The University of Connecticut is home to over 700 clubs and student organizations, according to the admissions website, all offering students unique ways to get involved within the community. Engineering Without Borders is one such club, allowing students to make an impact on their community while utilizing engineering skills, according to club president Cadence Hughes, a fifth-semester student at UConn.
Engineers Without Borders (EWB) works on the development of structural engineering projects around the world to support communities that do not have access to necessities. “Some recent projects have been in Peru and Kenya, and we are looking forward to opening a new project,” said Hughes.
EWB has had a chapter at UConn for about 17 years, according to board members. The organization works internationally and has 207 chapters just in the U.S., according to the international website. The group has chapters at many other colleges in the U.S. in addition to UConn.
In the past five years, the UConn chapter has partnered with Gambella, Ethiopia, Abra Malaga, Peru and Kenya to get these communities resources they need, according to Hughes. Each project has provided different necessities to the communities. According to the EWB website, the goal of the Peru project was to improve health issues by implementing latrines and educating the people on more hygienic practices.
Additionally, EWB works locally through their CLiCK program, according to their website. CLiCK, which stands for Commercially Licensed Co-operative Kitchen, is based in Willimantic, Conn. According to UConn’s informational page, CLiCK works on several different programs hoping to promote long-term sustainability.
“This project is currently in the application process to become an official EWB-USA local project,” the UConn EWB informational page says.
Currently, Engineers Without Borders is in the beginning stages of a program in Ethiopia, according to their website. The website states that the project is highly focused on irrigation issues within this community. According to the UConn EWB site, the community reached out to EWB-UConn personally, due to their heavy dependence on access to water for agricultural needs. This project is listed as the Official EWB-USA International project, according to the EWB-UConn website.
The organization meets on Mondays from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Room 227 of the School of Business building (BUSN 227). For more information on the group and how to get involved, anyone interested can follow their Instagram or send the organization an email at ewbuconn24@gmail.com.