Stove Project

Follow the sidebar links to read updates from Peter, Chuck and Christine in Uganda!  Later entries (links farther down the sidebar) continue to follow the ongoing work in Uganda and Darfur.

Stove Project in the news

Click here to read an article in the Eugene Register-Guard about the Stove Project!

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Imagine the temperature outside is 105 degrees; humidity is high. You are outside in the sun because there is no shade anywhere, no buildings, no trees. You're hungry; you had just a couple handfuls of rice yesterday. The water you've been drinking is unclean, and you are sick to your stomach.

That's not just an imaginary scene for refugees in northern Uganda. This scene is their reality. There are 1.6 million Ugandan citizens in camps. They have had their possessions stolen; their homes and villages destroyed; and their loved ones kidnapped or killed. They are in desperate need of help. Crushing circumstances we cannot imagine have been imposed on them. Life in many parts of Africa is hard, physically and psychologically, but life in a refugee camp is next to impossible.

Two members of the First Congregational Church of Pasadena, United Church of Christ, Peter Keller and Chuck Wojnowski, are taking it upon themselves to personally go to the town of Lira in northern Uganda for a month. They are leaving April 25th. Peter's daughter Christine, who had previously worked in Africa with the Peace Corps, will be joining them on the trip.  Peter's long-time friend from Eugene, Oregon, Ken Goyer, has developed a highly efficient wood burning stove and has plans to build 10,000 of these stoves in Uganda at the cost of $2.00 each. These refugees are desperate for fuel to cook their meager rations of food. The stove will save approximately one half of the fuel normally consumed by the open fires now used for cooking.  In addition, the stove reduces pollution and creates a much safer environment by reducing the risk of injury caused by open fires.  Peter, Chuck, and Christine will assist Ken in helping to educate the refugees on how to make the stoves and use them correctly. Donated funds for this project are being used to purchase materials and labor to make the bricks for these stoves and to aid in additional relief projects in Uganda during their stay.

Members of the First Congregational Church of Pasadena, United Church of Christ, are used to getting involved, both locally and internationally. This church works to integrate faith with action and heal brokenness within our immediate community, nationally and globally. They share a vision of sharing and community; advocate for low income and marginalized people; advocate for children by providing food, shelter, health care and education; work to eradicate discrimination of race, ethnicity, gender, disability, religion or sexual orientation; advocate change to foreign policies which guarantee human rights and sustainable development; and support the stewardship of our planet.

To learn more about this special Uganda project or to find out more about the First Congregational Church of Pasadena, United Church of Christ, visit www.uccpasadena.org or contact us at (626) 795-0696.

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