EWB Newsletter 2013v
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The document provides information about Engineers Without Borders Student Chapter at UCLA including their mission, vision, past projects, and how to get involved. It discusses several of EWB's ongoing projects including a rainwater catchment system project in Guatemala that has constructed 28 water tanks since 2008 and a schoolhouse project in Nicaragua. The document encourages readers to attend meetings, become EWB members, or provide financial support to help complete the projects. Testimonials from EWB members describe how the organization allows them to apply their skills to help communities and gain meaningful experience.
EWB Newsletter 2013v
- 1. ISSUE ENGINEERS 02 How to Get Involved • Come check out one of our general meetings. WITHOUT BORDERS STUDENT CHAPTER SPRING 2013 EWBUCLA We meet on Tuesday nights during the school year, from 6:15pm-7pm in Engr IV 38-138. We will go over some general club topics, then split up into project groups. If it is your first time, just talk to Jonathan, the president , after the meeting and he will answer any of your questions. this issue • Become a member of Engineers Without Borders USA. Mission, Vision, & Past Projects P.1 Help make a difference by becoming part of a nationally renowned group of volunteers that partner with those in need CONTACT Guatemala Water Project P.2 around the world. Our members are building bridges and reliable shelters; they are working with the communities to access clean water and electricity and are utilizing their education and skill sets abroad. Become a member and change PRESIDENT Jonathan Lim a life! What are you waiting for? Get involved with Engineers Without Borders USA today! ewbucla@gmail.com HTTP://SEAS.UCLA.EDU/EWB Thailand Schoolhouse Project P.6 Visit http://www.ewb-usa.org/get-involved/membership for more details. • Consider being a sponsor for any of our sustainable projects. Civil and Environmental Engineering Department 420 Westwood Plaza 5732 Boelter Hall Los Angeles, CA 90095 Nicaragua S.E.D. Project P.4 OUR MISSION Your financial support plays an integral role in helping us see our plans into action. Whether you are part of the Bruin family, a trusted friend, or a corporate supporter, you can help us MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Our students take on the entire project, from conception, all the way through assessment, design, construction, and follow-up. Now we need your support to help us continue the effort. Credit card donations allocated to the University of California LA Chapter can be made online at http://ssl.charityweb.net/ewbusa/. Checks written to "EWB-USA" can be mailed to the address below. Indicate on the memo line whether you would like your tax-deductible donation to go to a specific project or to our gen- EWB Testimonials P.7 EWB-USA supports community-driven How to Get Involved P.8 development programs worldwide by collaborating with local partners to design Helping communities meet their basic human needs. and implement sustainable engineering projects, while EWB-USA creating transformative Engineers Without Borders USA (EWB-USA) is a experiences and nonprofit humanitarian organization established to responsible leaders. eral chapter fund and allocated to where it is needed most. support community-driven development programs worldwide through partnerships that design and implement sustainable engineering projects. EWBUSA members, comprised of professionals and OUR VISION students of engineering or other disciplines, work with local communities and NGOs in over 45 coun- A world in which the communities we serve have Civil and Environmental Engineering Department 420 Westwood Plaza 5732 Boelter Hall Los Angeles, CA 90095 the capacity to sustainably tries around the world on projects such as water, renewable energy, sanitation and more. EWB-USA has grown from little more than a handful of mem- meet their basic human needs, and that our members have enriched bers in 2002 to over 12,000 members today and has over 350 projects worldwide. EWB-USA main- global perspectives through tains over 250 dedicated student and professional the innovative professional chapters, and has touched the lives of more than educational opportunities one million people. that the EWB-USA Chocantiry, Guatemala Nor Lae, Thailand Rain Harvest & Water Distribution Project. Forming the base for a storage system in 2012. Schoolhouse Project, first phase EWB-UCLA STUDENT CHAPTER Here at UCLA, we are furthering the EWB-USA mission one project at a time. In 2005, we helped start a health clinic in Samli, Thailand. In 2006, we set up a sustainable computer lab for a children’s center in Jocotenango, Guatemala, and donated computers to an orphanage in Lira, Uganda. From 2007-2010, we built a retaining wall in Mexico, a rainwater catchment system in Guatemala, a schoolhouse in Thailand, and latrines in Nicaragua. Today, we are working on a schoolhouse for a program provides. community in Las Breñas, Nicaragua, and finishing Special thanks to the following organizations for their support: up our rainwater catchment system in Guatemala. We are also in the process of re-opening work on our schoolhouse project in Nor Lae, Thailand. Kukra River, Nicaragua Latrine Sanitation Project. Completed in 2009. Above: laying the latrine foundation Right: in front of the finished latrine. 8 1
- 2. WHY ARE YOU INVOLVED WITH EWB? Provide meaningful engineering and project management experience that is well rounded in nature. PROJECT STATUS PROJECT IMPACT Number of persons affected Directly: 168 28 Tanks Constructed Each member has his or her own story behind why they are involved with Engineers Without Borders. Maybe their reasons will inspire you to become an active member as well. Read on to find out more. Momostenango, Guatemala LOCAL NGO PARTNER Left: Guatemala team members create the iron frame for the above ground tank. CassSito is a non-profit organization that helps to provide solutions and incentives to Guatema- GUATEMALA RAINWATER CATCHMENT SYSTEMS MOMOSTENANGO WATER PROJECT lan communities to encourage their children to attend and finish their education all the way THE NEED EWB-UCLA RESPONSE To support the local development of in 2008, our team has completed temala, appreciable rainfall occurs the community, our project’s goal is five phases of the project, fund- The total cost of the project for only six months out of the year. to provide families in Momostenango raised, and constructed a total of 28 this year is $14,000. When there is no rain, women and with a reliable, constant source of ferrocement water tanks. children must walk several kilome- clean, drinkable water during the dry ters a day, sometimes on multiple season. Fourth Year Materials Science & Engineering Suzanne Brown Fifth Year Civil Engineering “Of all of my experiences in college, EWB has been one of the most personally and professionally rewarding. I have had the opportunity to be creative, to work on projects I care about, and to use my degree to help others. “ Since the project construction’s start In the town of Momostenango, Gua- David Ly “I’ve been involved with EWB since my freshmen year here at UCLA and I was initially drawn to the club because it provided students with an opportunity to help less fortunate people in places of need. It also was a great way to apply what we, as engineers, learn in the class room to real life situations. As I got more involved and traveled with the club, I fell in love with what we were doing. I got to see the payoff of all our fundraising and hard work in Guatemala and how dramatically we can change the lives of others. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities and experiences that EWB has provided me and I plan on continuing my involvement with EWB as a professional engineer to continue giving back to communities abroad.” through high school. PROJECTED COSTS PROJECT & TRAVEL TEAM - Project Lead - - Engineering & Technical Lead AJ Rieck sumption. This daily chore of finding - June Travel Team - water causes children to miss school Maanya Condamoor and women to leave their homes. Jing Gong Communication with the local area sixth phase in summer of 2013 of first began in 2006, when a team building additional water collection from EWB-UCLA traveled to meet systems in the community. As we with community-elected representa- want to further promote the local tives, streams that are unsuitable for con- sustainability of this project, we are water professionals, local Elynor Zhou The water they do retrieve is not NGOs, and contractors about creat- beginning to reduce our direct in- Claire Hirashiki safe for consumption. There is a ing a sustainable