SOP in Sierra Leone honored for impactful work
By: Rebecca G. Trefz, Dakotas Conference communications, and Randy Harwood, Solar Oven Partners director | November 9, 2026
Solar Oven Partners and the United Methodist Development Office in Sierra Leone were recently honored with a prestigious award for Outstanding Leadership in Clean Energy. The award was presented by the Sierra Leone Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (SLANGO) in recognition of UMDO and Solar Oven Partners’ commitment to promoting clean energy and encouraging environmentally friendly practices in communities across Sierra Leone.
Joe Pormai, Konima Sheriff, and Rev. Sahr E.K. Wallah, the administrative assistant to the bishop in Sierra Leone. (Photos from SOP)
The award recognizes the growing impact of Solar Oven Partners’ ministry in Sierra Leone, where solar cooking is helping families improve health, save money, care for the environment, and strengthen community well-being. The initiative is helping to reduce deforestation, improve health, and promote environmental stewardship.
For Solar Oven Partners Director Randy Harwood, the recognition came as a welcome and unexpected affirmation of the ministry’s work.
“It was actually something that just was a surprise to everybody, even the team over there,” shared Harwood. “And apparently, it's a fairly prestigious award that they give out each year to organizations, NGOs, that basically do good work over in [Sierra Leone].”
Solar Oven Partners, a mission of the Dakotas Conference of The United Methodist Church, works with partners in Sierra Leone, the Dominican Republic, and the Four Corners area of the Navajo Nation to provide solar ovens and training for families and communities. The ministry’s vision is to create healthy partnerships to increase community well-being physically, economically, environmentally, and spiritually.
Each solar oven can cook, bake, and pasteurize liquids using the free, clean energy of the sun. For families who often depend on wood or charcoal for cooking, a solar oven can bring immediate and lasting benefits.
The impact of solar cooking extends far beyond preparing daily meals. Solar ovens promote physical well-being by reducing smoke exposure and enabling families to cook healthy food and pasteurize water. They promote economic well-being because sunlight is free, allowing families to redirect money once spent on fuel toward other pressing needs. They promote environmental well-being by reducing reliance on wood and charcoal. As a ministry rooted in the United Methodist mission to “Make Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World,” Solar Oven Partners also seeks to nurture spiritual well-being through relationships, service, and witness.
Enjoying the fruits of their training.
In Sierra Leone, much of that work is carried forward by country coordinator Joe Pomai and his team, whose leadership and dedication were central to the recent recognition.
“Our team over there is very dedicated. They work hard,” said Harwood, who has served as the SOP director since January 2025. “Joe Pormite, our country coordinator, has assembled a good team of people, and they're not afraid to go out and do seminars on their own.”
Through hands-on seminars, families and community members learn not only how to use a solar oven but also why solar cooking matters. These training events help participants understand the health, economic, and environmental benefits of solar cooking while building confidence and skill. The model is not simply about distributing ovens; it is about equipping people with tools and knowledge that can be shared and sustained within their own communities.
For Harwood, that distinction is at the heart of what makes Solar Oven Partners’ ministry meaningful.
“It validates what we're doing in Sierra Leone as a model not only for Solar Oven Partners, but any mission that is out there to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, by word and deed,” explained Harwood. “You're also there to empower people to be able to change their own lives.”
That emphasis on empowerment reflects a broader vision of mission. Solar Oven Partners does not seek to create dependency, but to build capacity. Harwood said that kind of partnership is essential.
“I see a lot of ministries and missions, and they're not teaching anything. They're just coming over there and building a house or something, but they're not saying, 'Okay, here's how you build a house',” emphasized Harwood. “They're not showing the people how you build your house. They build them for people and paint them, but then after they leave, the people are just waiting for another team to come to build more stuff.” In contrast, Solar Oven Partners work alongside local leaders, equips community members, and trusts people to become agents of transformation in their own contexts.
The SLANGO award celebrates not only the technology of solar cooking but also the faithful, relational way that Solar Oven Partners and UMDO are working together in Sierra Leone. It shows that the ministry’s efforts are bearing fruit, and that communities are embracing solar cooking as a practical and hopeful path toward greater well-being.
Oven recipients preparing for training seminar.
Solar Oven Partners launched in 2000, focusing their initial efforts in Haiti. Over the past 26 years, God has opened doors to new locations, new partnerships, and relationships across the United Methodist connexion.
Dakotas United Methodists and others can help extend that impact. Each solar oven costs about $200 to manufacture and deliver to a trained solar cook. Recipients make a small donation to receive the oven, promoting dignity and ownership; because volunteers contribute their labor, the ministry can keep per-unit costs low. Gifts to Solar Oven Partners support the building, shipping, delivery, and training that make this work possible.
Individuals and congregations can also volunteer at workshops in the Dakotas, where supporters help prepare and assemble oven components for use in mission fields. These workshops are a tangible way for churches, youth groups, mission teams, and individuals to participate in global ministry without leaving the region.
For those called to serve in person, Solar Oven Partners also offers Volunteer in Mission opportunities to the Dominican Republic, the Four Corners area in New Mexico, and Sierra Leone. These experiences let participants learn from local partners, support training efforts, and see firsthand how solar cooking is changing lives and communities.
Through donations, workshop volunteering, prayer, and mission travel, volunteers can continue to partner with Solar Oven Partners in this award-winning ministry. Together, congregations and individuals can help families cook safely, save money, protect creation, and experience Christ's love through word and deed.
To learn more, give, volunteer, or explore upcoming mission trips, visit solarovenpartners.org.