For a world where access to technology or infrastructure is not a

barrier to poverty alleviation

Annual ReviewSeptember 2007 - August 2008

Engineers Without Borders UKEngineers Without Borders UK (EWB-UK) is a student-led charity whose focus is onremoving barriers to development using engineering.

At a time when 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water, 2.4 billion do nothave basic sanitation facilities and 1.6 billion live without electricity, our programmesprovide opportunities for young engineers in the UK to learn about technology's rolein development and share their skills with development organisations working torelieve poverty.

By taking part in our activities, our members are making a difference to people’slives around the world. This report summarises our main activities for the periodSeptember 2007 to August 2008.

In October 2007, EWB-UK saw the completion of its first ever 5 Year Strategy - theoutcome of a collaborative effort between more than 60 dedicated EWB-UK volunteers.

The Strategy’s purpose was to consolidate the vision and the focus of EWB-UK, toidentify risks and priorities, and set the direction over the next 5 years.

Here are the key results.

EWB-UK's Aims

Inspire and Prepare the Next Generation• Raise understanding of the role of technology and

infrastructure• Provide the key skills, experiences and opportunities required• Support entry into international development related careers

Strengthen the Capacity of Institutes Overseas• Promote investment in science and technology education • Engage local students, academics and researchers• Support global knowledge exchange and skills sharing

Assist International Development Organisations• Facilitate technical assistance to local government and NGOs• Promote access to local experts and scientific publishing • Promote the development of high quality services and

standards• Enable greater access to financial capital

Support Small Enterprises and SocialEntrepreneurship• Foster the incubation of business and technology• Support private sector participation and investment

EWB-UK's Approach

Holistic Engineering• We work with an interdisciplinary approach • •• that takes into consideration the local • knowledge, economy, culture and environment

Active Partnerships • We build long term relationships and work in • •• collaboration with communities and local • • •• organisations

People Participation • We believe in demand led development and •• participatory change

Small Footprint • We want to adopt a sustainable use of natural• resources and minimise any impact to the• local environment, biodiversity or global climate

Appropriate Technology • We adapt existing low risk technology and apply• modern engineering methods

Introduction2

Our Vision “A world where access to technology or infrastructureis not a barrier to poverty alleviation”

Our Mission “To facilitate human development through engineering”

A successful charity organisation reaching maturity faces the challenge of matchingrapid growth with the necessary infrastructure, resources and unity to maintainmomentum and hence an impact. For this reason, 2007-08 has proved to be the mostexciting and crucial year for EWB-UK yet!

It was an important moment for EWB-UK as self awareness began to creep in: our niche on the UK charityscene, our necessary role in academia, our multidimensional relationship with industry, our power through youth,our obligation and capacity for supporting developing communities.

Three key features in October ‘07 helped kick start this process. Firstly, we started the year dynamically with abrand new website, thanks to AngloAmerican’s support, with tremendous potential for internal management andcommunication with the membership and the public. At the same time EWB-UK was granted £175,000 by DFID’sDevelopment Awareness Fund for expanding the Research and Training areas and employing our first 2 membersof staff. Thirdly, at the second EWB-UK National Conference branch committees, professionals, national teams,and the Trustees prepared for their roles, injected their enthusiasm, and united in the mission of facilitating humandevelopment through engineering. The event also saw the launch of EWB-UK’s first ever ‘5 Year Strategy’, theproduct of months of work by volunteers to define the organisation’s focus and future direction.

The activities for the rest of the year kept up with this early pace. The Placements Programme employed its firstPlacements Administrator, thanks to a grant by RedR, and through corporate involvement secured technical andfinancial support from MWH and Newton Consultants. It was thus able to set up a phenomenal 39 placements tosupport 21 NGOs in poverty alleviation around the world. Training focused strategically on branch-basedtraining to maximize the learning experience, thus supporting over 24 courses nationwide like EWB-Cardiff’sShelter, Water and Energy courses, supported by the Welsh Assembly Government.

Research and Bursaries both made dynamic comebacks, setting up ‘Research Grants’ for students or Branches taking on EWB Research projects and creating expert panels for reviewing these and other project implementationproposals. Also, EWB-UK’s first Research Conference set a platform for innovation, networking and academicbuy-in in International Development research. Education, with funding from the RAEng, used an EWB-Spain courseto develop curriculum content for international development modules. Outreach on the other hand brought togetherschool teachers and academics at the ‘Outreach Strategy Workshop’ looking at avenues for raising awareness ofengineering in tackling global issues through independent learning and mentoring.

