January 2006 ISSUE
feature
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HELPING HANDS |
engineering change
A little bit of technology goes a long way in improving lives — and Engineers Without Borders has a proven track record for getting that technology to the people who need it most.
Editor’s Note: The following article was submitted by The Bridge,
the University of Alberta newspaper managed by the Engineering Students’ Society.
By Rachel Maser
Student Member
Billions of people struggle every day in the face of great adversity. In an increasingly polarized world, Engineers Without Borders works to reduce the disparity between communities through access to technology.
Engineers understand the power of technology to drive extraordinary change. In the context of human development, access to simple technologies can give people greater freedom and more choices.
Engineers Without Borders has two areas of focus: programs in Canada and programs overseas. In Canada, EWB seeks to make the nation the most pro-development country in the world.
Towards this goal, the University of Alberta chapter is striving to reach over 1,000 high school students this year with its Water for the World presentation. This interactive presentation educates young Canadians about water scarcity and the gross disparities in wealth and literacy between nations.
At 24 chapters across Canada, this presentation will reach over 15,000 students in 2005.
Nationwide, EWB chapters have been promoting the Make Poverty History campaign. On Oct. 17, the U of A chapter organized Band Together in Quad, a rally to promote the eradication of child poverty in Canada. Over 100 supporters of the campaign were in attendance, including the former leader of the provincial NDP, MLA Raj Pannu.
EWB is also working to enhance engineering education. At the University of Alberta, one of the two assignments in ENGG 101, the introduction to the engineering profession, is a case study about appropriate technology.
Educating our members about development issues is another focus. More than 400 EWB members will attend this year’s national conference in Ottawa in January to spend an intense four days learning about development theory and practice.
This event will culminate with a keynote address by Romeo Dallaire, the retired Canadian lieutenant-general who has spoken out about the Rwandan genocide.
Through EWB’s short- and long-term overseas placements, it strives to build the capacity of its partner organizations. These organizations understand the needs of local communities and can better identify the root causes of poverty.
In the summer of 2003, U of A mechanical engineering student Kelsey Chegus worked with a Ghanaian organization to assist rural women entrepreneurs set up mechanical food processing mills in their own communities. Access to these mills can save the time-impoverished women hours a day because they don’t have to walk several kilometres to the nearest mill, or grind food by hand.
These mills are run as a business by women and consist of a diesel engine that powers a number of processing implements, including a corn grinder and a rice dehuller.
Last summer, another mechanical engineering student, Danny Howard, worked with the same group to set up a comprehensive business model for new businesses as the program expanded.
Civil engineering student Navid Tabatabai also went the Ghana in the summer of 2005, to work with the country’s food and agriculture ministry to help improve technology dissemination techniques to rural farmers.
Kelsey, Danny and Navid have gained valuable development exposure, which they have translated into impact in Canada as chapter leaders.
To date, two University of Alberta graduates have gone abroad, Katharine Cross and Paul Slomp. Paul spent one year in Ghana after graduating and is currently 13 months into a three-year placement in Zambia. Both Katharine and Paul worked with farmers to set up small-scale water irrigation systems that can be manufactured and repaired locally.
Katharine worked directly with local metal artisans to train them to manufacture, market and sell the pumps to farmers. Most of the farmers were able to more than double their income, in most cases from $1 to $2 per day, once they had access to these valuable tools.
The EWB future looks bright at the University of Alberta. Two more students are heading to Africa next summer and a record 20 people will attend the national conference in Ottawa.
And in the new year, mechanical engineering student Rachel Maser will head to Zambia for a long-term placement.