Engineers Without Borders, Australia (EWB) Our Vision Engineers Without Border s vision is of a world where every individual and community has adequate access to the resources, knowledge and technology necessary to meet their self-identified human needs. We have the technology that can treat water to make it potable, manage waste so that it doesn t pollute, generate renewable energy and design processes that can heal our earth. Our task is to make sure that these technologies are accessible to all. EWB envisions a transformed Australia where appropriate and sustainable technology is at the forefront of every engineers mind. We also perceive a conscious and concerned Australia that is a leader in the fight against poverty and an advocate for the rights of all people around the world. Fundamental to this vision is our conviction that each individual has the ability and the responsibility to make a positive impact in the world. Our Mission EWB Australia works with disadvantaged communities to improve their quality of life through education and the implementation of sustainable engineering projects. Through the process of helping people in need we become more socially aware and responsible, improve ourselves, inspire others to action and further our ultimate goal of sustainable development. Our Developmental Philosophy Self-Determination - Capacity Building - Partnerships - Personal Relationships - Learning and Change Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Program Overseas Program Curriculum and Research Member Engagement Education & Leadership
Overseas Program- South East Asia and South Asia Programs EWB partners with 28 organisations across South Asia and South East Asia that represent and support communities in need. Through a volunteer sending program EWB works with these organisations to improve their capacity by assisting them to gain access to the knowledge, resources and appropriate technologies needed to improve their livelihoods. EWB currently works in East Timor, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, India and Nepal. EWB volunteers assist community partners working across a various thematic fields, including water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), renewable energy, education, information communication technology (ICT), natural resource management and habitat. Below is a snap shot of three projects we are working with in the region. Nepal Water for Health (NEWAH) NEWAH has a vision for improved quality of life for all Nepali people by improving water, sanitation and hygiene services. NEWAH has worked with over five percent of the population of Nepal and is currently collaborating with other agencies to leverage equitable and sustainable access to safe water, health and sanitation services. EWB is working with NEWAH to provide technical solutions to address water quality / security and climate change implications in the local context. Cambodian School of Prosthetics & Orthotics (CSPO) CSPO provides prosthetics and orthotics training to disadvantaged people. CSPO is an educational centre that teaches students how to prescribe, manufacture and fit artificial limbs and orthopedic braces. EWB has been working with CSPO since 2003, assisting to develop technical training courses for future prosthetists and orthotists studying at the School. EWB completed a five year-long project with CSPO, developing and customising appropriate mathematics and mechanics course for CSPO s trainee prosthetists and orthotists. Habitat For Humanity International (HFH), Vietnam HFH works with poor communities in Vietnam through a combination of housing microfinance services, vocational and technical training, and technical support in shelter, water and sanitation projects. EWB has been working with HFH on research into appropriate building materials, water and sanitation design and microfinance for HFH programs in the Mekong region. EWB volunteers have been assisting HFH to develop their climate change resilience and adaption program, which looks at improving housing designs for flood and disaster prone regions.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Program EWB envisions a reconciled Australia, which acknowledges the past and the present inequalities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders regarding life expectancy, health, education, meaningful employment, justice and self-determination. We celebrate the wide variety, complexity and value of the many cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. EWB s goal is to work proudly with Aboriginal and non-aboriginal Australians to contribute to overcoming inequalities through education and sustainable engineering projects. EWB is implementing a Reconciliation Action Plan; a public commitment to a wide range of actions throughout the organisation, such as working with Aboriginal community partners, chapter awareness initiatives and promoting Aboriginal culture. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Program has five community partners, below is a snapshot of three. Kooma Traditional Owners Association Incorporated (KTOAI) The KTOAI is responsible for managing 90,000Ha of traditional land in SW Queensland. EWB has been working with KTOAI since 2006 to help achieve their vision of cultural and natural heritage protection. The partnership has seen many successful projects, including renewable energy installations, waterway assessment and cross cultural training. The Gwamu (Kooma) people are committed to sharing their knowledge and culture by providing on country cross cultural training opportunities, speaking at EWB events and supporting EWB through our Aboriginal Advisory Committee. Bana Yarralji Bubu Aboriginal Corporation (BYB) In a partnership with BYB, Aurecon and the Centre for Appropriate Technology (CAT), EWB worked together to help develop basic amenities and infrastructure on Shipton s Flat, a cultural healing place for the Kuku Nyunkgal people in the QLD Daintree. The vision for Shipton s Flat incorporates training, cultural awareness, natural resource management and drug and alcohol recovery. BYB actively shares their knowledge with the wider EWB community by providing cultural workshops at EWB s conference and sharing their cultural knowledge and places with volunteers working on country. Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation (YYNAC) EWB, John Holland, GHD and David Lock and Associates, have a partnership that focuses on two-way education and training and providing support around infrastructure projects. The YYNAC is responsible for representing Yorta Yorta people whose country covers some 20,000 square kilometers over NSW and Victoria. The partnership group work with Yorta Yorta to achieve their visions of increased employment and education opportunities for their youth, as well as support for business development and networking.