solution. volvement in the community and are Kent Yang large amount of pathogenic bacteria Niru Senthilkumar - Professional Mentor - and organic contaminants that lead to gastrointestinal diseases. This Tony Antich, P.E. sickness cripples a family’s ability to perform work. Children become too sick to attend school, and parents become too ill to care for their family or go to work and earn money. Joey Yan Third Year Civil Engineering The travel team plans to complete a trips, to collect water from rivers and David Ly FUTURE WORK “It has genuinely been a pleasure seeing projects through their implementation phases in the past three years that I have been a part of Engineers Without Borders. EWB has made my college career more fulfilling by allowing me the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills that I’ve learned in my classes to meaningful projects. I enjoyed working hand in hand with a local community and nonprofit organization in Guatemala, while emphasizing the sustainable idea of “teaching a man to fish” versus simply giving him a fish. Through this student-run organization, I have also met many motivated, ambitious peers whom I regard as my family. Together with EWB, we are empowered to literally build for a brighter future. Great people, life-changing projects, wonderful times.” currently putting together an instrucWe’ve developed a rainwater collection system consisting of a 7,500liter concrete water tank that collects rainwater routed from the houses’ roofs. These water tanks hold enough water to supply a family with more than a third of their clean drinking water for the entirety of the dry season. tion manual with integrated transla- Diego RubalcavaAlvarez Masters Student Civil Engineering “When you spend time with EWB-UCLA, you get exposure to many aspects of the engineering world. Working with the Guatemala team, I spent some of my first two years helping to edit and translate a construction manual for the rainwater harvesting systems. At the end of my second year, I had the privilege of traveling to Guatemala to meet with the community and actually see how our work on the instruction manuals had helped them build rainwater storage units. I have enjoyed all of my time with EWB-UCLA, learning from the big-hearted, creative, and friendly people that the club attracts.” tions, pictures, and diagrams. Our local partner NGO and the community’s elected representatives have the framework set for expansion. Expansion will not only provide more households with drinkable water but will also help build economic resources within the community. “Engineers Without Borders has been one of the most rewarding experiences for me as an undergraduate student at UCLA. Having been involved for 3 years, I’ve been able to see how the UCLA chapter has grown and changed into something that we can all be proud of. The people of this entire organization are so hard-working and dedicated to the cause, and they continue to inspire me everyday. Engineers Without Borders truly encompasses the goal that every practicing engineer should strive for: making the world a better place.“ Lauren Wu Fourth Year Civil Engineering Eugene Del Valle, P.E. Ph. D. Candidate Structural Engineering “It is easy to get jaded living in the United States. Life here is quite comfortable and it is easy to over exaggerate personal problems until stepping into someone else’s shoes and seeing how they live. Although there is poverty no matter where you live, participating with Engineers without Borders (EWB) gave me the opportunity and challenge to utilize my engineering skills for a country/community not familiar to me. On a more local level, participating in EWB has been very rewarding. Teaching fellow members who are willing to step up to the challenge and learn more about building construction, has been one of my best experiences in UCLA. Their passion and energy to help complete strangers motivates me and gives me confidence in what I do. Finally our mentors are more than willing to teach us how to become better engineers as well as encourage us to become better people. One person cannot solve all the world’s problems, but hopefully our collective effort through EWB nudges the world towards a more positive direction.” WHAT’S YOUR STORY? 7