Of course, ambitious plans require a resourceful Fundraising team! Not only were EWB-UK’s funding requirements exceeded but sources also diversified. Corporate support was consolidated and the fundraisingpower of Branches utilized causing a permanent fundraising buzz: from Christmas cards, to sponsored events andchallenges, RAG events, marathons and band nights. This has been a very active year for our Branches and ourProfessional Network, and with the support of the Branch Support and PN team, branches were able to channeltheir enthusiasm towards branch based training, fundraising, research and recruitment.

EWB-UK evolves to fulfil a need for technical innovation in developing communities by tabbing into theskills and concern of the world’s future professionals, and hence it strives to remain ever useful and relevant. It has been a great privilege to be part of this process and every year to witness constructive destructionas new ideas challenge and build on the old. I have never met a group of more passionate, unwavering and enthusi-astic young people; so dedicated to tackling the world’s crucial problems that they climb steep learning curves inany discipline and make the unpredictable and the complex their comfort zone. To experience this energy for yourself, just come to the 2008 EWB-UK National Conference!

CEO’s Letter 3

Thalia KonarisEWB-UK CEO 2007-08

Photograph: Schoolchildren cross the newly finished pedestrian bridge in SowetoEast before the approach slope forms have been struck. Previously kids would haveto walk downstream to try and find a place to cross. Joe Mulligan, EWB-Cambridge

EWB-UK Highlights 2007-08EWB-UK Placements volunteers offered 12 years of direct involvementwith developing communities around the world

EWB-UK contributes £67,000 for young volunteers to get directly involved with

international development projects through the Placements programme and

£8,000 through Research and Bursaries

The Department for International Development awarded EWB-UK

£175,000 for the areas of Training and Research

EWB-UK consolidated its relationship with the international disaster relief charity,

RedR, through a Memorandum of Understanding and funding for a

Placements member of staff. EWB-UK also signed a Memorandum of

Understanding with the Ashden Awards and Developing Technologies

EWB-UK’s National Research Conference brings together research in

international development from across the country

18 university-based branches throughout the UK continued to grow,

making opportunities available to a rapidly-expanding membership

EWB-UK Photo Exhibition is showcased at EWB-UK branches, thanks to

funding fromthe Royal Academy of Engineering

EWB-UK organises week-long Pre-Departure Training preparing volunteers

for its overseas placements

EWB-UK sets up its first permanent office just one hour from London...

... which it immediately fills with 3 members of staff; 2 full time for Training

and Research and a part-time employee for its Placements programme

EWB-UK volunteers participate and benefit from over 1,200 training days

Our Year4

Media Focus 5

This year, just a few of the places we’ve been mentioned include:

BBC News, CNN, New Scientist, The Independant, The Guardian,BBC2 Dragons’ Den, The Royal Academy of Engineering, Ingenia magazine

The EWB-UK Board of Trustees has fiveappointed and five elected trustees. Thetrustees listed below were on the Boardof Trustees for 2007-08:

• Ruvan Mendis (Chair)• Ian McChesney• Dr. Heather Cruickshank• Jo da Silva• Sacha Grodzinski• Tom Newby• Caroline Windsor• Louise Bloom• Chris Foster• Rob Cottrell

The National Executive

Our Trustees

Chief Executive Officer

Thalia Konaris Thalia Konaris

Chief Executive Officer

Zareen Sethna Chris Cleaver

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Fundraising Co-ordinator

Nigel Vaz Tom Newby

Publicity Co-ordinator

Alistair Cooke John Heelham

IT Co-ordinator

Andrew Lamb Tom Sharp

Professional Network

Robert Malies Victoria Hickman

Branch Support

Andrew Hunt Daniel Butler

Finance

Ben Taylor Yoke Pean Thye

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Placements Co-ordinator

Chris Cleaver Gareth Lewis

Training Coordinator

Sachi Findlater Fran Talavera

Outreach Co-ordinator

Irem Serefoglu Divindy Grant

Education Co-ordinator

Winnie Yiu Ellie Cosgrave

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Bursaries Co-ordinator

Yoke Pean Thye Lindsay Todman

The National Executive are responsible for theday-to-day running of EWB-UK.

They are a mixture of students, young professionals and two full time employees - FranTalavera and Alexis Glazer - who are drawn fromEWB-UK branches across the country.

Research Co-ordinator

Hayley Sharp Alexis Glazer

Placements Administrator (new position) Catherine Hill

Who We Are6

In the fieldClockwise from right:

PN Co-ordinator RobertMalies preparing a slowsand filter for use in thehome in Arequipa, Peru;EWB-UK Trustee LouiseBloom investigating hydro-systems in South America;NE Fundraising Co-ordinatorNigel Vaz installing solarpanels in Lekhani, Nepal

The Branches

Who We Are 7

18 university based Branches are the arms and legs of EWB-UK. These registered university societies areaffiliated to the charity and run by student committees who organise activities at their universities, andencourage volunteers to help deliver the different national programmes.

