An Eagle Scout Project for Myanmar
Yesterday, MaryAnn and I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Pratik Vangal, a high school junior from Portland, Oregon, who contacted us last summer about a project he was working on. Here is a little background from Pratik:
"A few years ago, I visited a small village in rural India. I observed high-smoke concentrations in poorly ventilated rural kitchens from extensive solid biomass fuel use for every-day cooking. The women complained of breathing discomfort, chest-pain, cough and eye irritation from chronic smoke exposure. I was deeply moved by their plight."
"Upon return to the US, my study revealed the serious health risks from biomass smoke and the staggering size of the problem, impacting billions worldwide. I then began experimenting possibilities for low-cost ventilation to help underprivileged families in developing countries."
The result of his experimentation led him to develop a low-cost ventilation system made from recycled computer fans and throw-away solar panels. These could be used to help remove cooking-fire smoke from houses in the rural villages.
He and his friend, Aaron Li, decided to find an organization working in rural India or Southeast Asia that might be able to work with them to implement their ideas. They searched the Internet and found Myanmar Hope Christian Mission.
We engaged in several meetings using video conferencing, discussing the problems, the proposed solution, the materials, and ways to bring the project to a complete success.
We were very interested in his project, because we know that COPD and related lung diseases are one of the leading causes of death in rural Myanmar, primarily because of the smoke inhaled during cooking.
Early this fall, Pratik notified us that he was going to use his solution as his final Eagle Scout project. We thought that was a great idea, too! He and his father scoured the Internet to find the best deals on parts, and then he recruited the help of his fellow scouts to assemble the finished systems. Pratik's mother, Reshma, also helped with with some expert packing! That will be very important when we transport the finished systems to Myanmar.
Yesterday we met up with Pratik and his father, Sri, at a half-way point between our homes in order to pick up the finished systems. It was great to finally meet them in person, and to get some photos.
Our plan is to bring the ventilation systems with us on our next trip to Myanmar, God willing, and hopefully get them installed in some homes where they can be of good use. We also will try to help anyone interested in starting a local business making these in Myanmar for sale to other homes throughout the region.
We are so happy that Pratik found us on the Internet, and we are thankful for his ingenuity and his desire to use his knowledge and skills to help the poor and needy.
Pratik is a junior in high school, and does not yet know where he will be attending university. Wherever that is, we are sure they will be glad to have someone of his caliber among their students!
Thank you, Pratik, and also thank you Sri, for your help in making all of this a reality. We know you are very proud of your son.
Pratik published a paper about his project in a peer-reviewed journal, the International Journal of High School Research:
https://terra-docs.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/.../2020...
We encourage everyone to read his paper, even if you can't understand all the technical parts (I know I can't).
Chuck Cherry, Director