Randy Harwood, blue shirt, works at one of the stations assembling ovens in Sierra Leone. Photos from Facebook.

Solar Oven Partners is setting up systems and working toward a sustainable ministry model. “Our goal is that each site can function on its own. We want them to function without us,” described Rev. Randy Harwood, Director of Solar Oven Partners. “We want local teams at each site to distribute ovens, teach people how to use and maintain the ovens. They don’t have to wait for a team from the United States to come to get them running. We want to step away from that dependence.”

It has become a challenge for teams from the United States to travel to sites where solar ovens are needed. The expense, logistics, and travel time are demanding. Currently, Solar Oven Partners is resourcing site coordinators to equip the ministry with these outreach partners: Iglesia Evangelica Dominicana (Evangelical Church of the Dominican Church), Dominican Republic; United Methodist Church: Sierra Leone, West Africa; and Four Corners Native American Ministry based in New Mexico.

“If people from the United States want to travel to the Dominican Republic, Sierra Leone, or Four Corners, they can. It is more about building relationships and equipping the team at each local site. We are following a train-the-trainer model. The goal is for local teams to distribute the ovens and have cooking demonstrations,” explained Harwood.

Solar Oven Partners in Sierra Leone

In March, Pastor Randy Harwood traveled with Paul Hilgedick, of Huron, South Dakota, to Sierra Leone for Solar Oven Partners. The journey took them from the eastern side of the country to the west, ending in Freetown. This was Hilgedick's sixth trip. While there, they distributed 207 solar ovens.

“We had a repository of ovens in Sierra Leone. That was luck, as we had a demand for the ovens. We made some changes in our operations,” explained Hardwood.

They set up an assembly line to put the ovens together. Stations were set up. One station built the frames, another bent the metal, and a third riveted the outside of the box.

“We had the stations and would assemble a box of five ovens. We completed a box at a time. The system worked well,” said Harwood.

During the visit to Sierra Leone, they cleaned out a shipping container that stored Solar Ovens. One unit was completely emptied, and the other was cleaned. The floor was reinforced in the remaining container and will be sealed.

Solar Oven Partners in Dominican Republic

Julia Jones, right, shares some Solar Oven cooking in the Dominican Republic.

In June, Harwood visited the Dominican Republic with Julia Jones, from First United Methodist Church in Pierre, South Dakota. They found a need for solar ovens in refugee camps near the borders of Haiti.

“We need to concentrate our efforts where the need is. In the camps, they do not have supplies to cook with, and there is no money for coal. The economic disparity between the Dominicans and Haitians is stark. Haitians are extremely poor and have no social status. Within the Dominican economy, things are stable and steady. Most people in the Dominican Republic have a stove and electricity. Solar ovens are desperately needed on the border. On the borders, in the refugee camps, there is no electricity and the need is great,” shared Pastor Randy.

The goal is to get the solar ovens out to the borders to meet the need. Local teams in the Dominican Republic were encouraged to go where the need is greatest.

“They do not need to seek permission or approval from anyone. I tell them, ‘Do what you need to,’” Harwood stated.

Solar Oven Partners at Four Corners Native American Ministry

A local team being trained on assembling ovens at Four Corners Native American Ministry.

Harwood traveled with Al Roll, Missional Impact Development Coach for the Dakotas Conference, to New Mexico to Four Corners Native American Ministry in July. Across the Navajo Nation, outlying areas away from cities and towns need solar ovens.

“Four Corners Native American Ministry serves as the local coordinator. They plan to have booths at the Native American fairs this fall to share information about solar ovens. The goal is to connect with people who live in areas without reliable electricity and stoves,” said Harwood.

Shiprock, New Mexico, is the home base for Four Corners Native American Ministry. Four Corners Native American Ministry collaborates with various organizations to provide resources, including water, food, hygiene supplies, school supplies, and solar ovens. As the director, Rev. Debra Yazzie collaborates with organizations such as Solar Oven Partners to support the people on the reservation. Read more about the trip to Four Corners Native American Ministry.

Dakotas Conference workshops

The ministry locations in the Dakotas Conference fabricate and assemble oven parts, package them, and ship them in containers to oven distribution sites. In Rapid City, at Open Heart United Methodist Church, they fabricate reflector components for the solar ovens. The central workshop in Raymond, South Dakota, manufactures bread pans and prepares ovens for shipping. In Montrose, South Dakota, they cut insulation.

Making reflectors at the Rapid City workshop.

“A shipment will go out to Sierra Leone this fall. We need to bring components that are made in Rapid City to Raymond, South Dakota. The shipping container will come to Raymond. We will load that container and send it to Sierra Leone,” described Harwood.

This summer, a team of 20 youth and five adults came from Michigan to work in the Rapid City workshop. It was the first time that a group from outside the Dakotas Conference came to work on solar ovens.

“They were a great group. They learned fast. They made 300-plus sets of reflectors. They painted the workroom and basement of the church,” described Harwood. “They stayed at Storm Mountain Center. The group toured Pine Ridge. They were so efficient; by Thursday, we were out of things for them to do. So, they did some extra things around the church [Open Heart UMC] and some work at Storm Mountain Center before they left on Friday.”

A leader of the group shared the experience with a friend in Maryland. A Maryland team is planning to come next July for the reflector workshop in Rapid City. Harwood and Rev. Doug Diehl, coordinator in Rapid City,  hope to accommodate the group each summer.

“I love that area and the connection to Storm Mountain Center. There is so much for them to do and see. The availability of Storm Mountain is key,” shared Harwood.

Four teams came to the workshop in Raymond, South Dakota, to make bread pans. A group from Pipestone, Minnesota, comes every summer; they bring their motor homes.

“They stay on Main Street in Raymond, South Dakota. They are great people,” shared Pastor Randy. “Raymond had a good summer.”

The future looks bright

Solar Oven Partners is discerning expanding to other outreach sites. Expansion takes dollars and volunteers. The ministry is exploring 501(c) status. The nonprofit status opens doors for grants.

“If we want to grow, we need to explore ways to resource. Grants would be helpful. We are slowly and gently looking at our systems and structures,” said Hardwood.

With systems in place, the future looks bright. “We have some exciting things in the works. The processes are set up. I am confident that the teams, wherever they are, can function and do the work,” Harwood said.