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December 2004, Issue #35
Engineers Without Borders-USA: Building a Better World, One Community at a Time
Figure 1: Students from Engineers Without Borders working together with the people of San Pablo, Belize on a project to bring water from the river to the village. |
Can you imagine living in a place where boys and girls can't go to school or do the things all kids like to do because their main responsibility is to carry water from a river to their village each day? That river, situated 90 feet below the village of San Pablo, Belize, in Central America, is the only source of water for drinking, agriculture and sanitation for the 250 or so Mayan villagers who depend upon work at a nearby banana plantation for their livelihood. And so, in 2000, when this situation was brought to the attention of Dr. Bernard Amadei, Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder, he saw an opportunity for civil engineering students and professionals to make some life-changing contributions to the welfare of the people of San Pablo. The success of that project and others like it around the world paved the way for the creation of Engineers Without Borders-USA (EWB-USA), an organization that envisions a world where all people have access to adequate sanitation, safe drinking water, and the resources to meet their other engineering and economic needs.
What is EWB-USA?
EWB-USA is a network of engineering students and professionals who are dedicated to helping developing areas worldwide with their civil and environmental engineering needs, while involving and training a new kind of internationally responsible engineering student. With approximately 80 student and professional chapters in the United States and 1,245 members, EWB-USA generally conducts projects involving the design and construction of water, sanitation, and energy systems. The projects are conducted by groups of engineering students under the supervision of engineers and university professors. The mission of EWB-USA includes the construction of sustainable systems that developing communities can own and operate without outside help, and empowering such communities by strengthening local social, technical, and business skills.
If you are interested in learning more about EWB-USA and its projects, you can visit their web site at www.ewb-usa.org. You can also find out what colleges or universities have EWB-USA student chapters.
How does EWB-USA conduct a project?
Students, who make up about 60 percent of EWB-USA membership, have the opportunity to apply their engineering skills from design to construction management. Engineers, who serve as mentors, are essential to a successful project. "Mentors guide projects and provide an engineering stamp of approval," says William Wallace, vice chair of EWB's governing board and a recently retired top executive of Denver-based CH2M Hill Cos., which is a group sponsor.
Figure 2: Some of the countries in which EWB-USA has conducted projects.
An EWB-USA program starts with a dialog with the host community. They first identify the host community's most important needs as well as the practical issues and possible problems. They then work directly with the community to identify and describe alternative solutions from which the community selects the one that most suits their needs. After the solution is designed, the EWB-USA project team and the people of the community work together to build the system. Before leaving, the EWB-USA team makes sure that the people of the community know how to operate and maintain the system. Follow-up visits enable EWB-USA to learn how the system performed and work with the community to make any necessary system changes.
Project mentors are drawn from EWB-USA's professional members and sponsor organizations. The sponsor organizations include professional engineering and trade organizations (American Society of Civil Engineers, ASFE, Uni-Bell PVC Pipe Association), Service organizations (Rotary International, Drakensberg Boys Choir of South Africa), Foundations (Argosy Foundation, First Data — Western Union Foundation), and private companies (CH2M HILL, Maxtor Storage Solutions, Reveal Systems and Tetra Tech RMC Engineering).
What are some of the projects EWB-USA has worked on?
The group now has more than 80 projects going on in 35 countries around the world, each using host country volunteers alongside EWB-USA members. Here are some of the exciting projects they have worked on in the past.
- In San Pablo, Belize, they helped design, build and improve a water distribution system using ram pumps and rope pumps in wells.
- In Samli, Thailand, they worked with villagers to build a 1,800 square foot medical facility that cuts locals' travel time to obtain medical care from a week to 20 minutes.
- In San Pablo, Belize, they installed a water filtration system and submersible generators to generate electricity using the river water current.
- In Seven Mile Village, Belize, they drilled and installed wells to alleviate water collection problems.
- In Punta Gorda, Belize, they gave technical assistance to the Mayan School Satal Pal Canbalnah (Learning Center for the Lost Child).
- In Foutaka Zambougou, Mali, they began the first phases of their water management solution.
- In Bir Moghrein, Mauritania, they solved water problems.
- In Jalapa Valley, Nicaragua, they improved water, sanitation, energy and communication.
- In Santa Rita, Peru, they solved problems caused by heavy rainfall that was making slopes unstable.
Is a career in engineering right for you?
It is if you are looking for an exciting and rewarding career. Engineers design and build things that improve the lives of people all around the world. They build roads and bridges. They make water safe to drink. They discover and apply new materials that make products and systems perform better. They restore the environment.
Make no mistake. Engineering courses are challenging. But those who are able to meet that challenge will graduate with knowledge and skills that are highly sought after by employers. By participating in an EWB-USA project, students gain unique project and cultural experiences not taught in schools. They come away with new knowledge of other cultures, plus the personal reward of helping improve the quality of life in developing communities. This is essential preparation for living and working in the 21st century.
A final word about EWB-USA
There is a need for training a new generation of engineers who could better meet the challenges and needs of the developing world. The challenge is the education of engineers: (i) who have the skills and tools appropriate to address the issues that our planet is facing today and is likely to face within the next 20 years; (ii) who are aware of the needs of the developing world; and (iii) who can contribute to the relief of the endemic problems of poverty afflicting developing communities worldwide.
The business of EWB-USA is to engage a developing community in resolving a particular infrastructure need (or needs) that the community itself has identified. EWB-USA involves student engineers in every step of the EWB-USA process, enabling them to learn firsthand about the application of engineering solutions to the problems of the developing world. EWB-USA works on small-scale projects and in partnership with local communities. For more information, please contact:
Engineers Without Borders — USA
1880 Industrial Circle, Suite B3
Longmont, CO 80501
Tel: 303-772-2723
Email: administrator@ewb-usa.org
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