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Causes: Community Improvement & Capacity Building, International, International Development, International, Foreign Affairs & National Security, Public & Societal Benefit
Mission: EWB-USA's outward vision is of a world where all people have access to adequate sanitation, safe drinking water, and the resources to meet their other self-identified engineering and economic development needs. EWB-USA contributes with its partners to meeting the Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations General Assembly on September 18, 2000 through capacity building. Capacity building is defined as ".. the building of human, institutional and infrastructure capacity to help societies develop secure, stable and sustainable economies, governments and other institutions through mentoring, training, education, physical projects, the infusion of financial and other resources, and most importantly, the motivation and inspiration of people to improve their lives" (Hatch, 2004). EWB-USA also endorses the Earth Charter. EWB-USA's initial inward vision is as a project coordination, funding, supervision and documentation organization that links university engineering schools with project opportunities, primarily in the developing world. EWB-USA also involves professional engineers who want to provide expertise on an as needed basis or work on projects. EWB?USA projects involve the design and construction of water, waste-water, sanitation, energy, and shelter systems. These projects are initiated by, and completed with, contributions from the host community, which is trained to operate the systems without external assistance. The objective of all these activities is not only to contribute to new and ongoing development projects in an effective way, but to expand the dimensions of experience for emerging and practicing engineers. It is our vision that this is a primary path to achieving a more sustainable world, without suffering the consequences of engineering projects that are socially, environmentally, or economically inappropriate. Engineers have a central role in building a sustainable future. Improving the lives of the 5 billion poor people whose main concern is staying alive each day is no longer an option for the engineering profession; it is an obligation.
Programs: See schedule oengineers without borders usa (ewb-usa) is a nonprofit humanitarian organization established to support community-driven development programs worldwide through partnerships that design and implement sustainable engineering projects, while providing transformative experiences that enrich global perspectives and create responsible leaders. Today, more than two billion people lack access to the most basic things-clean drinking water, adequate sanitation, reliable passage to local markets and more. Ewb-usa's vision is a world in which the communities they serve have the capacity to sustainably meet their basic human needs. At its core, ewb-usa's model is rooted in practical and sustainable engineering solutions. In order to be successful, ewb-usa considers the socio-cultural dimensions of the community, local project ownership and other requirements for long-term sustainability. Ewb-usa programs are full partnerships with a host community and one or more local nongovernmental organizations. Ewb-usa's 14,000 members work alongside local community members to successfully build, maintain and monitor each project. Ewb-usa members are in remote corners of the world right now working hard to make ewb-usa's vision a reality. As a result of ewb-usa's ongoing projects, children can cross sturdy bridges to attend school, local clinics have consistent supplies of electricity, and accessing clean water isn't a full-day chore for families. Ewb-usa's vision is ambitious but achievable and everyone has an important role to play-including our mentors. In 2014, student chapters received 30,175 professional mentor hours on projects. These hours are included in the 2014 audited financial statements in the amount of $3,017,500 but not included in part ix of the 990.
see schedule oewb-usa's education initiatives lay the foundation for all ewb-usa community development programs. From the classroom to the field, they offer our members transformative experiences that enrich global perspectives and create responsible leaders. To do this, we currently offer a comprehensive education program focused on engineering in the developing world. This program is delivered through in-person trainings such as local workshops, state-wide events, regional conferences, and international conferences. In addition we offer online trainings that include virtual conferences, live and pre-recorded webinars, trans-media micro-courses, and a library of technical resources available on our website. Providing educational opportunities for our members results in more qualified chapters and project teams and, therefore, better international development project outcomes.