ENGINEERS WITHOUT BORDERS
USA
STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY
What is Engineers Without Borders USA? Today, more than two billion people lack access to the most basic things, such as clean drinking water, adequate sanitation, reliable passage to local markets and more. Engineers Without Borders USA (EWB-USA) is engineering change in 47 countries around the world to change this reality -- one well at a time, one bridge at a time, one community at a time. Our mission: EWB-USA is a nonprofit humanitarian organization established to
support community-driven development programs worldwide through partnerships that design and implement sustainable engineering projects, while creating transformative experiences that enrich global perspectives and create responsible leaders. Our vision: EWB-USA’s vision is a world in which the communities we serve have the capacity to sustainably meet their basic human needs. The boots on the ground that make this a reality are EWB-USA’s 13,800+ members. As a result of EWB-USA’s programs, children can cross sturdy bridges to attend school, local clinics
have consistent supplies of electricity, and accessing clean water isn’t a full-day chore for families. Engineers Without Borders USA (EWBUSA) began with an idea: connect a developing community that has a specific infrastructure need to engineers who can partner with the community to design a sustainable solution.
EWB-USA founder Dr. Bernard Amadei visits with children in an EWB-USA partner community in East Africa.
History In April 2000, a representative of the Belize Ministry of Agriculture invited Dr. Bernard Amadei, Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Colorado - Boulder, to visit a community in San Pablo, Belize, to assess the community’s water supply. When Dr. Amadei visited the community, he learned that they lacked clean water and sanitation infrastructure. As a result, the local children spent a majority of their time carrying water for drinking and irrigation from miles away. While the community had the resources and desire to sustain a water supply system, they lacked the specific
engineering skill set to design the system. Professor Amadei connected the engineering skills of his students with the community in San Pablo to create a mutually beneficial partnership. Shortly after his first visit, Dr. Amadei returned to San Pablo with eight University of Colorado - Boulder engineering students and another civil engineering expert. In partnership with the community, the team installed a clean water system powered by a local waterfall. This simple, sustainable and low-cost solution was the first EWBUSA project.
Dr. Amadei decided to harness the power of professional and student engineers to complete similar low-tech, high-impact projects in other developing countries by officially founding Engineers Without Borders USA in 2002. Since its incorporation, EWB-USA has grown from a handful of passionate individuals to an organization of more than 13,800 members. Through programs similar to our founding program in Belize, EWB-USA members have impacted more than 2.5 million lives around the world.
“As a civil engineer, I knew that there had to be something I could do. This was a prime example of how an emerging leader comes to life.� - Dr. Bernard Amadei, EWB-USA Founder
How We Make The World A Better Place EWB-USA’s community development programs are driven by sustainability and collaboration underpinned by a minimum five-year commitment. Programs originate with a community self-identifying its needs and requesting support from EWB-USA. From there, chapters like us can apply to take on a project. Within a program, chapters implement multiple projects to address the needs identified by the community. We work directly with the community to assess,
Engineers Without Borders members work with locals to install solar panels for a sustainable energy source.
design, implement, monitor and evaluate appropriate engineering solutions for small-scale infrastructure projects. The chapter and community provide equal input in the project process. Our goal is to work with the community to implement projects within a program that can be sustained by the community in the long-term. The community must have the financial, administrative, technical, labor and material resources available to eventually operate and maintain the installed facilities without outside assistance.
Local community members and Engineers Without Borders members gather together to celebrate the completion of a bridge project.
Our Chapter: EWB at Stony Brook University
The collegiate chapter of Engineers Without Borders at Stony Brook University (EWB-SBU) was started in January 2012 by a small group of dedicated students with a diverse variety of backgrounds, united by the belief that they could make a difference in the world. Today, EWB-SBU is one of the most active organizations on campus, meeting anywhere from three to four times a week. Our members are committed to making the world a better place, and are willing to do whatever it takes. In the two years since becoming an official chapter, we have taken part in various activities to train our members for an eventual project overseas.
Engineers Without Borders USA which connected them with another university chapter looking for a program. In 2013, we participated in various volunteering programs including Hurricane Sandy relief with All Hands Volunteering and building houses with Habitat for Humanity of Fairfield Connecticut. In December of 2013, we were finally approved for our very first project: helping a community located in Twifo Praso Ghana. We are currently in the project planning phase with the intentions of taking our first trip to Ghana in August 2014.
