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Konojel — A Volunteer Project to Get Behind

June 10, 2015

A big part of long-term travel for many people is volunteering. Volunteering, no matter what you do, is all good, right? How can devoting your time and/or money to help people in need not be a good thing? You might be surprised to find out that many volunteering projects end up causing more harm than good.

A few weeks ago in this column, Jennifer Miller shared her disdain for short term mission trips. Some who read this article thought she was calling for an end to all types of volunteer trips, fundraisers, activities, and experiences, which is the furthest thing from the truth.

Today, Jenn is sharing a personal story about a project that she believes will leave a lasting impact on the community that she currently lives in, which is what we believe most people who get involved in this type of work hope to accomplish.

Solar Sprouting at Konojel Community Center

March 10, 2014

Our friends at Semillas de Sol, Brennan, Juliana, Chaytanya and Ben, helped us build our solar dehydrator and oven .

“What if we could use the power of the sun to feed malnourished children in an ecologically and economically sustainable way? This was the idea that sparked the creation of our project with the Konojel Community Center.

We proposed to utilize one resource the Konojel Center had in abundance: the sun. We would build a solar dehydrator and solar oven on the center property. Using the solar dehydrator, fruits and vegetables could be dried in-season and consumed throughout the year. Ovens are a rarity in these parts – almost all cooking is done over inefficient wood stoves. These simple solar technologies offered a fuel-free way to cook, bake, and preserve food.”

Benjamin Herrarte on how Konojel began as a soup kitchen

February 10, 2014

Benjamin Herrarte, owner and operator of La Paz Eco Hotel and Restaurante, gave Konojel its humble start in September of 2011. This is a video about how and why the project got started.