Wow – it is now one year since we launched the SoroptiVoice Blog
at CSW 55! And now we are back again, reporting live from CSW 56! Thank
you to our team of Soroptimist delegates who will be keeping us up to
date with all the latest news from New York. Here is
an update from International Programme Director Hilary Ratcliffe, as she reflects on a great joint workshop with Solar Cookers International.

 

Have you heard of solar cookers?

We
all now have, as in one of our workshops we partnered with Solar Cookers International.  Our workshop was entitled “From seeding to
feeding”. We looked at the role of women in food production from the planting of seeds through
marketing, food production and consumption, and the challenges this is posing for rural women.

One of the key problems is the amount of fuel, namely wood, that is used by
rural women to cook every day. No wonder we have deforestation problems. So a
simple solution has been devised: a solar cooker made from cardboard and tin foil! The cost can be
as low as $10 and the ‘fuel’ (the sun) is free!

The point raised by the speaker from Solar Cookers International was: Look at newspaper stories
about refugees or crisis in many parts of the world. What do you see behind the
photo? Sunshine. This can be used to power your food cooking and with no cost
and no effluent like smoke from the fire, which we were told kills more people in developing countries through causing lung problems tha malaria does.

Amazing what you learn at CSW!

All is going well! The workshop with Solar Cookers International and the UN Food and Africulture Organisation was fantastic with over 100 delegates attending. SI also delivered an oral intervention in one of the discussion panels yesterday – thanks to Anusha IAPD for delivering such a great statement. Plenty of
networking at events and it is now raining so need to find my  umbrella!     

Hilary Ratcliffe

International Programme Director