Young Engineers Making A Difference

Seeing the world through the eyes of the less fortunate has proved inspirational for student-led charity Engineers without Borders (EWB). After gaining engineering skills as undergraduates, young people are provided with opportunities to learn about engineering’s role in the development of Third World countries such as Nepal and Tanzania. They hope to improve the everyday lives of those living in local communities by building such amenities as rainwater harvesters or wells. In a world where the next generation is often viewed as uncaring, these students offer a new lease of life by lending their skills to solve a real-life situation.

Sacha Grodzinski, a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) with a background in professional engineering, is evidence that EWB volunteers carry the work ethic they learn throughout a lifetime career. As a student at Nottingham University, he visited Nepal on a three-month voluntary placement in 2005 to design smokeless high efficiency wood stoves.

Once he had seen how engineering could benefit people in Third World countries, Sacha continued to work with EWB by helping to organise overseas placements, securing EWB’s first ever paid employees, and managing projects from a UK base. His work had not gone unrecognised and a year later Sacha was put forward to be a Trustee of EWB and was finally elected as chairman of the Board of Trustees two years ago.

Sacha said: “During my personal experience I developed a deep admiration for EWB’s approach to the organised placements. The charity sends no more than the amount of people needed to solve a technical problem that locals may have difficulty in dealing with.”

Everything about EWB encompasses inspiration – both to Third World countries and future generations of engineers. Placements in countries like Sri Lanka provide students with a practical understanding of real human needs. One barrier EWB tries to overcome is to teach people how to understand a problem, whilst empathising with the difficulties it brings along. It wants its volunteers to be able to define a challenge and identify issues with stakeholders or differences between undertaking a project in the UK compared to Ecuador.

The charity has established branches in 20 UK universities including Imperial College and King’s College London, Bristol and Nottingham. Yet the hard work does not end there. The Imperial College arm is currently hosting a drive to increase the number of branches in the country. The college also co-ordinated a national exhibition of photos taken by students during their overseas projects – hoping to inspire other young people to enter engineering and use their skills to improve the lives of others. The Grande Finale of the exhibition was staged at the IMechE in January.

Sacha continues: “The potential for EWB is immense, as we have had our first PhD approved, outreach programmes and training courses are organised, and graduates are also in a position to take on research projects with us.

“Our vision for the future is to be fully conscious of what we do and ensure it is always in line with both best practice in the development of third world countries and engineering. Money spent must achieve the right impact – although we aim to learn from our mistakes – and after selecting the most capable of people we need to train them to be prepared.”

For further information, visit the Engineers Without Borders website.

Images from 2008 Engineers Without Borders photographic exhibition

A bicycle crosses the newly opened bridge in Soweto East, Kenya. Image by Joe Mulligan.

Schoolchildren cross the newly finished pedestrian bridge in Soweto East, Kenya, before the approach slope forms have been struck. Image by Joe Mulligan.

A family in El Salvador works with builders from a local NGO to reinforce their house against earthquakes using bamboo and wire. Image by Stephen Jones.