Engineers Without Borders - Valparaiso University is a service-based organization consisting of university students from all majors committed to partnering with international, national and local undeveloped communities to effect transformation change through common action. EWB-VU seeks to aid these communities by using technical and engineering skills to design and implement sustainable projects which incorporate environmental and cultural awareness and which aim to broaden the global perspective of our local community.

EWB - VU is currently working with the village of Maesera in the Kilema district of northern Tanzania on a dual project to rehabilitate a local irrigation canal and provide sources of clean drinking water within 400 meters (0.25 miles) of every household. More information on our current international project can be found on the Projects page.

Funding: The required funding for this 2011-2012 project in Maesera is projected as no less than $50,000. In previous years we have been successful due to generous contributions from outside sources and fundraising efforts. After working hard with grants and our generous contributors, we are currently working on our total donations. If you would like to help us reach our goal, you can donate! 

Success in Tanzania (2012)

This summer, EWB-Valpo team once again traveled to Masaera, Tanzania, to continue its rehabilitation of the Masaera canal project. The 2012 trip had implementation, assessment, and mentorship character. Our Valpo team worked shoulder-to-shoulder with Masaera-Kilema community on rehabilitation of 8 problematic areas which generated the most concern to the normal functioning of the canal. The community, starting to develop more and more sense of ownership for the canal, determined these “problematic” points during our team’s absence and requested us for technical assistance. While working with community members on construction sites, EWB-Valpo students were able to see how much of technical knowledge the villagers had acquired from previous EWB-Valpo work in the community and how much more they could potentially learn. All planned repairs were complete in less than a week and the rest of the time EWB-Valpo team dedicated to the canal survey whose focus was to accurately determine the water quality in the area. The water survey and GPS mapping of the village were planned in order to help us try and come up with the best sustainable practice to provide the village of Masaera with a clean water access. The Valpo students had more time to interact with the villagers and to experience hardships of their daily life while walking their routine routs to fetch water.