TWP 2010 EcoTour: El Salvador & Nicaragua

Trees, Water & People's (TWP) 2010 EcoTour will take travelers to El Salvador and Nicaragua to experience our international programs first-hand while enjoying the beautiful culture of these two Central American countries.

Starting in El Salvador, participants will visit Joya de Ceren, an archeological sight similar to Pompeii. In Candelaria de la Frontera, they will have a chance to learn how our fuel-efficient Justa stove is made from start-to-finish by actually participating in the process. Later, we will travel to our El Porvenir tree nursery to plant a grove of fruit trees. The El Salvador tour will end with exotic bird watching and scenic hiking in the Los Volcanes National Park. From El Salvador the EcoTour will travel to Nicaragua. The adventure continues with a tour of the PROLEÑA EcoStove factory in Managua. From Managua, the group will travel to La Paz Centro to tour TWP’s tree nursery, a reforestation site, and a ceramics factory. The trip will end with explorations of León and Granada, two of Nicaragua’s most picturesque colonial-era cities.

This once-in-a-lifetime experience will bring adventurous travelers to the heart of TWP’s mission. Our commitment to developing sustainable community-based conservation solutions can be clearly seen when you travel to the places where our programs are being implemented. Meeting and working with the communities we serve will be an unforgettable opportunity!

TWP EcoTours are conducted through the Mesoamerican Tourism Alliance, an alliance of local organizations committed to the development and promotion of sustainable tourism as a means for supporting conservation efforts in Central America. The dates for our 2010 EcoTour will be February 7-16 and the $2,850/person price includes all lodging, meals, tours, and local transportation. For more information, please contact Allison Shaw at allison@treeswaterpeople.org.

TWP Assistant International Director Wins Wall Alumni Service Award

Allison Shaw, TWP’s Assistant International Director, has been announced as the 2009 recipient of the Wall Alumni Service Award. The $25,000 Award is available to alumni of Grinnell College, where Allison graduated from in 1998 with a BA in Biology.

Allison’s proposed project, Protecting Family Health and the Environment in El Salvador, will work to expand TWP’s current fuel-efficient stove project, while, at the same time, introducing the nutritious Maya Nut tree into the local diet. This project will provide significant health, economic, and environmental benefits to communities in El Salvador. The main goals of the project are to build 100 new fuel-efficient Justa stoves, to create jobs for two local women as stove promoters, and to produce 1,300 Maya Nut trees. With these goals met, Allison believes we will continue to see increased native forest cover in El Salvador by reducing the demand for firewood and planting Maya Nut trees. Also, family health will be improved by reducing exposure to smoke and improving nutrition.

Through a collaborative effort with TWP and the Equilibrium Fund, as well as the Salvadorian NGO Arboles y Agua para el Pueblo, Allison will coordinate and manage the project. Her experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala, as well as her two years of work with TWP makes her the perfect administrator for this life-changing project. We are looking forward to the contributions that Allison will bring to communities in El Salvador and congratulate her on this wonderful award!

Haiti Clean Stoves Program

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