Branch activities offer members the opportunity to meet like minded people, get inspired by technologyand engineering for development, be challenged by global issues and take part in our programmes -opportunities which aren't always on offer through their academic institutions.

The presidents listed here happily served their terms in the year 2007-08.

EWB-Sheffield withtheir smokeless

stoves project

EWB-DurhamMarek Kubik

EWB-PlymouthRachel Tyson

EWB-CardiffBarry Lovern andClare Huntington

EWB-CambridgePete Burgon and Cíaran Malik

EWB-SussexNew Branch!

EWB-NottinghamKatie Goode

EWB-GlamorganKathleen DeWitt

EWB-GlasgowKate Ward

EWB-Imperial Ruchard Cunliffe

EWB-Edinburgh Paul Byers andMiriam Hansen

EWB-SheffieldDan Butler

EWB-CranfieldSiobhan McGrath

EWB-BathNatasha Watson

EWB-SouthamptonDirk Dejager

EWB-BirminghamHanan Yusaf

EWB-BristolTom Kendall and Ian Baggs

EWB-BrightonNew Branch!

EWB-OxfordHoyi Wong

Battle of theBands Fundraiser

at Glasgow

EWB-Imperial at theAdvanced Wind Weekend

EWB-Cardiff!

Shelter trainingat Cambridge

A training workshopwith EWB-Glasgow

The Professional Network

Who We Are8

The EWB-UK Professional Network (PN) is a community of practicing engineers andother professionals and researchers which benefits from and supports the work ofEWB-UK. It takes the form of a UK-wide network that:

• Interacts with EWB-UK students across the UK and supports their programmes• Builds links between EWB-UK and companies, engineering institutions and NGOs• Acts as a platform through which knowledge and opportunities can be shared

This past year has seen a large growth in not only the number of PN members and activities, but also the infrastructure to allow the enthusiasm and interest of those members to be managed effectively. The improvedmonthly bulletin and development of a Professional Network brochure, online archive and people & programme sections within the website now allow new members to easily understand the PN and find ways to get involved. Eachof the 10 members of PN National Team was not only given responsibility for a geographic location but also acted asliaison to another EWB-UK Programme - such as Placements or Bursaries - enabling the professional members tobest use their skills to support the student teams.

National Activity

PN Communities in London and Cardiff continued to grow in 2007-08, and the newly formed PN Scotland saw agreat deal of activity in Glasgow and Edinburgh. In other regions, PN coordinators continued to support theBranches and their activities, ranging from providing expertise for training courses to project mentoring. In 2008 -09 we hope to build up the number of face-to-face activities and events amongst the professionals in these locationsincluding more collaboration and support of branch activities, and series of events including talks and socials will bedeveloped to take place over three or four month periods.

Remote Projects

One exciting new initiative for next year is the concept of 'remote projects'. Here small groups of professionals willbe able to work in teams for a few hours a week on specific projects, either through the Placements or ResearchProgrammes or external NGOs, without the need to take time away from work.

Tim, a structural engineer, spent 6 months workingwith Esibayeni Development Projects in Jozini,South Africa

Arup graduates at the EWB-UK National Conference

Rice-picking in Thailand, Javier Gonzalez-Soria,EWB-Bursary recipient

Staff from Arup andBuro Happold havegiven training at the EWB-UKNationalConferences and ShelterTraining Courses

EWB-UK’s activities are carried outacross the UK and the world within our

different programme areas

EWB-UK’s Programmes in a nutshell: The Placements Programme offers voluntary work experience placementsfor students and young professionals to share their skills with, and to learn from, partner development organisationsin the UK and abroad, and Bursaries provides funding towards EWB-UK’s member-initiated projects. Alongsidethese, EWB-UK Training courses and events help develop the engineering and context skills that are needed foreffective work in international development.

Research Projects are available to deepen students' understanding of development issues and increase the technical expertise available to partner organisations. Alongside this, the Education Programme works on opportuni-ties to include international development in university engineering education in order to help create a new generationof engineers that can respond to global issues. Finally, the Outreach Programme give members the opportunity torun awareness activites in schools to raise awareness of engineering in international development and to inspire thenext generation of development professionals.

A young girl pumps water at her school’s new water pump. Photographtaken whilst volunteering for EWB-UK in Sagar Island, India

What We Do 9

Transport and infrastructure development gives people access to education and health care as well asjobs and vital resources. EWB-UK has supported projects including roadway design and construction,and river crossings to serve marginalised communities.

Access to clean Water and Sanitation is one of themost significant issues in development. EWB-UK isinvolved in this theme at many levels seeking to findways in which innovative design combined with appropriate technology can help to tackle this problem.

