by approximately 200 chapters across the United States, partnering directly with
communities in the United States and around the world to meet their self-identified
needs (Fig. 2.1). Of these types of projects, approximately 11 percent are of the
sanitation discipline, primarily of the latrine type. The most common type of
engineering needs identified by local community partners relate to water supply,
which is part and parcel of any sanitation project. With our long-term commitments,
EWB-USA is perfectly poised to address sanitation at a holistic level.
EWB-USA currently has four country offices, including the United States,
Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Uganda, and is transitioning to a field office model to
increase overall impact. These field offices have enabled increased support directly
to local partners and allowed completion of long-term monitoring and evaluation of
our work. EWB-USA programming has expanded to address underserved communities here in our own backyard, through the Community Engineering Corps program. Visit the EWB-USA website for more information about our work.
Our approach to development is based on long-term partnerships with communities and local partners including nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and local
governments who help support the communities and the projects with which
EWB-USA assists. We work together to develop solutions to improve the health
of communities through safe collection of human excreta, proper wastewater disposal, hygiene education, and waste management training.
Our mission is not to provide access to sanitation facilities as quickly as possible.
Rather, it is to make sure that those implemented projects have greater sustainability,
so that we move away from the long history of failed development projects.
Therefore, it is essential to acknowledge that there is no one-size-fits-all solution
for a community’s water, sanitation, and other basic needs. The geographic, cultural,
and political fabric of each community we partner with is unique, which is why our
engineering solutions are unique, too.
Fig. 2.1 Map of EWB-USA project locations
2 Village-Driven Latrines with “Engineers Without Borders USA”
41
communities in the United States and around the world to meet their self-identified
needs (Fig. 2.1). Of these types of projects, approximately 11 percent are of the
sanitation discipline, primarily of the latrine type. The most common type of
engineering needs identified by local community partners relate to water supply,
which is part and parcel of any sanitation project. With our long-term commitments,
EWB-USA is perfectly poised to address sanitation at a holistic level.
EWB-USA currently has four country offices, including the United States,
Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Uganda, and is transitioning to a field office model to
increase overall impact. These field offices have enabled increased support directly
to local partners and allowed completion of long-term monitoring and evaluation of
our work. EWB-USA programming has expanded to address underserved communities here in our own backyard, through the Community Engineering Corps program. Visit the EWB-USA website for more information about our work.
Our approach to development is based on long-term partnerships with communities and local partners including nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and local
governments who help support the communities and the projects with which
EWB-USA assists. We work together to develop solutions to improve the health
of communities through safe collection of human excreta, proper wastewater disposal, hygiene education, and waste management training.
Our mission is not to provide access to sanitation facilities as quickly as possible.
Rather, it is to make sure that those implemented projects have greater sustainability,
so that we move away from the long history of failed development projects.
Therefore, it is essential to acknowledge that there is no one-size-fits-all solution
for a community’s water, sanitation, and other basic needs. The geographic, cultural,
and political fabric of each community we partner with is unique, which is why our
engineering solutions are unique, too.
Fig. 2.1 Map of EWB-USA project locations
2 Village-Driven Latrines with “Engineers Without Borders USA”
41