Engineers Without Borders
Proposal to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Rosene
Engineers Without Borders – University of Minnesota Chapter Website: ewb-umn.org
Proposed by:
Kelly Stifter (Fundraising Officer 2012-2013) Email: stift032@umn.edu
Sam Ehrenberg (President 2013-2013)
Email: ehren021@umn.edu
EWB-USA UMN: At a Glance
Engineers Without Borders at the University of Minnesota (EWB-USA UMN) was
founded in 2005 by a group of motivated Civil Engineering students interested in
international development. Since its inception, our chapter has grown into one of
the largest and most successful student chapters of EWB-USA, with over 60
student members and a multitude of past project implementations.
Upcoming
Projects
Uganda
-May 2013 Implementation
-$95,000 over 2 years
Guatemala
-Summer 2013 Implementation
-$40,000 over 2 years
Honduras
-Summer 2013 Assessment
-$20,000 over 2 years
Total 2 year Budget:
$155,000
Most notably, EWB-USA UMN has sent teams of students over collegiate breaks to
implement a total of ten international projects, regarding issues of safe, reliable
supplies of water and improved sanitation.
EWB-USA UMN grants opportunities for aspiring engineering students to directly
apply technical learning in order to solve practical, challenging problems with
measurable impact, and to gain first-hand awareness of various global issues.
Private support like yours makes implementation of EWB projects at the University
of Minnesota possible. Thank you.
Uganda – Large and Small Scale Rainwater Harvesting
Since the Uganda program’s inception in 2007, the team has completed many
successful projects including two large scale rainwater harvesting systems, a
groundwater system, micro-irrigation, cookstoves, and a solar power system.
The most recent success of the Uganda project was the completion of a largescale rainwater harvesting system for a primary school over winter break, which
was started on a previous implementation in June 2012. The system consists of
two masonry block tanks, one large and one small, which are fed by a gutter
and first flush system. The system was officially handed over to the community
and their water board, and the team has high hopes that it will be providing
clean water for students and their families for years to come.
Looking ahead, the Uganda project has two goals for the future. One is to return
to Hope Integrated Academy, a school that EWB has previously partnered with,
in order to renovate a set of unused latrines into a bathing facility for the
students. The second is to partner with a new school and further the team’s
experience and expertise by designing and building another large-scale
rainwater harvesting system. These plans will require $15,000 for travel this
summer in order to implement the bathing facility, and $30,000 for next summer
implement another rainwater harvesting system.
On the trip during January 2013, the team was fortunate to build strong ties with
the surrounding community of Bugonzi. Water is their main concern, and they
wanted to have rainwater harvesting technology available for individual
households. The team has worked hard to design an innovative, sustainable
solution that is affordable for the families of the community. A trip is planned for
May 2013 in order to implement two pilot systems. This initial trip will cost about
$20,000.
After that initial trip, the team hopes to return two more times, once in January
2014 and once during summer 2014. On these trips the team will oversee the
implementation of more systems, and monitor the performance of the
previously implemented systems in order to ensure that they are functioning
properly and as efficiently as possible. Both of these trips will cost
approximately $15,000.
As you can see, the Uganda project has been busy. In order to fund this
productivity, a total of $95,000 will be needed over the next two years.
Student contributions for this project are $750 per traveling student per trip.
Guatemala – Dam Repair and Improvements
“To me, the EWB
experience is one that
ignites passion, stimulates
knowledge, and challenges
innovation in the minds of
involved students. Upon
joining EWB, students feel
a sense of purpose; as if
the education path they are
engrossing themselves in
will be able to be put to use
for the greater good.”
- Ashley Marcott
Honduras Project Lead
(2011-2012)
“I saw poverty up close, and
I realized how possible it
was for me, even as a
student, to reduce the
poverty, hunger, and fear
that ravishes the 80% of the
world that lives below the
poverty line.”
-Isaac Murphy
Guatemala Project Lead
(2012-2013)
In 2010, the Guatemala project built a rainwater harvesting system for a school in
Simajuleu, Guatemala. Prior to the construction of this system, school children were
required to bring water in order to attend school. As the homes in this community often
see water only once out of every three days, this requirement forced many children to
miss out on the opportunity of a proper education. The rainwater harvesting system
brought enough water to the school so that the water requirement was ended. To
ensure sustainability of the system, the team returned in August 2011 to improve an inline chlorinator, and add a filtration system and a gutter/piping expansion.
While in country, the team also visited the new community of Agua Caliente in order to
scout out a potential new project. In March and August 2012, the project completed a
full assessment, determining which part of an existing agricultural water system needed
the most immediate repair. It was determined that one of the irrigation impoundments
was in danger of collapsing in the near future, so it is imperative that in August 2013 the
group travels to Agua Caliente in order to build reinforcements for the impoundment
before complete structural failure. The cost for this trip will be $25,000.
After the impoundment is stabilized, the group plans to improve the ram pumps,
allowing them to pump more water farther, allowing more fields to be added to the
system. The team hopes to take a short trip to Guatemala to teach the community about
the improvements in January 2014. This trip would cost approximately $7,000. After this
improvement the group plans on taking another assessment in May 2014 to farther
assess the next impoundment to be reinforced. This trip would cost approximately
$8,000. This amounts to $40,000 over the next two years.
Student contributions for this project are $400 per traveling student per trip.
Honduras – Water Source Assessment
Beginning in 2007 our group began working with the MN Professional chapter of
EWB on a water distribution system in Sulaco, Honduras. The students branched off
of this project in 2012, and began communicating with the community of Carizal,
Honduras to determine the feasibility of a proposed water distribution system in
Carizal. The Honduras project plans to travel during summer 2013 to gather data,
assess the potential project site, and begin forming a connection with the
community.
Costs for the Honduras project are an estimated $5,000 for summer 2013
assessment and $15,000 in order to implement the proposed project, for a total of
$20,000 over the next two years.
Student contributions for this project are $400 per traveling student per trip.
Our Proposal
We respectfully ask the Rosene Family to continue to support EWB-USA UMN
in the next two years by considering a gift of $23,250. We are proud to note
that your gift will not be used in any amount to cover general operational costs
of our organization, all of which is financed through other means.
Your gift will cover approximately 15% of our total project costs for all three
programs over the next two years. This includes travel, equipment, and
material purchases.
We appreciate your continued support of this transformative experience at the
University of Minnesota. Thank you for your time and consideration.