EWB-UK's engagement with Industry is focused oninnovation, entrepreneurship, and design and manufac-turing for development. EWB-UK have been building newproject partnerships with socially-minded enterpriseswho have the alleviation of poverty as a key driver.

Habitat and Shelter play an underlying role in thequality of life and is a basic need for survival. Severalof EWB-UK’s placements are in this area includingslum networking, earthquake preparedness and campplanning for refugee camps.

EWB-UK's work is deeply engaged with Energygeneration. Projects include design and installation ofwind turbines and hydro power systems, biogas collector development, and the design of improvedcooking stoves to help reduce respiratory illness.

Information and Communications Technology cangive people access to information and communicationtools. Projects include educational software, and helping to develop low bandwidth internet providers tohelp vital access in disaster sitations.

This year, EWB-UK has begun looking at projects using our Communities of Practice.Looking at the ‘CoPs’ gives a great overview of the types of projects EWB-UK areinvolved in, and highlights the amazing diversity and potential of engineering and technology within the developing world.

Photo taken to advocate for landallocation rights of slum dwellers withShelter Associates, in Pune Slum, India.Victoria Hickman, EWB-UK

A man makes a living weaving materialfor hammocks in the community of SanSebastian, El Salvador. Caroline Cage,EWB-UK Volunteer

GIS and modern mapping aidscommunities in Northern Thailand withwater resource management. JavierGonazelez-Soria, EWB-UK

Although the noise might sound like alullaby, pumping often requires greateffort, Sagar Island, India. JavierGonzalez-Soria.

What We Do10

Communities of Practice

An Auto-rickshaw in Pune, India providesvaluable income for a slum-dweller aswell as a fun place for children to play,Victoria Hickman, EWB-UK

Installing a power station for ruralcommunities in South America. MaryWilliamson, EWB-UK volunteer

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Branch Events!

But of course such significant growth of theTraining Programme couldn’t have happenedwithout the addition of a number of new coursesand the commendable efforts of our branch volunteers. To name but a few, EWB-Cardiff hosted an incredible seven courses over the yearon topics in the water, shelter and energy sectors, all of which proved to be hugely popular.EWB-Birmingham ran their first ever weekendtraining course; a multidisciplinary event lookingat technological, social and economic issues.EWB-Durham held its first IDC event; a day oflectures on topics which included introductions todevelopment and a closer look at the world foodcrisis. EWB-Cambridge ran EWB-UK’s first ever ITbased courses with the help of Aptivate, providing participants with skills in low bandwidthwebsites and field communications.

One change that affected more than just theTraining Programme was the introduction of adedicated Pre-Departure Training Course forEWB-UK Placement Volunteers. The course wasthe largest of its kind ever run by EWB-UK andwould not have been possible without the generosity of the 22 speakers and session leaders who volunteered their time to deliver atotal of seven days worth of training.

New Programme Manager

And of course one of the most exciting developments for the programme this year hasbeen the addition of Fran Talavera to the EWB-UK team; our first full time employee andTraining Programme Manager. With Fran’s support we can look forwards to to many morebranch and training events next year, includingplans for the first ever EWB-UK summer school.

TrainingThe EWB-UK Training Programme aimsto inspire and motivate students andyoung professionals to take an activeinterest in the development sector byproviding a wide range of training courses led by experienced professionals.

Last year, EWB-UK was awarded a grant from theDevelopment Awareness Fund to further developits Research and Training Programmes.Combining this with the seemingly endlessenthusiasm and drive of our volunteers hasresulted in the most productive year EWB-UKTraining has had so far.

Increased Successes

In total, 16 talks, trips and workshops and 24training courses were run this year, a hugeincrease on last year’s numbers. Many of ourtried and tested favourites continued to make avaluable contribution to the programme, includ-ing the Clare Farm Course which remains over-subscribed despite running several times a year!

The Cambridge Shelter Course and Tri-Disciplinary Course both repeated their successesthis year, covering topics ranging fromEarthquake Mitigation in Shelter to CampPlanning and Bio-digesters.

Advanced Wind Weekend

3 days, 15 participants

Turbine blade carving, assembling the alternator, metalwork and welding and assessing wind resources;everything needed to build and erect a turbine!

Pre Departure Course

7 days, 37 participants22 Speakers

Sessions on Conflict Resolution, Participatory Methods,Heath Overseas, Personal Security, Structured

Problem Solving and much more…

Birmingham Multi Disciplinary Course

2 days, 35 participants

Urban Slum Role Play, Solar Food Dryers, The FairTrade Game & Interactive Sessions on World Economy

Programme Area 11

A demonstration that simple construction methodscan support quite a lot! Sachi Findlater, EWB-Training

Solar cooking at the 2007 Tri-Disciplinary Course

The placements programme enables young people to share their skills with partnerorganisations, to solve problems and to remove barriers to development. In 2007-8,EWB-UK’s placements programme had 21 partner organisations in 11 countries, andmade 39 placements. The programme also invested in its longer-term future, with keyagreements being made with donors and supporters to expand and improve its work.

