News
Get to know CTI Better
January 2012
We have scheduled a “Get to Know CTI” session on Tuesday, February 7 from 6:30-8PM. We encourage you to spread the word to friends, family and coworkers who may be interested in learning about our work and mission. This event will give them a chance to ask questions about CTI, tour our workshop and technology displays and to have an opportunity to grind some corn and process pearl millet. Please let Nancy know if you are able to join us for one of the sessions at Nancy@compatibletechnology.org. Snacks and beverages will be served.
CTI Grinders Empower Women's Sorghum Enterprises in El Salvador
January 2012
CTI grinders empower women in El Salvador who use them as the basis of sorghum grinding and baking enterprises. The program is run by El Salvador's Center for Agricultural and Forestry Technology (CENTA) and The International Sorghum and Millet Collaborative Research Support Program (INTSORMIL) of the University of Nebraska.
"The idea is to empower women in entrepreneurial initiatives that they themselves develop so that the process becomes sustainable in the long-run." - Margarita Lesdesma, Head Officer of Gender, CENTA. Watch a short video on the program:
Breadfruit Dryer Contest
December 2011
The University of Saint Thomas has announced a contest to select two 2-3 person teams to design, build and deliver a breadfruit drying structure to the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) in Kauai, Hawaii this March.
A simple, innovative, cost effective, and scalable dryer is sought.
The contest is open to everyone, and the winning teams will be chosen based on the creative capacity of the team and the skill set to build and deliver the dryer to NTBG for use by the Breadfruit Institute in an initiative in collaboration with Compatible Technology International to address critical global food security issues by promoting the use of breadfruit for food and reforestation.
The first and second place teams will win $3,000 and $500 prizes, and both teams will win a trip to Hawaii to demonstrate their design at the National Tropical Botanical Garden. Teams must send notice of their intent to submit by January 15, 2012 to Camille George at: cmgeorge@stthomas.edu. Click here (6MB PDF) for the full contest rules and submission requirements.
Support CTI through United Way
September 2011
In the upcoming weeks you may be asked to participate in your work place’s annual United Way campaign. Did you know that you can designate your United Way donation to go to Compatible Technology International?
On the United Way pledge card, under “My Choice”, simply write in:
Compatible Technology International
800 Transfer Road, Suite 6
St. Paul, MN 55112
You may need to fill in our Tax ID or EIN which is 41-1400421. Your support of CTI’s mission to help alleviate global hunger and poverty is more important than ever during these challenging times. CTI prides itself on efficient and effective spending with 85% of all donations directly funding our projects and programs.
Questions? E-mail Nancy@compatibletechnology.org or call 651-632-3912
CTI volunteers Blog about Vietnam & Lost Crops of Africa
August 2011
CTI volunteer Steve Laible blogs on adventures at customs, in traffic, and at school as he sets out to establish a CTI program with cocoa farmers in Vietnam.
CTI intern Tiffanie Stone is posting on our blog with updates on our experimental plot of African crops growing at the UMN Saint Paul campus.
CTI Volunteers apply for Changemakers Grant to expand Ag-Waste Work
June 2011
A little over a year ago, CTI opened a production facility in Bangladesh that creates fuel sticks made from rice hulls. In addition to providing an eco-friendly alternative to firewood, the enterprise supports 6 employees and 4 vendors. CTI Asia committee volunteers have applied for a Changemakers Grant to expand the program into other parts of the world. Check out their page and show your support!
Paper on CTI's Breadfruit Technology published by the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance
March 2011
The National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance has peer reviewed and published a paper written by Camille George, Board Member and Technology Committee co-chair; David Elton; volunteer, Hank Garwick; volunteer; and George Ewing, CTI's founder. The paper focuses on the development of technology for shredding breadfruit into flour in Haiti. The full paper can be found here.
CTI celebrates Lantino/a and Hispanic communities at Science Museum's annual Amantes de La Ciencia event
February 2011
On Saturday, January 29, CTI participated in the Science Museum's annual Amantes de la Ciencia celebration. Visitors met science and educational professionals from the Twin Cities' Latino/a and Hispanic communities. CTI demonstrated corn shelling and grinding, as well as water chlorination level testing.
