Hello fellow engineers and welcome (or welcome back) to the University of Waterloo! As the majority of students are getting into the swing of busy university life, it’s also time to get involved in extra-curricular activities. Luckily for you, Frosh, I have taken it upon myself to give you a little bit of information about an organization present in the University of Waterloo that supports a good cause and is relatively engineer-centric. Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Canada is an organization that prides itself on providing critical thinking solutions concerning international affairs, predominantly in developing countries. The organization believes that the knowledge and skills gained as an engineer can be used to eliminate poverty that is a predominant part of life for over 800 million people in the world. Specifically, the UW chapter of EWB concerns itself on two main aspects of the organization: Canada-wide programs and overseas programs.
The programs run in Canada greatly involve increasing the awareness of Canadians to the challenges of living in poverty and encouraging Canadians to make conscious gestures that aid poverty-stricken nations. This is generally done by encouraging peers to buy fair trade products, markets, fundraisers, and events that help fund the African programs currently in place at UW and by making presentations to high school students that increase awareness and interest in the work that EWB is trying to achieve.
The African programs in UW comprise of sending students (whether on co-op or not) overseas to work with NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) to build sustainable development that puts in place the means and equipment for the locals to help themselves. This usually done by focusing on the building capacity of the community rather than handing out goods to the natives that live in these impoverished companies. A number of engineering students are sent on a paid co-op term during the summer (or sometimes in the fall) to an African country, where the volunteers usually do work that includes establishing local businesses, designing new systems of data-collection and, most importantly, teaching others to do the same.
While you may not want to go as far as going to Africa just yet, there are still plenty of ways to get involved with EWB. For instance, you could join the Outreach Team that focuses on doing EWB presentations in high schools and at community events or join the Fundraising Team where they raise money for the African programs through runs, markets, and Pancake Mornings in CPH. If you are interested in joining EWB this Fall Term, come out to the first general meeting of the term on Tuesday, September 28, held in RCH. For more information about EWB, go to www.uwaterloo.ewb.ca or email at uwaterloo@ewb.ca. Hope to see you all (or a bunch of you) at the first meeting!
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