By Greg McGrath, EOS Co-founder and US Director

A rooster crows. A dog is barking…incessantly. A man walks by selling mosquiteros (mosquito nets). It’s hot, humid, and there is no wind or breezes to speak of. What does this all mean? It means that I am writing live from the EOS office in San Isidro, Nicaragua! It has been 15 months since my last trip and it is so good to be back. After traveling and working here over the last seven years, Nicaragua is my second home. It is a gift to catch up with our local team, speak with some of our latest beneficiaries and of course, roll up my sleeves (and pant legs!), and get my hands dirty with our technician Esau and team members from the States to help build a fuel-efficient oven for a customer in a nearby community.

Yesterday, a man told me what it was like for his family to have electricity for the first time, after EOS installed a solar panel at his house last year. To celebrate, they killed a chicken and had family over to celebrate. It was a big deal.

I love going to the rural communities and visiting families to learn about their experiences with our technologies and hear how they have affected and changed their lives. We have a lot more work to do and these conversations fuel my fire to continue driving forward to grow and strengthen EOS.

This trip is extra special for me because this month, EOS is hosting five engineering students from Iowa State who are taking a hands-on, human-centered design course. I participated in a similar experience with Iowa State in Mali, West Africa years ago, that set me on a path to help create and grow EOS. It is an honor to create a similar opportunity for students today. I hope this is a life-changing experience for them and that it will create a spark for them to find their own way to use their skills as a force for good.

There is still no breeze, but I couldn’t be more excited to be here in Nicaragua, working away with a symphony of spoken English and Spanish, dogs barking, and roosters crowing in the background.