Placements

LIRE Placement, LaosWater: Testing and Installing Solar Powered Purification System

July - Sep 2008. New placement with the Lao Institute for Renewable Energy toresearch renewable energy technologies. Placement volunteer Andrew Murfin,graduate engineer, tested and installed solar-powered water purification systems.

Andy Schroeter, director ofLIRE parent organisation,Sunlabob RenewableEnergy Ltd, comments:

"We can see the hugebenefit for the researchwork and finally also thebenefit for people inremote villages throughyour support in sendingskilled motivated youngprofessionals"

Sunlabob specialises in themanufacture of technologyto provide remote villageswith power from solar orwind energy.

Impact and Rigour

EWB-UK is proud of the positive impact ourvolunteers are having on our partner organisations.

Several of our longer-term partnerships havedeveloped some increasingly ambitious projects.Good examples are the development of communityrenewable energy systems with SIBAT in thePhillippines, or the improvements to rural roadsand river crossings with NAKRUDA in Nigeria.

Our newer partnerships have flourished as well.SELCO in India is a 2007 Ashden Award Winnerand our volunteers are helping them to assess thefeasibility of a social enterprise based on ImprovedCook Stoves. A new partnership was made withPartners in Development in South Africa (through acontact made on an ongoing project in KwaZuluNatal) to assess Rope-Washer pump technologies.

Every EWB-UK placement is rigourouslydocumented and reviewed in a process that helpsus to allocate our resources effectively and tomonitor and assure quality. Our partners find thisprocess useful as well, with one partner saying that"the process helped us think through the issuesand is a sign of your professionalism".

Project Managers and Member Involvement

The role of Project Managers within the placementsteam developed significantly this year. ProjectManagers help to set up EWB-UK placements,manage the relationship with the partnerorganisation and support our volunteers on bothtechnical and welfare issues. We hope to integratethe programme more closely with our universitybranches by developing more opportunities such asthis for our members to participate in.

Improved Volunteer Training

In 2008, our placement volunteers attended a one-week training course to help them prepare. Thecourse was longer and also more focused than everbefore. The training was delivered by almost adozen development professionals, each with awealth of experience, and it was managed in-houseby the EWB-UK training team.

The course aimed to help our volunteers not onlyin technical issues but also in facing some of therealities of development work, and to build theirown networks of support for their assignments.

Programme Area

Mini-Profile: Gareth Haslam

Gareth Haslam was theProject Manager incharge of a new projectin Laos run inpartnership with theLaos Institute ofRenewable Energy. Itwas while Gareth was

studying at Cambridge that heheard about EWB-UK:

“I heard many stories about howEWB-UK had a real commitment todelivering practical help indeveloping countries that relied onthe skills of young engineers andthe explicit involvement of the hostcommunities.

The Project Manager role allows meto contribute to this important workand at the same time to experienceworking alongside a developmentpartner”

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Programme Area 13

REDES Placement, El SalvadorHousing and Sanitation: Community Needs Assessment

July - Sep 2008. Ongoing partnership in a national organisation, supporting theirinfrastructure department. Caroline Cage, sixth-year architecture student andBerta Moya, third-year biochemical engineer, helped REDES with the assessmentphase of projects in communities in San Jose Villaneuva and San Sebastian:

"Often NGOs providing funding for projects don't have the time or resources toinvestigate further where those with the greatest needs are. This is where I feelour project is of greatest benefit to the communities we're working in"

REDES played a leading role in the ongoing reconstruction process followingdevastating earthquakes in 2001 and runs projects throughout El Salvador.

ARTI Placement, IndiaEnergy: Electricity Generation

from Waste Food

July - Sep 2008. This placement ispart of an ongoing partnership withan NGO that researches appropriate rural technologies.Placement volunteer CalumThomson, a mechanical engineeringgraduate tested anengine/generator set running on100% biogas from waste food,determining optimum parametersfor best efficiency:

"The project is technicallychallenging but we have managedto get over most of the hurdles.It’s an exciting problem."

Twice an Ashden Award winner,ARTI is developing ways to ways totransfer innovative technologies forrural income generation and toraise quality of life.

Appropriate Technologies

Our placements in 2008 covered each of our six'Communities of Practice': Water, Energy, Habitat,ICT, Industry and Transport. We started to developthese communities by, for example, bringingtogether our four 2008 volunteers working onImproved Cook Stove technology with mentors andpast volunteers from similar projects. This was anenriching and supportive experience for thoseinvolved, and one that we plan to extend to othertechniques such as gravity-fed water systems,community needs assessments, and so on.

