file under:
Sustainability, Water
Engineering Better Lives
Engineers Without Borders
In a world where one in six people lacks access to clean drinking water, engineers can be lifesavers.
Dustin Craig, CDM Smith environmental engineer, learned that while assessing the water supply for a series of small villages in the Dominican Republic, where children play among cinder block homes with no access to electricity or clean water.
Craig is just one of many CDM Smith employees volunteering their time to improve basic living conditions for communities in developing countries through the Engineers Without Borders organization. The nonprofit humanitarian group works to provide some of life’s most basic amenities, such as a clean water supply, a reliable water distribution system, or an adequate sanitation system.
“I felt compelled to become involved with Engineers Without Borders because it can really help others, from a health and quality of life standpoint, by developing and implementing engineering projects,” Craig said. “I don’t think enough engineers, or people in general, realize the severe lack of access to clean and safe drinking water in the world.”
Meeting the Most Basic, and Most Important, Needs
Roughly 1.1 billion people have no dependable source of clean drinking water, and 2.6 billion have inadequate sanitation facilities, according to the World Health Organization. These two issues are among the leading causes of death for children in developing countries, where dysentery, malaria, and E. coli infections are common.
Since its founding in 2000, Engineers Without Borders-USA has improved the lives of more than 1 million people in 45 countries. CDM Smith has supported the group as one of just a handful of companies that have earned a “platinum sponsor” designation through corporate donations.
What’s more, CDM Smith has also created a unique philanthropy, outreach, and training program that matches volunteer service with grants of up to $2,500 per employee. These funds may be spent to cover expenses related to Engineers Without Borders projects, such as airfare, lodging, or immunizations. CDM Smith is also willing to provide equipment and materials for testing and sampling.
“For CDM Smith, it was a very simple decision to support Engineers Without Borders,” said Paul Shea, President of CDM Smith’s Construction Division. “It is an organization that complements CDM Smith’s role as a firm charged with meeting the world’s ever-increasing need for safe water.”
“A lot of companies like the idea of giving back to a community halfway around the world, but have a hard time figuring out how to do that,” commented Meg VanSciver, senior project manager for Engineers Without Borders. “When your employees are actually doing it, you’re sending a strong message that you care about the world.”
CDM Smith volunteers saw the difference a simple project can make in the village of El Rosario, Honduras—a community that had been dealing with a severe and ongoing water shortage. They discovered that much of the problem was caused by a leaking cement spring box on the village’s water supply. Rather than removing the springbox, which might have disrupted the water supply, volunteers laid perforated pipes in a bed of sand and gravel underneath and beside the spring box to capture the divert it back into the water system. Once the 2-week project was complete, the village’s water supply doubled.
The projects are often technically simple—digging ditches, laying pipes, or even suggesting changes in behavior—but can have a huge impact on the lives of residents. Beyond the obvious health benefits, meeting a community’s basic drinking and sanitation needs can help solve other problems, such as breaking the poverty cycle by allowing individuals to focus on education and employment issues.
Helping Communities Help Themselves
Engineers Without Borders helps communities help themselves by devising sustainable projects that involve residents and provide permanent benefits. As part of a project, each community must form a local water committee to provide the engineers with input and approval. Community members then participate in the project’s construction, so they can share in its success and obtain the skills to perform future repairs. CDM Smith engineers have helped communities in Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico, and Togo.
Participating in Engineers Without Borders’ projects has had a profound effect on Chris Fahlin, CDM Smith environmental engineer who is coordinating the firm’s support. “These experiences are life changing,” Fahlin said. “At CDM Smith, I have the best of both worlds—continued career development at the cutting edge of our industry and the opportunity to help others by providing for some of the most essential, fundamental needs.”