- 3. EWB UCLA PROJECT STATUS TRIP RECAP Partnering with local communities to design and implement sustainable engineering solutions. PROJECT IMPACT Number of persons affected Directly: 60 Indirectly: 100 INTO EL RAMA Las Breñas, Nicaragua LOCAL NGO PARTNER FUNCOS (Nicaragua division of We took a 6 hour bus ride from Left: Mentor Paul explaining the schoolhouse design to the local community Sustainable Harvest Managua to El Rama. International) is a non-profit organization stationed in Bluefields, Nicaragua. They NICARAGUA PROJECT S.E.D. NICARAGUA SANITATION, EDUCATION, & DEVELOPMENT (S.E.D.) PROJECT Budget Breakdown Schoolhouse Phase : FOUNDATION & SUPERSTRUCTURE Schoolhouse Materials provide local farming families with both the proper training and THE NEED the necessary tools to preserve The team met with the community The team dug out drainage channels Currently, many of the children of members of Las Breñas Sector III along the edges of the excavation Las Breñas only attend school for regarding construction and project site to account for the rainy weather half the year, if at all. The heavy guidelines. The team also met with that would come before the next rains and the long distance to the FUNCOS directors to discuss the return trip. nearest schoolhouse prevent them design and construction logistics of schoolhouse project is $35,000 from getting their education. Our the schoolhouse. A centralized loca- for completion. We have an project’s goal is to provide the tion was chosen based on the com- children access to education by munity’s giving them the means and ensuring and their safety. tests were taken. In the natural forests, while helping them overcome poverty. PROJECTED COSTS The total cost of the immediate need of $19,000 to build the schoolhouse structure. PROJECT TEAM - Project Leads - EWB-UCLA RESPONSE Dennis Nguyen - Engineering & Technical Lead Gerard Convento and assessment phase of the schoolhouse began. - Design Advisor - 3D Drawing of Schoolhouse Design Eugene Del Valle, P.E. - Professional Mentors - second this year to begin construction on the soil assessment schoolhouse founda- “It’s refreshing to see how much the community appreciates and enjoys life despite lacking the basic comforts that we take for granted in the US.” trip and surveyed the -Warren Kadoya Travel Team Member December 2011 proposed schoolhouse site. The team then tion. There is still a need for the pur- chase of materials such concrete, as construction Your tools. partnership forward with the project. Jenny Jirschefske, P.E. design plans were redesigned and updated to reduce Side Front Jorge Rivera, P.E. the amount of manual labor, while still strictly adhering to U.S. building Ryan Sandstrom, P.E. guidelines. The community members eagerly await the start of construction. This year, all of us hope to be one step From El Rama, we took a 2 Contingency Rate 20% 25% 20% 20% 25% 20% 25% 25% Price Per Unit $200 $10 $0.60 $1.25 $4.00 Units Needed 30 containers 75 bags 4000 lbs 14000 1200 sq ft. Estimated Cost $7,200 $21,875 $600 $2,160 $625 $800 1 $600 1 --Schoolhouse Materials Sub Total $1,000 $750 $1,000 $35,210 Price Per Units Unit Needed $800 8 travelers $100 8 travelers $65 8 travelers $120 8 travelers Travel & Logistics Sub Total Estimated Cost $7,040 $960 $650 $1,104 $9,754 Travel & Logistics Item Description Airfare In-Country Bus/Boat Taxis/Drivers/Gas Visas, Innoculations, Insurance Contingency Rate 10% 20% 25% 15% hour boat ride to Bluefields, and spent the night at FUNCOS. INTO LAS BREÑAS During a 9 hour boat ride into the community, we capsized! SCHOOLHOUSE SITE Housing & Accommodations Item Description Lodging in Managua, at FUNCOS hqtrs Food at Project Site (rice & b eans) would help us move began excavation with the help of schoolhouse Paul Friedlander, P.E. Tools and Equipment Transportation Contracted Labor cement, and various the local community members. The Mike Dadik, P.E. Aldrin Orue, P.E. preliminary travel team made a In June 2010, the implementation The travel team plans to return later preference, December 2011, the Charlotte Insull FUTURE WORK Item Description Concrete Cement ($10 / 96 lb bag) @ 75 bags Rebar ($60 / 100 lb, 3/8") @ 4000 lb Concrete Masonry Units Metal Deck + Roof Beams INTO BLUEFIELDS Contingency Price Per Units Rate Unit Needed 10% $20 8 travelers 10% $20 8 travelers Housing & Accommodations Sub Total We greatly appreciate any donation you could offer us. We guarantee that 100% of your donation will be put towards our project. Engineers Without Borders- USA is a registered 501 (c)3 organization. All donations are tax deductible. Estimated Cost $176 $176 $352 The community members helped us dig out the topsoil. Nicaragua Project Need Total Cost + Contingency Am ount Raised Current Need $58,322 $39,113 $19,209 A LOOK INTO THE COMMUNITY closer to seeing the schoolhouse completed for the children. *Drawings made by Albert Tang, fourth year Mechanical Engineering student, Travel Team 4 5
