OU Engage

EWB-OU Crosses Borders and Cultures to Build Hope

Imagine walking several miles a day carrying two buckets of water from the local spring just to take care of that day’s needs. Now imagine more than 20 people trekking that same path everyday. That was life for the many of the residents of the small Guatemalan village La Pradera del Quetzal until the University of Oklahoma’s Engineer Without Borders student chapter embarked on water project that would not only improve their quality of life, but also strengthen their community.

EWB-OU members Tom Kunkle, industrial engineering senior, and Yonatan Reches, civil engineering junior, recently spoke of their international experiences and the organization as part of OU’s community engagement committee’s monthly project highlight.

Water Works
Last August, Reches, EWB-OU president, along with several other OU engineering students, traveled to La Pradera del Quetzal to build a water distribution system that would save travel time and provide a sanitary water source.

The group partnered with the village to construct a basic water infrastructure system leading water from a spring box a few hundred yards outside the village to a central location near a medical clinic church and future school site.

When EWB-OU asked the village president for manpower, the president estimated six or seven local men would commit time to the project.

“The next day, 40 men and one woman showed up: 80 percent of the households,” said Reches. “It really showed us how excited the community was and how they took a sense of ownership of the project.”

Reches reported the group finished the project ahead of schedule.

On the next international trip, EWB-OU is returning to La Pradera del Quetzal to build a foundation for a large schoolhouse that will also serve as a community center.

Engineers Without Borders
EWB – USA is a nonprofit humanitarian organization established to partner with developing communities worldwide to improve their quality of life. The student chapter involves implementing sustainable engineering projects, while involving and training internationally responsible engineering students.

EWB-USA began in 2001 when a group of students from the University of Colorado completed a water project in San Pablo, Belize. The project, joining faculty, students and the San Pablo community to work together, was successful and became the model for EWB. OU’s EWB chapter formed in the fall of 2005.

“We go to communities and find what we can do for them by asking them what they need, not as a separate organization but as a partner with the community,” said Kunkle. “That is what makes us stand out from different organizations.”

Breaking Down Myths
One common misconception about EWB projects is that they are all in remote mountain villages, thousands of miles away. While Norman may not have to worry about running water or electricity, communities around the world share universal issues, according to Kunkle.

“There are aspects of the communities we’ve experienced in South America that greatly reflect the problems that are inside some of our own communities,” he said.

“We tried to recognize some of those issues and use our expertise that we gained from doing international projects to pass along to communities right around us.”

Kunkle said EWB-OU members participate in Sooner Elementary Engineering and Science Clubs, Habitat for Humanity, the Big Event and such environmental issues as the water quality in Lake Thunderbird.

Another common misconception about EWB is that it is only for engineer majors. The organization encourages students with different expertise and backgrounds to join.

“Whether your expertise is in social science, political science, economics, or just speak a foreign language, I would encourage students to learn more about EWB-OU,” said Kunkle. We don’t want to be a narrowly focused organization; we want to encourage the broader community to get involved.”

The EWB-OU chapter meets at 7 p.m. every other Monday in the Carson Engineering Center at OU. For more information about the program or meeting times, go to coecs.ou.edu/ewb or e-mail ewb@ou.edu.