Program Summary April 6 2017

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step a well travelled Philosopher once advised.  With vision and determination inspiring them, local Rotarians Barry Cogbill and Julie Montgomery of Santa Rosa East have stepped forward to provide students at the Lords Meade College in Jinga, Uganda food cooking and footwear for their journey into a more prosperous and sustainable future.

Barry explains the advantages of solar reflectors in place of burning wood to cook meals for the Lords Meade College' 400 students and faculty.  Noting the pervasive smokey atmosphere in Uganda, avoidable time delays in gathering wood, and risks to women while collecting wood, Barry made the alternative solar collecting method the clear choice.  

Partnering with Rotarians in the US and Clubs within District 5130, Barry, Julie and Rohnert Park Cotati Rotarian-District Global Grant Coordinator Dale Knight are venturing towards a Global Grant to provide enough cookers to completely eliminate the need for air polluting wood burning.  

District 5130 has already provided shoes-that-grow (above) fitting for up to 5 years, bikes for teachers, desks, rain catchment, sanitary pads and more to Uganda.  With local connections at the College and in Jinga Rotary, Barry and Julie are confident in the local commitment to use resources well. Their current aim is to raise $10K to leverage a Global Grant to $35K.

For additional ways in which to participate, contact Barry at barry@pathwaysenergy.com, Julie at Julie@wrealestate.net, or Dale at dknight07@sbcglobal.net