- 4. EWB UCLA Nor Lae, Thailand Schoolhouse Project TRIP RECAP EWB-UCLA has established an on-going relationship with this Northern Thailand community since 2004. PROJECT PROGRESS EWB’s Guatemala travel team completed two more tanks during their June Implementation Trip this past summer. GUATEMALA WATER PROJECT Budget Breakdown Monitoring Phase : WATER TANKS Tank Materials THE NEED: In 1984 the Palaung people of Loi Lae, Burma (aka Myanmar), fled from the increasing wartime pressures and headed towards Northern Thailand. After their 10day journey these approximately 70 families established the village of Nor Lae on the Thai side of the Thai/ Burmese border. Burmese refugees do not return to Burma for fear of retaliation. Also, because they are not PROJECT STATUS PROJECT IMPACT Number of persons affected Directly: 70 Indirectly: 280 Thai citizens, they receive minimal or no government assistance and often resort to illegal or environmentally harmful methods to support themselves. Therefore, the community was left without access to a decent schooling structure or system. LOCAL NGO PARTNER Doi Ang Khang Royal Project Item Description On Campus Prototype Tank Materials for 8 Tanks Contracted Labor high-quality work elsewhere in the country. In 2008, the project was opened and a schoolhouse was built. The PROJECT TEAM capacity of the Nor Lae school is up to 100 preschool-age students. Presently about 50 students ages four - Project Leads - through eight are being educated in the school. The village has utilized the school’s extra space as a community Connor Thompson center and to store medical supplies. The school provides the only early educational opportunity for the expand- Kelsey Wittels A completed above ground water catchment tank. CONSTRUCTION Travel & Logistics Item Description Airfare Ground Transportation Miscellaneous Visas for 8 Travelers Spring Preparation $5,500 -$200 Summer Implementation Estimated Total -$5,500 $600 $600 $300 $500 $80 $80 Travel & Logistics Sub Total $6,680 Housing & Accommodations THE EWB-UCLA RESPONSE: EWB-UCLA was recruited to assist the residents of Nor Lae by The Royal Project of Thailand after completing Spring Summer Preparation Implementation Estimated Total $1,000 -$1,000 -$3,600 $3,600 -$1,000 $1,000 Tank Materials Subtotal $5,600 Item Description Lodging for 8 Travelers Meals and Food ing population of village. It enables the children of Nor Lae to integrate into the Thai education system. The long We greatly appreciate any do natio n yo u co uld o ffer us. We guarantee that 1 00% o f yo ur do natio n will be put to wards o ur pro ject. Engineers Witho ut B o rders-USA is a registered 501(c)3 o rganizatio n. term goal of the school is to provide early childhood education, therefore increasing the likelihood of the pursuit A ll do natio ns are tax deductible. Spring Summer Preparation Implementation Estimated Total -$450 $450 -$1,000 $1,000 Housing & Accommodations Sub Total $1,450 Guatemala Project Need Total Expenses Amount Raised Current Need $13,730 $18,100 EWB team members begin cementing the wire frame. PROJECT SUCCESSES The team found that families that own a tank save 6 manhours a day during the dry season and that their water quality is safe for consumption of higher education which improves the socio-economic situation for the Palaung hill tribe and surrounding community. The school also provides breakfast and lunch to the students. A LOOK INTO THE COMMUNITY FUTURE WORK: EWB-UCLA plans to maintain a presence in the community to show our dedication to sustainability, while keeping an eye on opportunities to enable further improvements in the quality of life for the community, such as water-purification and a latrine system. Our next trip is planned for summer 2013 to provide repairs, maintenance and monitoring to ensure proper upkeep of the school and the community. 6 3