Building Capacity

Significant developmentsincluded a more flexible approachto setting up placementsthroughout the year, and exploringcollaboration with other placementorganisations. We placed a studentwith Developing Technologies inJuly, for example - outside ourusual placement cycle.

We signed an agreement withdisaster relief organisation RedR aspart of their Future Relief Workersscheme. That partnership is nowbuilding the capacity of theprogramme, for example bysupporting a paid part-timeadministrator. Through theFuture Relief Workers scheme, engineeringfirm MWH established two busaries for theirgraduate engineers. Two successful applicants used

these bursariesto fund theirplacementswith us. Also,Newton

IndustrialConsultantssupported threeplacements bothfinancially andwith fieldvisits by itsconsultants.

employee - Alexis Glazer. This wonderful opportunityhas meant that theresearch programme will now beable to extend to a wider audience and offer farmore to our members and partner organisations. Thefunding has also enabled us to set up our ResearchGrants scheme, allowing us to provide funding tosupport research students throughout their projects.

New Partners and Mentors

EWB-UK Research set up a number of exciting projects this year, including partners based in Bolivia,India and Ecuador. These cover all main engineeringdisciplines and the EWB-UK Communities of Practice;so there have been projects available to appeal toalmost all student engineers! We have also been successful in linking Mentors from the ProfessionalNetwork with project students, giving studentsaccess to knowledgable graduates with a wide rangeof experiences.

National Research Conference

2008 was also the year of EWB-UK's first externalNational Research Conference. Held at the Instituteof Structural Engineering in London, it brought

The Reseach Programme links students andacademia with communities and organisations in developing countries whohave technical research needs. Studentssolve technical problems identified by partner organisations, put their skills topractical use and deepen their understand-ing of development. This year we havehelped to facilitate 32 projects at 12Universities with 15 different organisations.

This year has been a great sucess for the ResearchProgramme. Following a great deal of work last yearon the Programme strategy and direction, this yearResearch has taken off with many activities andprojects.

Development Awareness

This year the Research Programme saw its first in aseries of three grants from the Department forInternational Development. This grant from theDevelopment Awareness Fund has allowed us torecently recruit the programme's first full time

Research

And its up! Participants on the EWB-UK AdvancedWind Weekend admire their achievement

Programme Area14

"The Clare Farm Training course wasone of the most inspiring things I’ddone this year. The skills I learnt,particularly in water and sanitiation,were invaluable on my EWB-UKbursary-funded placement in Ecuador.”

Hayley Sharp, EWB-UK volunteer

Research Case Studies

This year Hayley Weston at the University of Bath carried out a project with a local Indian NGO on thedesign of a Biodiesel plant. She spent this summer following up her project and visiting the NGO VigyamAshram in Pabal, India, for prototype testing.

Anna Grieves has recently begun her project workingon Wastewater Wetlands, proposed by an engineeringgroup from Bolivia. Anna has also been teamed up witha specialist mentor from Arup, who will be able to provide support throughout the project.

"EWB-UK engineers are currently indispensable to what is a large,ambitious and complex development project. We're performing the role ofBase Manager and Programme Assistant and responsible for everythingfrom recruiting staff, ensuring wages are paid, negotiating purchases andscheduling of works. It's been a steep learning curve but anunprecedented opportunity to experience many aspects of thedevelopment sector" Tom Lacy, EWB-UK Volunteer with ACTED, Indonesia

Programme Area 15

together 80 delegates from around the country,including students, graduates, professionalengineers, NGO representatives and academics.The event was hugely sucessful; showcasingseveral inspiring research projects in engineering for development - both EWB-UKprojects and examples of those being carriedout within other organisations and at variousinstitutions. The day also gave delegates theopportunity to discuss the importance ofresearch for international development and theaims of the EWB-UK Research Programme.

Implementation in the Field

This year, a number of EWB-UK research project students have travelled out to theirpartner communities in order to try and beginputting their research into practice, with thelocations ranging from Ecuador to India! This isa hugely exciting development for the ResearchProgramme, and is an area which we will bestrongly supporting in the future.

The waste material from the Jatropha plantis planned to be converted into usefulbiodiesel for the community of Pabal, India

On the way to work - EWB-UK volunteer Ian Baggs’daily journey whilst working with PRODECI, Ecuador

The Bursaries Programme provides funding for member-initiated non EWB-UK learning,research projects and volunteer placements which contribute to the personaldevelopment of our members and benefit partner development organisations.

This year’s bursary scheme saw its highest number of applications since its inception. This was helped bythe introduction of a new bursary award for learning opportunities, aimed at supporting membersattending non EWB-UK training courses, workshops and conferences. Due to the high quality of theapplications, the review panels found it challenging to allocate their limited funds. Almost half of theapplications were successful, and a wide range of projects awarded bursaries.

