As an engineering school, Stevens is home to an array of various clubs and organizations that provide opportunities for students to explore their interests in nonacademic settings. Many students participate in athletics, Greek life, or other groups that focus around engineering. There is one small organization on campus that has done a tremendous amount of work in the past few years, and it seems as if they have remained in the shadows. However, that is about to change for the Engineers without Borders (EWB) who have just initialized a project that is going to positively affect the lives of two communities in Thailand.
Three Stevens students have recently returned back from a trip in northern Thailand, more specifically in the sub-district of Long Khot. Taylor Race, Sara Savoia, and Jeremy Samose, along with professional engineer and mentor James Hankins, hiked mountains, surveyed lands, and learned the communities’ unique culture in preparation for a project that they hope will successfully provide clean, accessible water to those in desperate need. The sub-district of Long Khot is the poorest in the entire country of Thailand; more than 50% of the communities’ annual income is spent on water. Those who are based in this region live entirely off the land, yet struggle to secure clean, drinkable water on a daily basis.
The EWB members needed to complete a profuse amount of paperwork and raise funds for the first trip to Thailand. Race, as fundraising chair, described how difficult it was. “We had to contact businesses and engineering firms for support. We were lucky to have some generous alumni donations as well.” Race also explained that the USA division of EWB (EWBUSA) has sponsors that donate money to the organization, which is then allocated into highly competitive grants. “I oversaw grant writing and this was my fifth year trying to receive the $5000 grant. This year we finally got it,” Race stated. All fundraising efforts were necessary in order for the students to travel to Thailand.
The purpose of the trip was to conduct research regarding the local environment where the clean water system would be built. EWB worked closely with its partner organization, Warm Heart Worldwide. WHW, which was started by a political science professor from Rutgers, initially began by housing students who lived in the mountainous regions of Thailand in boarding homes so that education would become more accessible. The organization soon grew to educate local communities about agricultural methods, to teach the Thai and English languages, and to initiate micro-enterprises such as basket and jewelry making.
Warm Heart Worldwide Director of Operations, Prachan “PJ” Jakeo, was an “asset” for the group when they were in Thailand. As a Thai-American, Jakeo had served in the US Air force but had returned to Thailand to work with Warm Heart Worldwide the organization. During the trip, he served as a translator when meeting with community members to discuss the project.
The system that EWB is working on is not supposed to be difficult to manage. Instead, its purpose is to provide clean water in a system that will be easily maintained by the communities themselves. The area in which the Stevens EWB chapter is working has an engineer who has already begun brainstorming potential designs. “We are very fortunate to have an engineer in the communities,” Race said. “It’s much easier for someone who knows the area to construct a suitable and realistic design.”
One of the major goals of EWB as an organization (listed on their website) is “to design and implement sustainable engineering projects, while creating transformative experiences that […] create responsible leaders.” All projects that Engineers without Borders initiate are community-driven; once the project is complete, the community maintains the system. The project that the Stevens chapter of EWB has begun is unique in the fact that these particular communities are extremely poor. A typical community is required by the EWB to provide 5% of the funds for the project. However, due to the lack of funds, the sub-district of Long Khot has agreed to pay the 5% and hold ownership over the project until the communities can prove that they are capable of maintaining the project. The communities will still be required to provide 5% of in-kind contribution, such as work force and meals.
Race explained that there was much to be done when she and her team were in Thailand. “We spent a lot of time with the government officials to gather information about the land. We hiked for four days, and on one day we had to hike for nine hours.” As much as it was important to understand the geography, it was also EWB’s chance to understand and connect with the communities it would be impacting. “At the town meetings, there were huge turnouts. It was our chance to listen and understand what the community wants.” The communities and government officials have been nothing but enthusiastic and supportive. Not only would the small team have a group of community members follow them as they performed their preliminary studies, they also had the chance to experience the culture. Race recounted a time when the group had stopped along a river for lunch, and instead of receiving a packaged meal, she and the others enjoyed fish caught by hand and served in bamboo bowls. “They are extremely resourceful people, and welcomed us into their community.”
Now that the Stevens engineers are back on campus, there is much work to be done to prepare for the second trip to Thailand. The community had expected the entire project to be completed by the end of the calendar year; however, Race has to be realistic and said that May 2016 is a more attainable goal. The team is looking to have the system designed and ready for installation, which will provide time for workers back in Thailand to clear paths and prep the site, if needed. Thailand usually experiences dry seasons from mid-February into April, but due to climate change, these dry spells are now being prolonged. This project is essential more than ever, for the communities will be without well water for longer periods of time.
Students who are involved in Engineers without Borders at Stevens are now focused on raising money for the project itself. Unfortunately, the costs are going to be high, and fundraising has been the biggest challenge up to this point. Race tried to explain the major issues. “It’s very hard to ask businesses and firms for large sums of money without seeing the final project. We want people to understand how crucial these initial investments are.” Race and her team are also looking for support on campus, perhaps from a Stevens professor.
The project, in Race’s opinion, has evolved from being very important in her first year to being personal in her fourth year. “These are my friends without water. Even if I graduate before the project is complete, I will use my savings to get back to Thailand to make sure that they get the water they need.” Once the system is installed, EWB requires a third trip usually 9 months to a year later for monitoring purposes. All projects that do not last ten years are considered a failure, so it is crucial that the community members who are maintain the system are aware of their roles and are fulfilling them.
Along with Race, Savoia, past president and now senior member of EWB, is graduating this year but has promised to continue supporting the project until it is complete. Jeremy Samose, former project development chair, is currently on Co-op in Alabama for NASA, but is never more than a “phone call away.” These three students who traveled to Thailand, along with the other members of the Stevens chapter of EWB, know how difficult it was to make it to the initial trip to Thailand. They urge students on campus to be aware of who they are and understand that by no means is this project over.
Engineers without Borders is an organization that supports community-driven development programs worldwide by collaborating with local partners to design and implement sustainable engineering projects. The organization works with communities to find appropriate solutions for water supply, sanitation, energy, agriculture, civil works, structures and information systems. EWB has impacted more than 2.5 million lives from its foundation in 2002. If you are interested in joining the cause, contact Taylor Race (trace@stevens.edu) or Robert Anderson (randers3@stevens.edu) for more information.
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