Engineers Without Borders students travel the globe to complete service projects.
After six long days of construction, the Kansas State University Engineers Without Borders (EWB) team was greeted by the sound of rumba players, laughing children and bright smiles from the community members in El Amate, Guatemala. After enjoying a large meal, everyone danced to celebrate the progress made and friendships formed in such a short period of time.
Engineers Without Borders is an international organization that works to empower communities through sustainable engineering solutions. The K-State chapter seeks to build a better world through engineering projects that empower communities to meet their basic human needs and equip leaders to solve the world’s most pressing challenges.
The K-State chapter began in 2014, spearheaded by a student who moved from Guatemala to the United States at the age of 10. She connected K-State engineering students with the El Amate community.
The group has a membership of around 35 that spans many majors and disciplines across the university, even outside the College of Engineering. One of its goals is to continue to recruit new members from outside the college with different perspectives.
Over its eight-year partnership with the El Amate community in Guatemala, EWB helped with the construction of a school, a latrine for the school, a kitchen to serve the school and a retaining wall to protect the foundation of the school.
The group secures funding for its projects, then travels all over the world to turn plans into action, solving problems for people in need in a sustainable way. The club currently has two active projects, a water well project in Nicaragua in Central America and a school build in Malawi in southeastern Africa.
To fund their work, the club submits grant applications and works with other financial partners, including the Konza Rotary Club, Black & Veatch, and Burns & McDonnell, along with private donations. The group also fundraises by volunteering at K-State events.
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