2010
has been a busy year for EWB at Missouri S&T! At the beginning of the year,
the Nahualate, Erquis Sud, and Tacachia Projects went on assessment trips to
help finalize their designs for the summer. After a busy spring of finalizing
design, the projects made final travel plans.
The
Santiago, Honduras project team, which was unable to travel last summer due to
national political issues in 2009, headed off to Honduras on May 17th.
During the ten days in country, we surveyed the entire community, and traced
all of the current water distribution pipes. This data will allow an accurate
model to be produced, so that issues with the system can be resolved, and the
community can have clean water 24/7. Water testing was done on previously
installed slow sand filters, giving us exciting confirmation that our filters
are working as expected. A large amount of health surveys were also taken,
giving us statistics on health for over half the community of 590 households!
The
next trip to leave was the Erquis Sud, Bolivia project team, who flew out on
July 3rd, and will return the 18th. The
main goal of the trip is to continue our partnership with the community of Los
Eucaliptos in Erquis Sud, Bolivia by working with them to
implement a distribution system, which will bring potable water from the large
storage tank to pilas that are much closer to the houses. Additionally
this summer, a local professional driller will drill a deep water well as a
sustainable source of clean water for the community members. The
electrical grid will be extended to the area in order to power a submersible
pump to bring water from the well up to the storage tank. This trip marks
EWB-S&T’s second implementation in Erquis Sud.
The Tacachia,
Bolivia project team will be traveling July 23 through August 12 for a slow
sand filter implementation in all homes throughout the community. Assessments
will also be made for gabions in the Rio Tacachia to prevent extreme one meter
bank erosion that occurs every year. Last, a company in La Paz will be
contacted during this trip about the possibility of creating a temporary bridge
for the community to use during the rainy season so the members can attend
school and trade with surrounding communities. The team can’t wait for this
trip to continue relationships developed with the community members!
The Nahualate, Guatemala project team will not be
traveling this summer. This project is the largest we have ever undertaken, and
requires the most detailed engineering. With the surveying data gathered in
January, the design process was able to continue. The team is now working on
fundraising the large bill required to undertake this project, as well as
finalizing all their designs. We are hoping to be able to implement the first
stage of this project in the summer of 2011!
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 13 July 2010 )
Graduate in Civil Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology
Internship with EIA: Feb. 2009 through May 2009
In 2006 I made one of the best decisions of my life, to go to a meeting. I went to learn about a place called Inka Katurapi in the rugged mountains near the Altiplano of Bolivia. Months later I would find myself gasping for oxygen and sipping coca tea. This was the start of it all for me, and when I learned of a chance to return and spend several more months in the mysterious and beautiful country that is Bolivia, I jumped at it. Having worked on multiple EWB projects as a student at Missouri S&T, I become very familiar with the process and workings of the projects from our side. I was constantly in contact with the NGOs we worked with in order to keep things moving along as smoothly as possible. So for me, it was a very interesting proposal to work from the other side, trying to help out the student and professional EWB chapters with their projects.
Some of the frustrations or complications I had experienced as a student team leader had given me a good base of things to focus on while working with the chapters. At the same time I truly began to appreciate what the NGOs like EIA had to deal with in order to make the multitude of projects a success. While interning for EIA I think we had over 10 active EWB projects, with 6 of them coming in a matter of one month! This can create a logistical nightmare, especially in a country like Bolivia where things don’t always get accomplished when you’d like them to. That’s why patience, persistence, flexibility and a positive attitude are of the utmost importance. Sometimes things can get frustrating, but with the right mindset, it’s always fun and interesting to say the least.
One of the best things about working with EIA and EWB is the amazing people you get to meet. The EIA staff, EWB volunteers, community members, the kids; everyone is simply incredible. You never know when you are going to meet someone that is going to make such an impact on you that it can change your life. That is the beauty of this type of work. I still think of the smiles and laughter of the kids I met at the orphanage in Tacachia. I remember getting my hands dirty with the community, sharing meals, dancing, and listening to them. Listening is simply the most important skill needed in this position. Listening to what people say, to what they don’t say, listening to their body language. It’s amazing how much you can learn, and how much it can help the success of a project. Because in the end, it’s not about us, it’s about them
Last Updated ( Thursday, 29 October 2009 )
Dr. Amadei and the Power of One
At the Rice and Beans Banquet, Dr. Amadei told us about this site which contains tons of interesting videos relating to the Engineering for Developing Communities program at Colorado University.
Dr. Amadei used many statistics to describe the plight of the world but he reminded us that every number had a person attached to it. Paraphrasing Ghandi, he challenged us to be the instruments of change that we wish to see in the world. He reminded us that not all the worlds problems were technical. If they were, he said, we would have solved them already.
Most of the problems we face are soft problems; problems that are solved with communication, compassion, and understanding. Of course, we also solve problems with bricks and mortar and electricity, but that is not the true beauty of Engineers Without Borders, or the secret to its success.
