Mexico - Basic technology to make life better

MCC is working to improve the lives of families in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero by helping to build environmentally friendly stoves and latrines. So far, MCC has helped to build more than 60 stoves and more than 140 dry latrines in the region.

The stoves have a pipe that draws smoke up and out of the house, so families don't have to inhale smoke or fumes from cooking. The stoves also require less wood, meaning fewer trees need to be cut down. In this mountainous, mostly dry region, trees are an extremely valuable resource to help preserve soil, which washes down hilly slopes when rains come.

The dry latrines keep waste from seeping into and contaminating the ground. MCC uses a design that composts the waste. The compost, after about a year, is ready to be used on crops as a natural fertilizer. Leovijilda de Jesus Garcia is a woman who has received a dry latrine. The first time she emptied the compost, her crop thrived. "I see corn comes up well if I put on the fertilizer," she said.

 

If contributions to a project exceed the amount needed, MCC will use the donations to support similar projects.