Who We Are
The UC Santa Barbara chapter of Engineers Without Borders USA is a student run organization founded in 2003. Our mission is to partner with disadvantaged communities to improve their quality of life through implementation of environmentally and economically sustainable engineering projects, while developing internationally responsible students.
Our Project
We have partnered with the ESAPAN School in Ngoma, Rwanda on the eastern shore of Lake Kivu, approximately 100 miles from the capital city of Kigali. It is a private, career-focused secondary school with approximately 900 students, 297 of which are orphans as a result of the Rwandan Genocide. The funds from this page will go towards the construction of a one-story classroom in August-September of 2016 for the school’s Building & Construction Program, where students study domestic electricity, surveying, plumbing and wood technology. The building will house classes in construction-job training for students. It also will create employment opportunities and infrastructure development within the community through a certificate program hosted through the school. UCSB students have been working with the school and professional engineers to design significant improvements -- steel trusses, concrete footings and pillars -- to the existing half-built structure.
Why it Matters
The overall outcome of this project is to ensure that both the students and community members have an opportunity to acquire an education in construction practices. There is a shortage of skilled labor in construction and many school dropouts who are unemployed and struggling to make ends meet; to mitigate this, the school created a community outreach program allowing high school dropouts to take a six-to-nine week course in building & construction techniques so that they will be able to find employment. The building is the setting of this outreach program in addition to serving as a classroom for student learning.
How You Can Help
Our chapter is raising all of the money required for this project. We are seeking donations through friends, family, and kind acquaintances from all over the world. Contributions of all sizes help us immensely, and you will receive unique rewards for helping this project succeed!
Check out our website, twitter and Facebook pages for more information about us and the ESAPAN School in Rwanda.
Website: http://www.ewb-ucsb.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ewb_ucsb
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ewb.ucsb/