Bursaries

11 projects

4 group projects

2researchprojects

5 learningopportunities

Bursaries at a Glance£7,800 awarded

“The main benefits of the conference were learning about researchon the topic and its application under diverse approaches frommany different countries as well as on cutting-edge research.International experts gave me the opportunity to spot thedifferences between theoretical and applied research. It was veryinteresting to see how environment governmental departmentsapproach the topic in contrast to pure research bodies. It could havebeen very difficult to learnt about all of this by myself”

Javier Gonzalez-Soria, EWB-Durham, on the IWA-Diffuse Pollution Conference in August 2008, Thailand

Sarah Ong (EWB-Cambridge), spent the springin the mountainous terrain of Tajikistan towork on an income generation project forlocals from yak down, partially supportedthrough an EWB-UK Bursary. The project wasa systematic evaluation of yak fibre processingchain, from harvest of raw fibre to garment.

"My stay there has changed my perspective onlife. From these people, I have learnt thedifference between a luxury and necessity.Earlier I would think that taking a shower is anecessity, now I think it's a luxury. I alsobelieve that the West can learn a lot fromthem - they know how to live with lessresources, and not out of choice but becausethey are forced"

• 8 in Africa • 7 in Asia • 4 in Europe • 4 in the Americas

A workshop for local farmers to work togetheron farming methods, Miriam Hanson, EWB-UKwith Project DIEEM in Cambodia

Branch Involvement

At the branch level, the Birmingham branch joined theBristol and Imperial branch as Review Panelists. Forthe first time, a training workshop was organised inLondon for the Review Panel students to ensure thatreviews remained consistent between branches and ofthe highest quality.

Looking Forward

Next year, applications for bursaries will be openthroughout the year, with the hope of making it moreaccessible to those applying for learning and researchbursaries. With an anticipated increase in applicationsanother student review panel will also be formed.

Rice-picking in Thailand, JavierGonzalez-Soria, EWB-Bursary recipient

Programme Area16

The Outreach Programme helps to enthuse young students in all countries about development issues and engineering through workshops and projects.

This year the Outreach Programme has jumped from being something in which one or two branchesdabble to a fully functioning national program involving seven EWB-UK branches. Highlights includeEWB-Edinburgh’s educational materials for teachers in developing countries, and EWB-Cardiff’s “Food forThought” workshop for EWB-UK volunteers. In the South, EWB-UK Oxford continued to develop and disseminate their “Water for the World” workshop for secondary school children, whilst students at theBristol branch used the Solar Car Project to demonstrate the potential of renewable energy!

National Workshops and Activities

Alongside the branch activities, two national workshops brought together students, NGOs, school teachers, and university staff. The workshops explored the drivers for Outreach and ended with the teamconcluding the main aim for EWB-UK’s Outreach: Inspire today’s youth to engineer a fairer future. Goingonwards to next year, Outreach for the first time has a national team who can help support branch projects and activities.

Outreach

EducationThe EWB-UK education programme is about exploring ways to bring together international development and all engineering students at university.

Global Citizens

Not everyone will choose to volunteer for the organisation or work in development engineering but EWB-UK hopes that all students will graduate as global citizens with a greater appreciation of the widerissues such as poverty and sustainability faced by the world today.

EWB-UK University Courses

International development can be a powerful tool for students to gain transferable skills that can be usedto supplement their technical knowledge in any career. This was one of the key points that led to thecollaboration with the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) in working to deliver a one day workshopfor RAEng Leadership Award students. EWB-UK volunteers have also been putting together materialbased on a Masters course on International Development given by Ingenieria Sin Fronteras Spain. Theworkshop is scheduled to take place in early 2009 and it is hoped that the material will also be used byuniversity lecturers in their curricula.

EWB-Bristol run a successful Water forthe World workshop at a local school

Investigating pico-hydro power at a school in the Phamongregion of Lethsotho as part of a summer research project

Programme Area 17

FundraisingThis year saw EWB-UK hit by far the biggest fundraising target ever and lay the groundwork for ourambitious plans for future growth. This year, EWB-UK secured the largest ever contributions from majorsponsors Anglo American, The Happold Trust, Arup and Mott MacDonald as well as an exciting new part-nership with Newton Industrial Consultants. In addition, EWB-UK gained significant ongoing support fromthe DFID DAF grant won in 2006-07. We also won grants from RIBA/ICE McAslan and CambridgeUniversity’s Active Community Fund, amongst others.

