Editor’s note: WindAid is a volunteer organization with the mission, it says, of providing an educational experience that empowers people to create a sustainable world. The belief is that when people understand the impact renewable energy can have, they will take that knowledge and pass it on to others.
From the organization’s recent report:
Our summary of WindAid in 2016 will be available soon on our website. It was certainly a busy year, with more volunteers and interns than ever before: 59, from 21 countries. They built and repaired 17 turbines that together provide energy to an estimated 260 people. We would like to send them all a huge thank you for their contribution – we loved having them here with us.
Intern roles
It was a busy 2016, with more volunteers and interns than ever before: 59, from 21 countries. They built and repaired 17 turbines that together provide energy to an estimated 260 people.
2017 is already shaping up to be at least as busy as 2016 and we need more hands on deck! We have a number of intern positions available through the year. Interning at WindAid offers great work experience with a fun team in an amazing country. Interns get food and accommodation and opportunities to visit communities on installation trips. We usually look for a minimum month commitment for interns.
If you know someone who would be interested in an internship here with us in Peru, the roles we are particularly looking for currently are:
- Volunteer Coordinators – to support and guide the volunteers – from May 2017
- Communications interns – to engage with our supporters through social media and help with events, campaigns, and fundraising.
- Community Impacts Officer – to engage with our communities to help us understand more fully the impacts on them of receiving our turbines and how we can make any improvements.
Read more about internships on our website.
WindAid on Tour – South America
WindAid’s Project Development Engineer, Jessica Rivas, has been busy traveling to other parts of South America creating awareness about WindAid’s work, renewable energy, sustainable living, and participating in workshops. She was invited to present “small wind turbines” to the guardabosques (park guards) in Coca and Cocachimba by the NGO Gocta Natura, near Chachapoyas in northern Peru. Gocta Natura is working to rebuild the cloud forest in the Gocta Nature Reserve and gives workshops on sustainability to the community.
In Argentina, she attended the Wind Empowerment conference where she gave a presentation of the projects WindAid has going on in Peru and met with over 30 leaders in the small wind sector. Now she will not only be representing WindAid but has also been elected to be the Board’s Coordinator! Wind Empowerment is an association of small wind turbine organizations that share their expertise, knowledge, and work from around the world.
And in Chile right down at the tip of the Patagonia, Jess helped teach a wind turbine course with a group called 500RPM. During the one-week course, she learned to make wooden blades and presented on the benefits of fiberglass blades which a number of attendees were particularly interested in. There is a possibility that we will be able to run some turbine courses there as fiberglass blades seem to be a hit! She also helped with the installation of a turbine on a very remote island near Puerto Natalaes with no grid electricity.
2017 program dates
Join us for one of our standard four-week programs to build and maintain turbines and install them in fascinating and friendly rural communities in the mountains and coasts of Peru. Our remaining 2017 dates are:
13 March – 7 April
17 April – 12 May
22 May – 16 June
26 June – 21 July
31 July – 25 August
4 September – 29 September
9 October – 3 November
13 November – 8 December
Find out more here.
For a previous post on WindAid: https://goo.gl/Upo5T4
Filed Under: News, Training
