Build Kilns for Nicaraguan Artisans
Potters for Peace (PFP) plans to add more kilns to communities in Nicaragua using local materials and labor. You can help this effort of preserving the cultural tradition of pottery-making and helping to provide a source of income for these poor artisans by sponsoring the installation of a fuel-efficient kiln for a community.
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The Need
During the ensuing U.S.-sponsored contra war and economic embargo, grassroots development projects struggled against almost overwhelming odds to promote cultural development in Nicaragua. Moreover, Nicaragua is the third poorest country in the Americas, with a per capita gross national product of $453. Poverty affects 2.3 million persons, 831,000 of whom live in extreme poverty, mainly in the Central and Atlantic regions. While pottery making is a rich cultural tradition in Nicaragua, firing of pottery with wood contributes to environmental degradation caused by deforestation. To alleviate this problem, PFP has designed a fuel-efficient kiln that will use less wood and achieve firing temperature in less time, conserving fuel. The benefits of the Kilns this project provides are 20:1: the kiln will service approximately 10-20 artisans in a community, which in turn will provide a living for their families (usually 6 or more to a family).
About Potters for Peace
Partner since March, 2009
Potters for Peace has worked with potters in Nicaragua since 1986 helping with technical problems, marketing and design, and now worldwide with ceramic water filter technology. Working with pottery communities in Nicaragua through interchanges, design and technical training sessions and marketing assistance has shown positive, sustainable change in the lives of many potters.