There was a major expansion in events and Branch level fundraising this year. There were plenty ofopportunities for our keen members to get involved from the 3 Peaks Challenge to EWB Cambridgewhitewater rafting, RAG street collections to the EWB Bristol Band Night – and there is sure to be muchmore of the same in the coming years.

Support Us18

EWB-UK is now working in partnership with a number of corporate institutions with great success fromboth sides. Specifically, in 2007-8, the EWB-UK worked with two new companies to find ways for staffand company to become involved with projects that serve the relief of poverty. Through our collaborationwith RedR, the water engineering firm, MWH, set up a grant scheme for graduate engineers selected onEWB-UK placements. Another engagement model was established by Newton Industrial Consultants whosupported three placements financially and through field visits by its consultants.

Benefits for our sponsors include:

• Giving key support to the growing community of students, academics and professionals contributing to• poverty alleviation through engineering

• Staff development through joining the Professional Network and participating in programme areas to•gain an understanding of project implementation and international development

• Recent graduate engineers can develop technical skills in projects that are low risk yet in a complex •• setting...and experienced engineers can reconnect to field work through project mentoring and • participation

• EWB-UK attracts high achieving engineering students and professionals who are passionate about • sustainable development. Our sponsors become well known and can tap into this selected pool

Corporate Engagement

Braving the 3 Peaks Challengeto fundraise for EWB-UK.Claire Davenport, Nikki Linsell,Rob Bushrod and Ed Thompson(EWB-Bristol)

"There is no doubt that engineering's youth has the energy andmotivation to help deliver the world from the shadows of pover-ty, as amply demonstrated by the activities of Engineers WithoutBorders UK" Prof Paul Jowett, ICE Brunel Lecture

Acknowledgements 19

Our ThanksSponsors 07-08

• Primary Sponsors

• Silver Sponsors

• Supporters

Newton Industrial Consultants, RIBA/ICE McAslan Bursary, Royal Academy of Engineering, University ofCambridge Active Community Fund, Darby Taylor Memorial Trust, Phyl and Hughie Williams CharitableTrust, Elmham Charitable Trust, Gifford, The University of Bristol Alumni Foundation, Durham UniversityCharities Kommittee, V3 Power, The Institution of Structural Engineers, and IDE UK.

Partners

And

PRODECI, Rural Centre for Human Interests, AIDECO, The Lao Institute for Renewable Energy, Nakruda,SIBAT, Esibayeni, PiD, Shelter Centre, Aptivate, CSE, ARTI, SELCO, LED, RECED, RUCHI, Shelter

Associates, NSET, REDES, ACTED, Sunseed, Developing Technologies and engINdia.

PeopleMark Buttle, Pat Conaty, Nick Pope, Martin McCann, Ian Steed, Jackie Clark, Peter Milloy, Patrick Godfrey,Susanna Wisborg, Andy Lloyd, Anne Bambridge, Phil Buckley, Tasha Cooper, Ian Blenkharn, CarrieWattling, Sarah Cruise, Margaret Underwood, Nick Lieven, Michael Fryer, Jane Wilson-Howarth, HayleySharp, Nigel Vaz, James Morton, John D'Arcy, Jan Davis, David Dalgado, Alexis Nethercleft, Peter Bentall,Ian McChesney, Thomas Whitworth, Tom Corfield, Erica Golland, Aran Eales, Priti Parikh, Bobby Lambert,Vicky Harris, Robin Cross, Sarah Gelpke, Tom Newby, Mohammad Ali, Kim & Beth Waterhouse, GinoHenry, Gordon Browne, John Howard, Charles Bane, Sanna Supponen, Jim Kennedy, Caroline Crook,Kate Crawford, David Sanderson, Ian Willis, Heather Cruickshank, Jignesh Parekh, Steve Jones, HaroonJunaidi, David Fulford, Mansoor Ali, Dave Howey, Ron Dennis, Mariel John, Pooja Wagh, Zareen Sethna,Andy Young, Hans Zandvliet and Andre Steele.

Student Hubs

Engineers Without Borders UK, c/o The Humanitarian Centre, Fenner’s, Gresham Road, Cambridge, CB1 2ES, UK

Website: www.ewb-uk.org Email: enquiries@ewb-uk.org Tel: +44 (0)1223 305 888 Fax: +44 (0)870 123 1905

Engineers Without Borders UK is registered in England and Wales and is limited by guarantee. Registered Company No.: 4856607. Registered Charity No. 1101849.

Walking the course of ahalf-finished hydro scheme, Sri Lanka. Alistair Grainger,

EWB-UK volunteer

Cover Photograph: Soil erosion is acute as can be seen by the exposed pump rod in Sagar Island, India. Deeper wellsavoid drinking water salinitation from frequent high tides flooding the island. Photo taking when volunteering for Waterfor People, Javier Gonazalez-Soria,EWB-UK volunteer