Solar Sprouting: The Konojel Project

What if we could use the power of the sun to feed malnourished children in an ecologically and economically sustainable way? This was the idea that sparked the creation of the Konojel project. 

Lake Atitlan is an area rich in contradictions. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, the fertile earth swells with abundant fresh tropical fruits, coffee plants, and local superfoods,  yet the people here struggle to feed themselves. Tourists from wealthy nations all over the world come to appreciate the area's beauty and indigenous culture, yet these very populations remain in extreme poverty.  

The Konojel nutrition center serves over 60 free meals a day

Many of these travelers are unaware that malnutrition is a significant problem both around Lake Atitlan and throughout Guatemala. According to the United Nations statistics Guatemala has the 5th highest level of chronic malnutrition in the world. In San Marcos del Lago, a tiny indigenous town on Lake Atitlan, the Konojel Nutrition Center strives to combat malnutrition through education, local empowerment, and it's free lunch program. Founded over two years ago and named for the Mayan word "konojel" meaning "all together,"  the center currently serves over 60 free meals a day to malnourished children, pregnant women, and the elderly.

Speaking with Konojel's directors Andrew and Stephen we came to understand two key problems facing the center. First, the center struggled with how to produce the most nutritious food possible at the lowest cost. Second, the center was stuck in a fundraising cycle: dependent on donations to survive and chronically in danger of running out of funding. Listening to all this we had an idea.

We proposed to utilize one resource the Konojel center had in abundance: the sun. We would build a solar dehydrator and solar oven on the center property.  Using the solar dehydrator, fruits and vegetables could be dried in-season and consumed throughout the year. Ovens are a rarity in these parts - almost all cooking is done over inefficient wood stoves. These simple solar technologies offered a fuel-free way to cook, bake, and preserve food.

Brennan, Ben, and I cooking up some delicious solar granola!

The Konojel team was incredibly excited about our proposal, but we wanted to take it one step further. What if these technologies could also be used to generate a sustained revenue stream to support the center? Initial market research showed that no dried fruit products were for sale in the local or tourist markets. We proposed to aid Konojel in the design and development of a sustainable enterprise selling dried fruits, trail mix, and nutrition bars!  

With Konojel on board Brennan and I needed a dream team to make our vision come to life.  Our first recruit was Chaytanya Beriault, an incredibly talented and skilled carpenter who had grown up with a solar dehydrator and was enthusiastic about our plan. Next we brought Ben Dwyer on board.  Ben, who had joined up with Project Nuevo Mundo in December, boasted experience running sustainable non-profit enterprises in Thailand and is an excellent cook. With Chaytanya and Brennan to build the solar dehydrator and solar oven, and Ben and I to develop the sustainable enterprise, we had our dream team!

Finally, we needed funding. With Brennan and Ben a part of Nuevo Mundo a partnership sounded ideal. We pitched them our project proposal and they loved it! They offered us the seed capital we needed to get started and access to all of their resources they could offer. We were ready to start building!