Joe James and his dad, Dave James, from Grace Church, Ashland, Ohio (Dan Allan, senior pastor), have been working on a project to provide clean cooking alternatives for people in developing countries. The stoves have been tested among groups served by Charis Alliance ministries. On November 21, Joe pitched the project at an event at the University of Akron in a competition for $10,000 in startup funds. (See Startup Challenge Pitch Seeks Funds to Produce Biomass Cook Stoves. He reports that he didn’t win that competition, but he did receive second place in another pitch competition at the Hudson Library, where he received $2,500.
Joe, a Ph.D. candidate in mechanical engineering at the University of Akron, will be traveling to SE Asia in March 2020 to drop off six cook stoves for field testing. He’ll be visiting the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Taiwan on that trip.
A gofundme account has been set up for anyone who would like to support the project. Click here for more information or to donate.