Curriculum and Research Program The Curriculum and Research Program provides education and research opportunities that involve Australian students in humanitarian engineering initiatives. These programs engage students from high school through to university level to learn about sustainability, international development and appropriate technology within the engineering context. EWB is proudly supported by Australian Universities who assist in the development, delivery and evaluation of these educational programs. High School Outreach Led by EWB s volunteer chapter members, the High School Outreach program is a hands-on science education program that links university students and professional engineers to school groups across the country. This program is run during science subjects and involves the delivery of a series of workshops that focus on improving understanding of issues related to water, climate change, sustainability and appropriate technology. It provides students with the opportunity to meet young engineers and participate in practical workshops. It is a great success for students and teachers alike. EWB Challenge The EWB Challenge is an Australasian design program for first-year university students. Students work in teams to develop conceptual designs for projects identified by EWB's community partners that contribute toward the sustainable development of disadvantaged communities. This innovative education program engages new students and introduces the engineering design process in a real-world context, which ensures they consider the social, environmental and cultural considerations of their work. Research Program The Research Program connects final year Australian university students to EWB s community partners to develop technological solutions to real challenges. From prototyping low-smoke stoves to evaluating rainwater-harvesting projects, students build a genuine connection to the community that they are working with and can apply their technical expertise to achieve humanitarian outcomes. Delivered in partnership with universities, the program demonstrates how education initiatives can also make a positive impact on the world.
Member Engagement EWB was created in 2003 by passionate young engineers who wanted to make a difference using their engineering skills and resources. EWB rapidly developed as a community of like-minded members who are inspired to learn about humanitarian engineering and contribute in practical ways. We now have 10,000 members across Australia who are involved as volunteers in our chapters, local partnerships and knowledge hubs. Chapters Chapters bring together EWB members who wish to act as a group; having regular meetings, events, and working on projects together. Chapters are usually based in a city or university campus. Chapters act to inspire, educate, train, and provide opportunities for members to contribute to EWB's vision. They also celebrate and share learnings from other members. Around Australia, there are thousands of volunteers that use their feet, calculators and pancake cooking skills to contribute to EWB. At the heart of EWB are our regional volunteers; people who contribute their own time to make things happen for EWB. These motivated individuals form groups that focus on activities ranging from organisational development and strategic direction, as chapters and regions, to enhancing the capacity of our community partners. Local Partners EWB is working with local partners across Australia to provide access to engineering resources for people in our own community in circumstances of need. This also provides a great opportunity for our volunteers to participate in twoway learning experiences with local and urban communities. EWB is working with seven local partners across Australia, two examples include: - Spokes in the Wheel: A program that refurbishes second-hand donated bikes and uses them to teach refugee children bike riding skills. - North Melbourne Language and Learning (NMLL): The Vic region is assisting NMLL to install community art outside public housing in North Melbourne. Knowledge Hubs EWB Knowledge Hubs are information and communication hubs that support the effectiveness of EWB s work. Knowledge Hubs focus on finding and sharing the research, skills and experience of EWB s members and supporters. This resource makes it easier for volunteers to contribute to our partners work in new ways and facilitate more direct contact, collaboration and knowledge sharing. There are eight Knowledge Hubs sharing information about: - Curriculum and Research - Energy - Information and Communication Technologies - Structures - Water, Sanitation and Hygiene - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Program - International Development - Marketing and Fundraising
Leadership and Training EWB focuses on education and leadership training for its members and supporters through workshops and learning modules. EWB also offers three annual programs to Cambodia, India and Aboriginal communities that give participants the unique opportunity to visit EWB s community partners and engage in cross-cultural learning, appropriate technology and sustainable development. Dialogues On Country (DOC) DOC is a two-week study tour that aims to create positive change in the engineering profession through a dialogue between engineer participants and Aboriginal communities in the Murray Darling Basin. Through these conversations, participants gain an understanding of Aboriginal knowledge and values of land and water management and then determine ways to apply this knowledge to create better practices, management and policy within their sphere of influence as professions. Environment Engineer, Keryn Hawker, describes the DOC experience, It was made evident the value that traditional knowledge has on natural resource management. If we listen, we have so much to learn and can build a dialogue that allows the Aboriginal people to work with us in this development. By the time we left the Coorong we could begin to see the river basin through the lens of the traditional owners - as an interwoven landscape where land, water, people, animals, spirit and culture interact and a balance is established. Development Education and Leadership Experience (DELE) EWB offers the Development Education and Leadership Experience (DELE) program, a three week long program giving participants the unique opportunity to learn about the transformative potential of development initiatives from EWB s partners and other community organisations. DELE is a program designed to offer participants the opportunity to see EWB s work first-hand. Throughout the program, participants gain insights into the challenges and opportunities faced in developing communities, as well as practical and valuable lessons that they can apply in their everyday work and volunteering activities. EWB runs two DELE trips each year; one to India and one to Cambodia.
For more information please contact: Lizzie Brown, CEO Email: l.brown@ewb.org.au Phone: 0421 934 655 Annie Wormald, External Relations Email: a.wormald@ewb.org.au Phone: 03 9329 1166 Address: 99 Howard St, North Melbourne, Vic 3051 Postal Address: PO Box 708, North Melbourne, Vic 3051 www.ewb.org.au Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Program Overseas Program Curriculum and Research Member Engagement Education & Leadership