SIP harnesses the power of the sun
June 2008

By Kate Gilderdale
Stouffville Free Press

When Valerie Franc and her colleagues at M&Y Chiropractic heard about an innovative oven designed by Solar Freedom International, they thought it could have great potential for use in Igoma, Tanzania, as part of the SIP (Stouffville Igoma Partnership) project.

SIP has provided assistance to Igoma since 1998, and the partnership was officially recognized by the town of Whitchurch-Stouffville in 2003. With the help of fundraising initiatives and local volunteer participation, the organization has built a health clinic, provided money for education and job training programs, and supplied basic needs such as a water purification system and mosquito nets to Igoma residents.

The staff at M&Y raised the money for the purchase of a prototype oven, which SIP plans to take out to Igoma later this year. The manufacturer is a Calgary-based company which was established in 1994 and is dedicated to the research, design and dissemination of solar ovens and solar cooking worldwide.

“We have placed thousands of solar cookers in over 38 countries,” explained founder Craig Shearer. “We have done this through both large and small scale projects at home and internationally. Our key successes have been in Cuba, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Fiji, Northern India, Haiti, the USA and Canada. Solar Freedom International has evolved into an organization dedicated to developing green energy solutions with a focus on simple passive solar designs.”

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