center for Disease Control website. Persons with chronic lung diseases may find the occasional ash from the volcano or smoke from the burning sugar cane fields to be a problem. Please refer all your health-related questions to your health care provider.
Clothing: In order to be comfortable we suggest light, cotton clothing: cotton pants, skirts, dresses, capris, leggings or jeans. We recommend sturdy, closed-toe shoes. Bring t-shirts, polos, shirts and a sweater for cooler mornings and evenings. Cofradia and the surrounding villages are socially conservative and this is reflected in the personal appearances of the people in the communities we serve. Out of respect for local norms and to help us to maintain the great relationship we enjoy with our communities, please save your shorts shorter than knee length for the beach, cover tattoos, dye that hot pink hair back to a shade more closely resembling what is natural and remove facial piercings. A special thank you for respecting this request.
Donations, Gifts and Sponsored Children: If you are interested in bringing donations such as clothing, eye glasses, dental hygiene products, blankets etc, please check with us first. Sometimes we are in more need of one kind of donation than another and we have limited storage space. We always need school supplies such as backpacks, notebooks, pens, pencils, markers, calculators etc.
If you already sponsor a student, we will do our very best to make sure you can meet him or her during the week. The students are also very excited to meet you, and you will enjoy a special relationship that can be very rewarding. Your sponsorship money bought a Christmas gift for your student, but we are often asked if it is appropriate to bring small gifts such as a book or a soccer ball. Yes! Thank you again for planning a trip to Project Amigo. We are told over and over again that a Project Amigo trip is an “experience of a life time.” We are so looking forward to creating that for you too!
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Monday March 7 2016
The Morning
7:00 Morning Walk with Stephanie- meet at the Hacienda at 6:55am
8:30 Breakfast
9:30 Introductions and Crash Course in Survival Spanish
10:30 Sorting and labeling of books, clothing and food
The Afternoon
12:00 Cooking Class with Dona Meche
1:00 Lunch
2:00 Leave for Suchitlan, home visit, tour milpa, make tortillas
4:30 Visit Comala
6:00 Return to Cofradia and free time
The Evening
6:30 Social hour and Project Amigo presentation with founder Ted Rose
7:30 Dinner
Tuesday March 8 2016
The Morning
7:00 Morning Walk with Steve- meet at the Hacienda at 6:55am
8:30 Breakfast
9:30 Load bus for Queseria
10:15 Work Day at Queseria (painting signs, installation of soccer goal posts, art/literacy activity with kids)
The Afternoon
1:15 Visit with becario Victor’s family in Queseria
1:45 Leave for Picnic lunch at El Naranjal
3:30 Return to Cofradia, free time, upload photos to EverSnap, meet Cofradia becarios
4:30 Explore Cofradia with becarios, include visit to Tianguis and El Café Viejo
6:00 Free time
The Evening
6:30 Social hour
7:30 Dinner
8:30 Beyond “To-kill-ya:” How to Appreciate Great Tequila and Other Regional Beverages
Wednesday March 9 2016
The Morning
7:00 Morning Walk with Alex- meet at the Hacienda at 6:55am
8:30 Breakfast
9:30 Load bus for El Zedillo
10:15 Work Day at El Zedillo (food and clothing distribution)
The Afternoon
1:15 Leave El Zedillo for picnic lunch at Carrizalillo
3:00 Leave Carrizalillo for Suchitlan
3:30 Visit Gorgonio the Mask Maker- he will have pieces available for sale, usually around 650 to 800 pesos
4:00 Walk to Centro Educativo in Suchitlan, meet our Suchitlan becarios and home visits with individual becarios
5:00 Walk across to Los Portales for drinks and snacks
6:00 Return to Cofradia
The Evening
6:30 Social Hour
7:30 Dinner
8:30 Outdoor Movie
Thursday March 10 2016
The Morning
7:00 Morning Walk with Jenna- meet at the Hacienda at 6:55am
8:30 Breakfast
9:30 Load bus for El Remate
10:00 Book distribution/Art activity in El Remate
11:30 Leave for visit to Downtown Colima
The Afternoon
12:20 Explore El Centro in small groups
1:20 Leave El Centro for Casa Amiga
1:35 Lunch with becarios at Casa Amiga
2:30 Leave Casa Amiga for La Yerbabuena
3:30 Tour cafetales with Jose Ramon, sample his product and opportunity to purchase coffee, visit avocado orchard and El Guardian
5:00 Leave for El Jacal for Social Hour
6:30 Return to Cofradia
The Evening
7:30 Dinner
Friday March 10 2016
The Morning
7:00 Morning Walk with Stephanie. Meet at the Hacienda at 6:55 am. The walk will be for 30 minutes this morning, as we need to leave early for the trip to Cerro de Ortega
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 Load bus for Cerro de Ortega- bring a bathing suit and towel if you’d like to get into the water at the beach this afternoon
11:15 Tour of GROW facilities and Organics Unlimited Banana plantation, visit local schools
The Afternoon
2:00 Leave for Pascuales
2:25 Lunch at Las Hamarcas and time to enjoy the beach
4:00 Leave for Cofradia
6:00 Free time
The Evening
6:30 Social hour
7:30 Dinner
Saturday March 11 2016
The Morning
7:30 Breakfast
8:30 Leave for Manzanillo
10:30 Arrive at Manzanillo for A Day at the Beach with elementary students
The Afternoon
2:30 Load bus to return to Cofradia
4:30 Free time until Social hour, load photos into EverSnap
The Evening
6:25 Meet at Hacienda to walk up to Arroyo
6:30 Social hour at Arroyo
7:30 Dinner at Arroyo
Sunday March 13 2016
The Morning
8:30 Breakfast
9:30 Checkout
10:00 Departures for airport
Joint Rotary Project by Durango DayBreak Club, Rotary eClub of the State of Jefferson, Rotary International, Colorado, New Mexico and California Rotary Clubs. Video created by eClub member Natasha Lipkina - Oct 2015
If you are interested in participating in this exciting project, contact eClub Member Pat Crane for more information. Email Pat Crane.
Providing School Computers in Guatemala
eClub Member Adriel Osman Casteñeda is Director of the Mayan Center for Education and Development. He has a degree in Business Administration; his teaching specialty is in computer training. As the center’s computer geek, he has great popularity with both the teachers and students. Computers and Internet service at a school are rare commodities in this part of the country and Osman’s superior teaching abilities are in high demand. He serves in the administration of the Maya Jaguar High School in addition to his teaching duties in computer technology.
A computer sciences diploma is offered at the Maya Jaguar High School, along with one in academics and sustainable agriculture. It is the computer sciences diploma that is key to gaining entry to the best jobs. However, in order to assure that students can gain these valuable skills, laptop computers are urgently needed. Currently, middle school students are actually taught “keyboarding skills” on broken-down manual typewriters! The Department of Education brings in outside contractors who charge parents for this antiquated “training.” If parents opt not to pay the charges, students are denied their middle school diploma. We want to help alleviate this problem.
Guatemala has the highest illiteracy rate in Latin America—only 30% of youngsters graduate from primary school. An innovative school—the Maya Jaguar High School, located in a remote region of northwestern Guatemala (see map), is changing this reality. It’s vision: empower indigenous students to confront and overcome the centuries-long poverty of their people through quality education.
The goal of this pioneering educational facility is to teach the skills that will lead students to gainful employment, a profession, or the continuation of studies at university. However, students arrive unprepared. Why? In this age of technology, computer preparation is virtually unknown. We have the power to change that!