An endeavor that began when members of Arizona State University's student chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) connected with a Kenyan doctoral student has earned one of three 2014 Premier Project Awards from the national EWB-USA organization. The chapter was recognized at National Engineers Week, Feb. 16-22, for its work to design and construct sustainable water infrastructure in a rural Kenyan community, one of hundreds of projects that EWB-USA considered.
Since learning of the potable water scarcity in this region, fifteen chapter members have made one or more of four trips to the Bondo-Rarieda community of rural Kenya over the past three summers. These students used their engineering skills to construct systems for collecting and storing potable water, including a rainwater catchment facility. In addition to providing technical solutions, they worked to educate the community and ensure that its residents could maintain the sustainable water infrastructure independently. As a result of these improvements, residents of Bondo-Rarieda are now able to store water for use during the region’s extensive dry season.