2016 Annual Report
2016 Annual Report
Our 1,400 installations of simple, inexpensive, and locally serviceable technologies have helped over 239,000 Nicaraguans improve their health, generate income, and access clean energy.
Wes Meier
EOS International CEO & Co-founder
When it comes to EOS International and the crucial work we undertake, it seems that every year is a big one for the organization, and 2016 was no exception. Last year we were selected to participate in the prestigious Latin American Business Accelerator program through Agora Partnerships. The program provides high-potential, early-stage organizations solving social and environmental challenges the opportunity to grow their businesses, impact, and leadership skills through customized one-on-one consulting and access to mentors, investors, and a global community of peers.
EOS also started growing our educational global leadership programs, inviting 38 students from five universities to join us in Nicaragua. This hands-on experience not only benefits EOS with new perspectives from students, but inspires the next generation of changemakers. It was an opportunity just like this one that inspired the creation of EOS almost a decade ago.
One of our prouder moments of this past year was the launch of our new online technology mapping system, which allows our donors to see every one of our installations. By tagging each installation with GPS coordinates, we are able revisit and analyze technologies long after the initial installation, insuring long-term success and constant improvement of our technology solutions.
That wasn’t the only big news in 2016. Since our humble beginnings in 2008, EOS’ U.S. team has operated primarily with the help of dedicated volunteers. This past year we were excited to create new staff positions to help propel the organization forward and create change in Central America at a faster pace. In June of 2016, I was honored to step into the position of CEO and carry out the great work that EOS is doing each day.
Lastly and most importantly, I want to personally thank you for your investment in EOS International. The accomplishments in the following pages of this report could not have happened without you. As you read these stories, please remember that it was you that made this possible. Since 2008, you and your gifts have allowed EOS to directly impact 239,000 people with our 1,400 installations. Thank you so much for your support.
Alvaro Rodriguez
Nicaragua Country Director
It has been a pleasure to be with EOS for these past six years. Looking back, I remember the first few years at EOS, when I was the only employee. I would travel on the public bus across Nicaragua to meet with partners, clients, and purchase materials. When we needed to buy barrels to make our ovens, we had to transport them on top of the bus to our office to be welded. This was a humbling experience, but a time that I will never forget.
With your help we have been able to buy vehicles and hire a staff of twelve to further our reach and expand our impact throughout the country. Our team is now made up of dreamers and visionaries dedicated to our mission and vision to help those families in need. I am impressed by your generosity for people who live thousands of miles away. Other Nicaraguans ask me, “Why are these people helping us?” I can only answer that they are incredible people with a big heart. I am amazed by your generous support. Your gifts have a big impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans. Thank you.
Our Approach
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Promote
Raise awareness about our low-cost, high-impact technologies and their impact on communities.
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Manufacture
Produce appropriate technologies with locally sourced materials that are easily repairable.
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Install Technologies
Install technologies that improve health, generate income, and preserve the environment.
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Educate Users
Teach recipients how to use, maintain, troubleshoot, and benefit from their technologies.
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Track & Evaluate
Revisit and analyze technologies regularly to ensure their impact creates positive change.
EOS Stories
Every night Enrique used to have to make a difficult decision. The choice between his family cooking, eating, and spending their evening in darkness, or the option of lighting a diesel lamp to illuminate their home. But that same lamp emits toxic chemicals equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, according to The World Bank. Enrique no longer has to make that decision. On the roof of his remote home, far from the electric grid, sits an EOS solar panel capable of producing four to six hours of reliable energy per day. Not only does the life-changing system light the entire home with four LED light bulbs, but it allows users to charge phones, power radios, and perform any number of electricity-requiring tasks, too often taken for granted by much of the world.
It wasn’t that long ago that Chepita was jobless and in search of opportunity. As fate would have it, EOS International Country Director, Alvaro Rodriguez, was looking for someone just like her, who might be interested in EOS’ fuel-efficient barrel oven. The ovens are safer to use than traditional Nicaraguan ovens and use 90% less firewood, reducing deforestation and preserving the environment. Moreover, the oven offers economic opportunities. Many women are able to bake goods to sell at the market using EOS’ oven. Within a few short years, Chepita started her own bakery business, employing nearly a dozen family members and friends, many of them previously unemployed. As amazing as Chepita’s story is, it is not unique for those receiving EOS’ ovens.
Obtaining clean water was once a challenge for Ceferina’s community. The tank from which the 420 people in her village retrieved their drinking water had no treatment system. Often people would become sick with waterborne diarrheal diseases, especially children who tend to be the most vulnerable. When Ceferina learned about EOS’ simple and inexpensive water chlorinator, the decision to install it in her community was easy. The chlorinator treats water sources for communities of up to 1,000 people and is easy to operate and repair. Today, Ceferina serves as the treasurer of her community’s water leadership committee, maintaining the budget and purchasing chlorine tablets for the system. She has been thrilled to see the nearly complete drop in cases of waterborne illnesses throughout her community.
