Engineers Without Borders Fight Human Miseries in the Developing World

In the wake of December's deadly tsunami, people around the globe were bombarded with images of poverty and devastation. While these pictures were eye opening for some, inspiring them to open their hearts as well as their wallets, others have long been working to put an end to the overwhelming scope of global poverty and human misery.

For Bernard Amadei, founder of the Colorado-based Engineers Without Borders USA (EWB), global poverty has been a daily motivator and the driving force behind his non-profit organization. The March-April 2005 issue of Science & Spirit details how, for the past four years, EWB has been sending teams of engineers, engineering students, and college faculty members to communities in the developing world. The groups work closely with local residents to solve specific problems and respond to needs of the community -- a sanitation system in Thailand, solar-powered computers in Nepal, deeper wells in Mali.

Amadei told Science & Spirit's Darrel Laurant that EWB now receives more than 200 viable requests for help each year, and attributes the ever-increasing number to word-of-mouth. "We do something in one village, and the next village hears about it and wants us to do the same for them," says Amadei. While the need is enormous, volunteers at EWB have learned that the problems they face are not overwhelming if they take them on one at a time. With a mix of focus and commitment, EWB is making a big difference worldwide.

For more information on the March-April issue of Science & Spirit featuring Engineers Without Borders USA (in an article titled, "Engineering Solutions"), please visit www.science-spirit.org or contact Laura Mackin, tel: 617-847-5801; email: mackin@science-spirit.org.

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