Engineers Without Borders – USA
Colorado Springs Professionals Chapter
A non-profit volunteer humanitarian organization
WHO IS Engineers Without Borders – USA?
Catherine A. Leslie, P.E.
Executive Director
EWB-USA
Ella Levy
Development Coordinator
EWB-USA
Dr. Bernard Amadei
Founder, EWB-USA
Professor of Civil Engineering
University of Colorado - Boulder
Kelly Latham, P.E.
Project Manager
EWB-USA
Doug Frisbie, Rotary Coordinator;
Administrative and Volunteer
Services Manager
Colleen O’Holleran
Chapter Relations Manager
EWB-USA
WHAT IS EWB-USA’s
HISTORY?
• EWB Founder Professor Bernard Amadei connected with a landscaper working in his
backyard in 2001. He invited Dr. Amadei to visit his village in San Pablo, Belize. Dr. Amadei
made a site visit and observed a village with no running water, electricity or sanitation. Little
children carried water all day long from a nearby river. “I knew that, as a civil engineer, there
had to be something I could do.”
• Dr. Amadei returned to San Pablo in May of 2001 with eight CU engineering students.
Working with the local community, they installed a clean water system powered by a local
waterfall. Simple, sustainable, and low-cost, the entire project was completed for $14,000.
• As he harnessed the power of water, Dr. Amadei decided to harness the power of student
engineers to complete similar low-tech, high-impact projects in other developing countries.
The result: Engineers Without Borders-USA.
• EWB-USA was officially incorporated in June 2002. There are now 12,000 members and
250 chapters.
All EWB-USA projects are conducted through chapters
All projects have a P.E. overseeing the technical design of the project.
Kelly Latham, P.E.
Project Manager
EWB-USA
EWB-USA Projects
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We work with more than 100 communities worldwide.
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Project costs: $15 - $35K
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Avg project: 12-15 volunteers
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Travel teams: 4-8 volunteers.
EWB Sustainable Development projects:
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water supply and sanitation
food production and processing
housing and construction
energy, transportation, and communication
income generation
employment creation
WHO IS the Engineers Without Borders Colorado Springs Professionals chapter (EWB-COS)???
 President: Sean Keefe
 Vice-President: Pete Eisele
 Treasurer: John Marcotte
 Project Lead: Nicole Mosby
 Former President: Matt Grimes
 Mentor: David Longrie
WHO IS the Engineers Without Borders Colorado Springs Professionals chapter (EWB-COS)???
 Established chapter in 2008: Matt Grimes, David Longrie,
Nicole Mosby, Derek Phipps
 13 members as of August 17, 2009
 Fundraising in 2009 (grants, corporate donations)
 Successful assessment trip to Suncallo, Bolivia in May 2009
EWB – Colorado Springs
Professional Chapter
Suncallo, Bolivia Project
Suncallo Community, Comacho Province, Tajani Canton
Project Location: 15 ◦39′ 51″ S, 68 ◦58′ 34″ W
Elevation: 4,042m
The Community
The Aymara Indian culture predates the Inca Empire and is
geographically located in the
Titicaca Highlands of Bolivia
and Peru.
Although some modernization
has occurred in Suncallo, the
lives of these rural people still
reflect the ancient ways of their
ancestors.
A purely agrarian society, they survive
primarily though sheep ranching and
subsistence farming of potato and beans.
The rugged Andean mountain land has
been farmed and grazed for centuries,
creating significant challenges for
agricultural production and natural
resource management.
Region Map: Suncallo, Bolivia Project
Location Map: Suncallo, Bolivia Project
Project Location: 15 ◦39′ 51″ S, 68 ◦58′ 34″ W Elevation: 4,042 m
Lake Titicaca
Suncallo is located 16 kilometers east of Lake Titicaca in the
Bolivian Altiplano—a flat region that lies between the eastern and
western cordilleras of the vast Andes mountain chain.
Lake Titicaca
SITE MAP: The community sits in rugged, mountainous terrain at 4000
meters. It is spread out about 1.6 kilometers along the hillside.
Lake Titicaca
SITE PHOTOS: The Suncallo community is spread out along the hillside.
May 2009 Assessment Trip - Suncallo, Bolivia
The first stage of a planned aqueduct system for drinking water
and sanitation for the Suncallo community.
Participants:
 3 members of the EWB-Colorado Springs Professionals chapter (EWB-COS)
 3 members of the EWB-Air Force Academy Student chapter (EWB-AFA)
 4 members of Tulsa-based Engineers In Action (EIA)
 And the entire Suncallo, Bolivia community!
May 2005 Bolivia Assessment Trip Team
Matt Grimes, President
EWB-COS
Nicole Mosby, Project Leader
EWB-COS
Derek Phipps, Team Member
EWB-COS
Tess O’Neil, Team Member
EWB-AFA
Marc Henning, Team Member
EWB-AFA
Amanda Johnson, Team Member
EWB-AFA
Dr. Ruben Mamani, Consultant
EIA
Mike Keyse, Team Coordinator
EIA
Wilson, Translator
EIA
Catalina, Cook
EIA
ASSESSMENT TRIP SUMMARY
The site assessment trip allowed us to initiate a relationship with the community, as we
collected engineering data to more accurately define the scope of the project.
The Suncallo community leaders identified their top priorities:
 Increasing the capacity of the present drinking water system in order to provide service
to the entire community
 Developing a solution for community sanitation
ASSESSMENT TRIP SUMMARY
Sanitation
There is only a small pit latrine inside a small brick building near the school. The latrine
has 4 stalls with a hole in the concrete floor and 2 showers. Obviously, this is inadequate
for a community of 55 families.
Latrine
Bathhouse
Shower
ASSESSMENT TRIP SUMMARY
Guided by community leaders, EWB teams:
1) Walked the route of a proposed pipeline/aqueduct system
2) Took GPS coordinate data along the proposed pipeline transect
3) Examined the 2 spring-fed water sources...
ASSESSMENT TRIP SUMMARY
4) ...Took water samples and measured intake flow rates at the two springs with existing
PVC inflow pipelines
5) Examined the existing condition of the PVC pipeline and its structural support across
wide ravines
6) Installed a weir and measured stream flows along the valley floor
7) Documented agriculture and irrigation techniques
8) Collected and analyzed soil samples
ASSESSMENT TRIP SUMMARY
http://ewbcos.org/
ASSESSMENT TRIP SUMMARY
During the assessment trip, we accomplished another important goal:
to establish a respectful relationship with the community.
The public festival in honor of the “Ingenieros” also helped build a sense of friendship
and fellowship.
Next steps for EWB-COS chapter:
 Raise project funds
 Get training (Village Earth)
 Do preliminary design on new pipeline
 Start thinking about the educational portion of the project
 Plan a 2010 Assessment Trip
 Gather new professional chapter members
 Establish partnerships with other NGOs
EWB-USA Chapter Projects: Examples
EWB – Univ. of Missouri Science & Technology Student Chapter
Bolivia Water & Latrine project (06:24)
 EWB - CU Boulder Student Chapter Rwanda project (03:10)
 EWB-Johnson
Space center BYOB water projects in Rwanda & Mexico (05:25)
Engineers, geographers, teachers, medical professionals...
Together, we can make a difference for future generations!