Engineers Without Borders Australia

Engineers Without Borders Australia (EWB) is a member-based, not-for-profit organisation with over 12 years experience in creating change through humanitarian engineering. EWB began as a small community of people passionate about improving the quality of life in disadvantaged communities through people-centred engineering. EWB Australia works through partnerships to build technical and professional capacity of local staff and organisations, institutions and the wider water and sanitation sector. We collaborate with strategic partners and leverage our own experience and strengths to explore innovative solutions to specific technical gaps in country. EWB has extensive expertise in recruiting, preparing, and supporting suitable technical Australian water professionals to work alongside professionals across technical sectors in complex, cross-cultural environments. EWB Australia has access to over one thousand members who hail from engineering and technical backgrounds and experiences, including senior- and mid-level professional engineers, graduate engineers and university students. We have experience sharing knowledge and building technical capacity and skills across technical sectors with international counterparts in South & South-East Asia. EWB has seconded over 100 technical professionals to work with EWB?s community partners on building and strengthening capacity at the individual, organisational and community levels. EWB Australia also has a core focus in the research, development and scale up of appropriate technologies in water, sanitation and renewable energy (including sanitation solutions such as biodigesters and assistive technologies to improve access to toilets). EWB Australia has experience working in 8 different countries, including: Cambodia, Vietnam, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Laos, India, Sri Lanka & Nepal.

Organisational Capability

• Recruitment of skilled technical and management Australian
• Design of technical capacity development projects
• Research and development of appropriate technologies in-country
• Community engagement and partnerships management
• In-country networking and relationships
• Knowledge-sharing through cross-sector engagement

Projects

WASH Technical capacity development programme
EWB Australia works with partners to strengthen the capacity and effectiveness of local NGOs to improve rural communities’ access to appropriate and sustainable WASH solutions. In our Timor-Leste programme in 2014 alone, EWB mentored 12 staff of local WASH NGOs in 2 districts in technical surveys, feasibility studies, monitoring, inspecting and repairing infrastructure, and computer software, resulting in new and improved water supply systems and inclusive school toilet facilities being constructed in more than 10 villages reaching approximately 6,500 people.
Increasing access to Biodigesters
Following initial design and consultation, a controlled trial and prototyping of 30 biodigester systems was undertaken to refine the design in preparation for scaling the technology to achieve greater impact. Key findings from the testing and design phase included: time reductions in collecting wood; 92% satisfaction rate for the appropriateness of the technology; improved health outcomes; and Bioslurry fertiliser highly valuable for agriculture needs. EWB aims to install 2,500 Biodigester systems by 2018 – reaching 15,000 Cambodians.
Sanitation in Challenging Environments (SCE)
The SCE initiative aims to facilitate the sharing of experiences and knowledge in developing sanitation solutions appropriate for poor communities living in environments that are prone to flooding, on floating villages or in areas of hard rock. This initiative in Cambodia brings together our long-term partner organisations (RainWater Cambodia, Wetlands Work!, WaterAid, Live & Learn) and key stakeholders in the WASH sector to share knowledge and experience to improve sanitation options in a niche area of need that is largely unaddressed. The SCE initiative has gained support from the Ministry for Rural Development in the Cambodian WASH National Action Plan.
Assistive Technologies
The objective of the WASH programme is to empower communities through collaboration with WASH and Disability sector organisations to develop assistive device technologies and products for safe and hygienic access to sanitation and water, and creating livelihood opportunities for people with disabilities through Sanitation Marketing approaches.
Water Safety Planning (WSP)
In 2014, EWB Australia and its partner RainWater Cambodia (RWC) developed and piloted a healthcare-specific WSP to improve WASH facilities in 8 pilot rural health centres, creating a universal tool for risk assessment and WASH improvement. In 2012, EWB worked in partnership with the Nepali NGO Nepal Water for Health (NEWAH) and WaterAid Nepal to develop a WSP methodology suited to rural, community-managed water supply systems. Three pilot projects were undertaken incorporating community based hazard management into the traditional World Health Organization (WHO) and Nepali Department of Water Supply and Sewerage WSP approaches.