In 2012, we helped a community in Nicaragua file for assistance with
Members of the EWB-SBU chapter volunteering at Habitat for Humanity of Fairfield Connecticut.
A Community In Need: Twifo Praso, Ghana The Twifo Praso Senior Secondary School is an educational institution made up of over 1,700 students, 81 graduate teachers, and 62 non-teaching staff. The school contacted EWB-USA to ask for support with various potential projects that would enhance the safety, security, and comfort of students and staff. These include: Improving sanitation and drainage that will improve the overall health and wellbeing of students and staff. This will enable students to focus on developing intellectually without any setbacks from poor health. Supplement the existing campus lighting
system, potentially using a renewable energy source like solar or wind power to preempt the acute fluctuations in power supply from the national grid. Having adequate lighting will not just improve security on the campus for the students and staff but also permit extended opportunities for students to learn and for other academic activities in the late evening. Improving the road network and sidewalks which will facilitate movement of students, staff and equipment around the school campus and make the area more accessible.
Bbanda, Uganda – EWB-USA constructs a water distribution system (clean well, rainwater collection, etc.) for this village of subsistence farmers in a community of approximately 1,100 people.
Understanding The Issues Our chapter has determined that the community’s most pressing need is for the development of a sustainable sanitation infrastructure for the campus. Currently, the school has only 16 latrines for males and 12 latrines for females (despite an even gender ratio). The latrines currently being used are unsanitary, unsustainable, and are known to be breeding pools for mosquitoes, parasites, and disease causing germs.
According to the Environmental Health and Sanitation Directorate of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, about a third of households in Ghana don’t have their own toilets and must instead rely on public ones. Landlords use the availability of public toilets in their localities as an excuse to not provide toilet facilities for their households. In areas where the population is dense,
public toilets are not hygienically maintained and long lines inhibit their usage. Since most people cannot withstand the length of time spent waiting on line as well as the stench and the presence of several other users, they prefer to defecate in the bush, open drains, streams, or in polythene bags. A survey conducted by the Ghana Statistical Service revealed that more than 4 million people in Ghana defecate in the open. For many students and staff, the school toilets are the only ones they have access to. This makes it even more important for the health of the community that a sustainable sanitation solution is implemented. Our first trip to Twifo Praso will be an assessment trip where the primary goal will be to collect data for future construction. The purpose of the assessment includes testing soil and water conditions, finding a location for construction, sourcing materials from local businesses, and much more. After collecting the data, we will work with our professional mentors to plan and design a sanitation system that best fulfills the needs of the community.
The KVIP latrines currently used by the school are breeding grounds for insects and offer no privacy. Furthermore, they are unsustainable: when a pit is filled, a new one must be dug.
Budget and Financials The following is our budget calculated for sending 7 people overseas for 7 days. Assessment Trip Budget: Airfare ($1,500 x 7 people) Transportation to/from Airport Exit Fees/Visas ($160 x 7) Insurance ($1.51 x 7 people/day)
$10,500 $150 $1,120 $74
Lodging ($30 x 7 people/night) Food and Water
$1,470 $400
Program Quality Assurance/Quality Control + Infrastructure Percolation Kit Soil Penetrator Surveying Equipment Other Equipment and Materials
$605
Total Project Cost
$14,862
$60 $48 $236 $200
How You Can Help One of the greatest things about donating to an EWB project is that every single penny gets used to the fullest. Due to the lean nature of our project, it will take less than $15,000 to send seven students and mentors on our first trip to Ghana. These funds will primarily be used for airfare and minor equipment costs. Engineers Without Borders USA is a 501c (3) tax-exempt organization. Find out how you can donate to our project online by visiting our website: ewbsbu.weebly.com To make a direct donation, send us an email at: ewb.sbu@gmail.com
Stony Brook University Chapter E-board: President: Saba Khalid Saba.Khalid@stonybrook.edu (718) 662-6183 Vice President: Lauren Slater Lauren.Slater@stonybrook.edu (203) 427-5843 Project Lead: Nazmul Ahmed Nazmul.Ahmed@stonybrook.edu (917) 324-9050