A group of KU engineering students is helping provide safe water, sanitation and infrastructure for people in developing nations while getting experience in engineering.

Engineers Without Borders, or EWB, is a national organization that partners with developing communities to improve their quality of life. Craig Adams, professor of engineering and faculty adviser to the KU chapter of EWB, said the group built composting latrines and water purification systems.

“There’s no better way to make a difference than directly having these projects built,” Adams said. “But also teaching these future engineers and scientists how they can make a difference in the world.”

The KU chapter of EWB began about six years ago. The chapter has completed projects in Juarez, Mexico, and is working on projects in Guatemala and Azacilo, Bolivia. The group has 42 official members but up to 60 students attend the monthly meetings.

Jodi Gentry, president of EWB, said students were able to get experience doing the same things they would be doing for an engineering company, but on a smaller scale.

“The technology is simple so it’s easy for students to wrap their brains around,” Gentry said. “They are learning about the phases of a project and picking up the fundamentals at the same time.”

Four students and two mentors are preparing to go to Azacilo in December. Azacilo has no sanitary facilities. The students will complete a site assessment that involves talking to the community, completing a health survey, testing the water quality and forming ideas for the design of 27 composting latrines.

Composting latrines are portable toilets that are designed to collect waste underground and store it for decomposition. The materials break down into organic matter and can be used as fertilizer to grow food for people or livestock.

Gentry said the group was planning to send 10 students to Azacilo to start work next summer. Several students went in May to do a pre-assessment and meet with the community.

Adams said one of the biggest challenges was helping local people take ownership of a project so it would be truly sustainable.

“There’s a tremendous amount of need in the world, as we all know, and the logistics of providing that need is very difficult,” he said.

Political tension in Bolivia delayed the group’s trip to Bolivia from October to December. Adams said the group used local facilitators to establish initial contact with leaders in the village. He said students worked closely with faculty advisers to address the needs of each community.

Members of EWB fundraise to pay for travel expenses to and from project sites. Students who go to the site also pay for a portion of the expenses. Adams said fundraising gave people who wanted to help developing nations an opportunity to support them.

Mary Adams, Rolla, Miss., freshman in architectural engineering and publicity coordinator for EWB, joined the group this year. She said she was interested in traveling to Hispanic countries and building sustainable systems that helped people.

“I thought it would be a great way to incorporate all my interests,” Adams said. “With my career, I’d like to work overseas helping others.”

Adams said KU EWB planned to build and expand until different groups of students were working on several sites each year. He said he anticipated KU EWB would be working in two to three countries simultaneously within the next two years.

Before they leave for Bolivia in December, EWB and a group called Concerned, Active and Aware Students will be trick-or-treating for non-perishables on Halloween. The event is called “Trick-or-Treat So Others Can Eat.”

— — Edited by Jennifer Torline