ARC E-Newsletter 6/6/25: Help Us Empower Engineers in Developing Countries — $1,000 Goal

[Aprovecho Research Center]

Help Us Empower Engineers in Developing Countries — $1,000 Goal

ARC Engineer Jaden Berger with the Ethiopia Lab team in March

Dear Stovers,

You may know us for our work with rocket stoves — we’re proud that our designs have helped millions of people cook more efficiently and safely around the world. But today, we want to focus on a more nuanced side of our mission — building stove design capacity in developing countries.

Much of our energy goes into our Laboratory Emissions Monitoring System (LEMS) program which supports laboratories in developing countries — places where talented engineers are hungry to solve local problems, from clean energy to environmental monitoring. These labs depend on Aprovecho and are more than just workspaces — they are hubs of innovation, serving communities and training the next generation of changemakers.

This work isn’t easy. It takes continuous effort to maintain the infrastructure, build trust, and provide responsive tech support for teams across borders. That’s why we’re inviting you to help us raise $1,000 to fund a special event: Download Day (6AM Pacific, June 11, 2025).

What is Download Day?
It’s when our team of engineers connects directly with users of our open-source software in Clean Cooking Alliance-funded labs throughout the Global South — offering live support, walking through recent updates, and ensuring that these tools truly serve local needs. The day’s topics will be: setting up Google Drive to receive automatic software updates and new tools for reporting against the ISO 19867 cookstove test standard. Your support makes this day possible.

But more than that — your donation helps create middle-class jobs in developing countries. These are smart, capable engineers who are staying in their communities and using their skills to lift up their neighbors. Every dollar you give is an investment in the stability of their future, the stability of their communities, and the stability of the global community.

Will you help us reach our $1,000 goal?
Your contribution, no matter the size, helps support meaningful engineering relationships that make a global difference. We have planned 14 additional virtual training events. Your continued support would help to rapidly realize that potential.

www.aprovecho.org/donate

In my 15 years at Aprovecho creating laboratories in the developing countries I have personally witnessed a leveling of the playing field between the Global South and the Global North. Thank you for your support in helping engineers speak the same language regardless of borders and birth.

With gratitude,
Sam Bentson
General Manager

P.S. While the event is geared towards cookstove testing practitioners, you are welcome to attend:

meet.google.com/rgm-hnrz-wbw

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