Our Mission
The Impulso Project is a nonprofit organization brining clean, efficient cookstoves and medical services to areas that need it most in the world
Who We Are
The Impulso Project is a nonprofit organization consisting of volunteers who work cooperatively with local communities in addressing concerns within the areas of healthcare, women empowerment and nutritional education.
The Impulso Project was started by conversations between women and mothers. They identified issues and expressed their concerns for their families and themselves. Together we create exciting solutions for families.
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We are a small and very proactive organization which we believe is our strength. We are small enough to maintain personal and open lines of communication with members of the communities we serve. We are able to quickly adjust and alter strategies and plans as the needs “on the ground” and the conditions of the community change.
All of our actions and efforts are supported 100% by volunteers. We are funded solely by grants and donations from people like you!
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How We Got Here
The Impulso Project was founded in 2012. It’s initial project was developed in cooperation with leaders in the highland area outside of San Felipe, Guatemala. TIP raised funds to purchase 100 fuel efficient stoves which were made locally at the Ecomal Factory. All families that received a stove, free of charge, were asked to attend a series of nutritional classes. In 2015, TIP expanded to include five villages in remote areas outside Cusco, Peru. Communities in these areas were provided fuel efficient stoves designed to be built by local people using guinea hair, broken glass and adobe.
Working directly in remote areas in both Guatemala and Peru, volunteers with TIP quickly recognized the problems open fires for cooking and heating had on the respiratory health of families, particularly women and children. We also better understood the frustration women and girls experienced throughout their day, as their time was mostly spent in wood collection. TIP volunteers knew they needed to work with community leaders in assisting with better healthcare options and in helping women and girls engage in activities beyond the daily responsibilities of wood collection. For these reasons TIP expanded it’s focus beyond providing fuel efficient stoves to embrace the use of mobile clinics, helping girls secure funds for school, and release women from the responsibilities of daily wood collection.
In 2021 we initiated the registration process for becoming a 501c3 nonprofit organization.
Meet The Team
Anna Folz, RN, BSN
Founder
Anna is an ICU nurse in New York City. Prior to this, she has worked in the public health field while living in Guatemala and Peru. Her work with the both of these countries, focused on developing initiatives that addressed health issues confronting indigenous populations. Specifically she has focused on upper respiratory illnesses caused by smoke inhalation from open fires used for both cooking and heating. She founded The Impulso Project (TIP) in 2015.
Joseph Schwartz, MD
Director
Joseph has been a family physician for almost 30 years at Palo Alto Medical Clinic in California. For about 15 years, he has been doing medical service trips to Central and South America that culminated in moving to Guatemala for a year and running a small clinic for an underserved population. He is on several non profit boards, one of which is focused on providing health care with partners in Central America and Africa. He is thrilled to be partnering with The Impulso Project and working to support underserved communities in Guatemala develop self sustaining health care models.
Crystal Osner
Advisor
Crystal is the sustainability and operations manager at Craftspring. She and Anna met while volunteering with the local Rotaract Club in New York City. After serving on the Rotaract board together, Crystal and Anna discovered they make a great team. To continue their working relationship, Crystal joined the The Impulso Project as Anna's righthand woman.