UC s Engineers Without Borders Assist Kenyans Without Water

A contingent of researchers representing the

University of Cincinnati student organization Engineers Without Borders

traveled to Kenya this past March to examine water needs as the student group works to educate developing countries on clean water supplies. The first trip to Otho Abwao, Kenya, was to conduct a need assessment and to develop designs for the clean water well after studying the environmental conditions. The project involves the design and implementation of a water storage and distribution system to transport clean water from an existing borehole to access points throughout the village.

"Our information collection focused on their current setup in terms of the physical environment and the engineering characteristics of their system, as well as health and cultural aspects of the community as they relate to water," says current EWB-CIN president Andy Schriner. In March, the group also conducted activities in the schools and community related to culture. 

EWB-UCIN is now raising funds to return to Kenya to finish what they started by such activities as hosting pancake breakfasts, running concessions at Cincinnati events, and selling eco-friendly products at UC events.

"We will be at WEBN fireworks on Sept. 2, all day, selling pop for a catering company," says current fundraising chair, Elizabeth Dixon. "We will have two booths, which are covered by about 12 EWB members total. Anyone who is at the fireworks can support us by buying pop or water from our booth, because we get a portion of the profits."

On Oct. 25, EWB-UCIN will get 20% of sales from people who take a special coupon with them when they go to eat at Max and Erma's in Rookwood Commons. (The coupon will be posted on the EWB-UCIN Web site in the upcoming days.) Similarly, on Nov. 30, EWB-UCIN will get a portion of the sales that they recruit to Ten Thousand Villages on Madison Road. 

"Ten Thousand Villages is a great place for holiday shopping, with unique international arts and crafts," says Dixon. "The business is fair trade, meaning that care is taken to ensure that the artists are benefiting from their work."
 

“The Engineers Without Borders UC chapter (EWB-UCIN) is part of a greater experience that will lead to a path of growth and collaboration between cultures,” says outgoing EWB-UCIN president Chelsay Brewster. “In other words, EWB gives students the opportunity to get involved in global issues and use their engineering skills to provide appropriate, sustainable solutions.” Years of U.S. involvement in other countries have shown that assistance in the form of education and system design has longer-lasting benefits than assistance in the form of consumable goods.

Under the current circumstances in the Nyando District of western Kenya, the women and children of the Otho Abwao village share the responsibility of hauling the water from the borehole to their homes—a task that can consume nearly an entire day, preventing the children from attending school regularly and the women from working reliable, paying jobs. In order to combat this inconvenience, village members often take water from a contaminated source, such as a pond or lake, resulting in illness and common parasites. The implementation of EWB's project will promote healthy living within the village by providing a clean, reliable and convenient water source.
 

The return trip to implement the water-well designs resulting from the March assessment is on hold while the group raises more funds. Support from the College of Engineering has fueled the organization's success. The university’s EWB chapter provides stipends for the participating students, but the students themselves bear the brunt of the cost.

“The president and the engineering committee chair have to go, so their way is paid by the chapter,” Allyson Lilburn, 2006–07 fundraising co-chair, explained just days before the March trip. Each of the the students received a $500 stipend from the student organization to offset such expenses as shots, visas and the flight itself, and the students paid the rest. The trip ended up costing each student about $2,000.

Their mission aligns with UC|21, focusing highly on creating and applying knowledge with emphasis on determining ethical purpose, motivating students to take leadership and collaborate internationally, and providing opportunities for students to experience and understand cultures other than their own. In addition to the benefits in Kenya, UC gains an exceptional advantage that affects students and the university as a whole.

“EWB provides an incomparable opportunity for students to gain global experience and to research new methods of appropriate technology through sustainable engineering,” says

Dan Oerther

, PE [licensed professional engineer], UC associate professor of civil and environmental engineering. Oerther, world-renowned water expert, accompanied the students on the assessment trip.

“Organizations like EWB attract incoming students by demonstrating UC's commitment to global well-being and its exceptional student organizations,” says Tim Keener, PE, QEP, EWB-UCIN mentor and associate dean of engineering for graduate studies and research.

EWB-UCIN also stops no one at the border between colleges.

"We are making large efforts to increase membership from all colleges this fall," says Dixon. "Students from all majors have so much to offer. With increased membership, labor intensive fundraising will be easier. For example, Shine the Shoe, where we clean the UC arena after a basketball game, was a huge success, but we struggled to get enough volunteers."

EWB-UCIN hopes to return to Kenya over winter break.

President Schriner says the group is still designing the water system.

"We are providing options to the community, and in order to ensure that they have ownership of the system, they will choose from among the design options we provide. Then we'll finalize all the details," says Schriner. "We’re attacking the problem of poverty on a number of fronts. Right now, we are continuing to work with the community, corresponding through email, to move forward with the water system design process. We’re preparing for further health assessments and for some health monitoring to gauge the health impact of the project, and we’re working on setting up a cultural exchange between a grade school in the Cincinnati area and the school in the Otho Abwao community."

"It’s all very exciting work," Shriner continues. "We’ve got a little piece of the big problem that is poverty, and we’re working to fix it. I think we’re going to see some very definite results, and that’s really heartening. It’s hopeful, and to see and hear the hope in the people in this community makes me very excited to work with them."

"Our return is primarily contingent on money and an engineering design. An engineering design is in the process, and ultimately could be ready at any time. So depending on funding, it would be ideal to return over winter break, but no commitments have been made," says Dixon.  "The Otho Abwao community anxiously awaits our return, which is motivation on its own for us, but now we are relying on the generosity of others."

About Engineers Without Borders 
Engineers Without Borders is a non-profit, non-government organization whose mission is "to partner with developing communities to improve their quality of life through the implementation of sustainable engineering projects, while developing internationally responsible students." EWB-UCIN is one of more than 140 student chapters throughout the United States.

Read more about UC Without Borders 

UC Students Choose Service Over Swimsuits for Spring Break

UC’s NSF-Funded Project STEP Chosen for Showcase in Washington, DC 

Water, Water Everywhere — But Is It Clean? UC's Dan Oerther Receives Fellowship from IPWR

EWB-UCIN 

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