Blog: Readin’, Ritin’, ‘Rithmetic and Agriculture?
February 2011
Managua, Nicaragua is a city of extremes. Extreme beauty, filth, luxury, poverty and humanity. A tent city filled with the poorest of the poor just down from a sparkling McDonald’s. Mercedes Benz’ and BMW’s at a stop light where a mother holding her beautiful toddler begs for a few coins. Men, women, teens, toddlers and the precious little ones, I try to see them all as we travel along the well maintained streets of Managua. No potholes (Minnesotans will appreciate this)!
CTI and Sales for Social Impact Course Featured in 3M Newsletter
February 2011
"The record snowfall could not keep out the warmth and buzz at the 'Sales for Social Impact' student program held in December at the 3M Innovation Center in St. Paul. It was the culmination of a new course the students had taken called Sales for Social Impact (SSI). 3M’s sponsorship of the course was through its 3M Frontline partnership, which works with partner universities to interest students in the sales profession (see sidebar). At this competitive event five student teams from 3M’s Frontline partner schools (Baylor University, DePaul University, University of Houston, Indiana University and St. Catherine University) presented sales plans they developed as part of the SSI course. The competition focused on the various aspects of social venture sales eff orts and what makes them successful. The course is being taught at select universities in collaboration with Mackerere University in Uganda and two St. Paul-based nonprofi ts — Compatible Technology
International (CTI) and the Acara Institute. As Fred Rose of Acara said, 'The purpose of this program is to get university students into a real-world situation with real products and real people.'"
Blog: Haiti - Week One
February 2011
It's hard to believe that over a week has passed since we first arrived in Haiti. An important piece of the core of CTI is how much of our budget (more than 85%!) we devote towards projects which directly affect people. We are able to do this because of our network of partners around the world. Here in Haiti we've been meeting with current and potential partners every day--an essential part of expanding our network and ultimately the number of individuals that we are able to reach.
Blog: Growing Haiti's future one partnership at a time
February 2011
Judging from the temperatures back in Minnesota we picked a great time to head down to Haiti. Of course the need for quality professional volunteers in the aid field in Haiti is never truly fulfilled, so our timing seems apt no matter the temperature.
It has been a very busy few days for us in the area around Cap-Haitien. You probably wouldn't guess is it, but much of our work down here is spent going from meeting to meeting. It's not something that sounds very glamorous at first, but let me explain...
Blog: Remember Haiti
February 2011
Americas committee Vice Chair Sam Usem and photography/marketing volunteer Craig Condon are in Haiti for the next two weeks. They are starting in Cap-Haitien in the north meeting with multiple CTI partners for the week. During the second week they will be traveling west to St. Louis de Nord and then down to Port au Prince before heading back to snowy Minnesota. Along the way Sam will be focused on collecting information and expanding CTI's operations in the country and Craig will be shooting photo and video so that they can share CTI's success stories with all of our supporters.
Greetings from Cap-Haitien in the north of Haiti. Craig and I arrived here on Sunday minus all of our luggage from states. Our checked bags were lost in the states and once we got to Haiti, the small puddle jumper that we took up to the north was too small to carry our carry ons (kind of ironic). But such is life. We figure that the worst of our luck is behind us and we are looking forward to a very fruitful trip.
Blog: Sharing Food and Water Tools with Burkina Faso Peace Corps
February 2011
For nearly 30 years CTI volunteers have been sharing their time, compassion, and professional skills to help impoverished families in developing countries find a sustainable way out of hunger and poverty.
CTI Africa Committee volunteers James Megivern and Julie Ryan have dedicated the next two years of their lives to serve in the Peace Corps and share their knowledge with struggling farmers in Burkina Faso.
After James and Julie arrived in Burkina Faso, they asked a local carpenter to make the CTI Corn Sheller for local villagers to try. The sheller is a simple construction of wood and screws that can easily shuck dry corn with a simple twist, providing an opportunity for farmers to bring a higher quality grain to the market with much less time and effort.
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