Tufts Engineers Without Borders continues to make a global impact

Across the country, student and professional chapters of Engineers Without Borders - USA work toward a more sustainable world. At Tufts, roughly 10% of the undergraduate engineering population is part of the Tufts chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) - a chapter that has been at Tufts for more than 20 years. Today, across all departments in the School of Engineering, approximately 140 students lend their skills to the club. “Joining EWB was a way for me to combine my values, skills, and experiences towards helping real people facing real problems on a daily basis. It has given me the opportunity to apply the theoretical skills I've learned while establishing valuable connections with my friends and the people that we work with,” shared environmental engineering student Olga Dernova, E26. This past summer, a dozen members traveled to Malawi and Ecuador to support clean water projects in local communities.  

Solobala, Malawi

Tufts EWB began working with the Chigumukire Primary and Secondary Schools in Malawi in 2017. They started by drilling a borehole on school grounds and expanded their work over subsequent visits to power the pump with solar energy and install a water tower to pipe handwashing stations throughout the schools. This summer, the group officially handed off the project to the school after several years of monitoring to ensure long-term success.

Now, they’re turning their sights to Makwelani and Solobala, where they visited for the first time in Summer 2024. This year, the team implemented a new 60-meter borehole to improve clean water access in these communities. They also surveyed the facilities at Kasupe Primary School in Makwelani to inform the design of a potential rainwater harvesting system for handwashing taps and a shower room for girls.

Tufts students and community members alike took great joy in seeing the pump start to work. “Cheers erupted as water flowed out of the spout,” recalled Lucie Rynne, E28, in a blog post on the Tufts EWB website. “Members of the community began to gather, continuing to celebrate as Mark, Sophie, Rashid, and a group of Solobala residents tested the pump themselves,” she wrote.

Participating in EWB gives students the chance to make and discuss real-world engineering decisions in the moment. For example, the drilled borehole had a high yield and was a good candidate for a mechanized distribution system, which would’ve made water collection easier for a select group of nearby community members. The group was faced with the decision to spend more money on mechanizing the first borehole or use that money to implement a different project that would reach more people, such as a second borehole nearby or the handwashing and shower project at Kasupe Primary School. 

The group opted to first work with Kasupe, ensuring that the school is well prepared for its new Standard 7 and 8 learners, especially the girls who have trouble attending school on their periods without proper facilities. Following this, they hope to drill more boreholes to reach even more people in the Group Village Head, with the idea that mechanization may be a good future project. Like their prior work in Solomoni, the group will continue to work closely with the community to maintain and improve their work in the coming years. 

Santa Estefanía de Malta Pura, Ecuador

Approximately 7,000 miles away from Malawi, on the Napo River in Ecuador, the work was just beginning for another Tufts EWB team. During their first visit to the country, the group assessed water quality to determine if they could help improve the aging water collection and distribution system in the village of Santa Estefanía de Malta Pura. The community currently relies on rainwater and an old, contaminated tap system connected to a stream near the village.

At the start of the trip, the group hiked through dense jungle to investigate the water system’s source. They collected water samples from various parts of the source including both tanks, a leak in the PVC pipe, and behind the dam. They measured flow rate in two locations in the original source and visited a potential future source site. Back in the village they collected samples from the Napo River and a running tap. Using equipment from Professor John Durant’s lab, the team tested the water for pH level, lead, mercury, bacteria, and turbidity.

While the lead and mercury levels were low, all the samples from the source and the nearby Napo River showed unsafe levels of E. Coli bacteria. “We all wish we could give them clean water now, but we have to take the information we gathered and work out a solution,” said Ecuador project co-lead Kana Suzuki, E26. They focused on recommending WASH measures to the community to mitigate risk in the meantime, such as boiling water before drinking.

Back at Tufts, the group is putting together a plan to implement an updated water catchment, treatment and distribution system. They will work with their partner non-governmental organization (Hombro a Hombro) and the local community to execute their plan in the coming years. “I joined EWB my freshman year because I wanted the opportunity to have a positive impact on real people facing real problems, especially related to water access,” reflected Dernova. After the trip, she and her teammates feel more motivated than ever to support clean water access for the community. 

Different communities, similar methods  

Classroom experiences and Tufts resources helped pave the way for both successful trips. GIS & Data Lab Services Manager Carolyn Talmadge helped set students up with ArcGIS technology, which allowed them to take photos, notes, and GPS data without internet access. The Ecuador group also consulted with faculty members who specialize in South and Central American studies to get a better sense of the area’s history and culture. Engineering courses such as Public Health Engineering (CEE52) provided a useful framework for the community-focused projects in Malawi and Ecuador. 

Building supportive relationships with the community is central to Tufts EWB’s philosophy. Both groups conducted dozens of household and school interviews to better understand the community’s needs. “We got to know the community members on a personal level, which increased my motivation to work hard to develop a water storage and treatment solution for them as soon as possible,” shared Dernova, who served as Ecuador team co-project lead. Alongside their partner organization (Joshua Orphan and Community Care), the Malawi group visited several different communities to get a wider picture of different ways of life throughout Group Village Head Makwelani which consists of 11 nearby villages.

Aside from their technical work, both groups spent time bonding with community members and appreciating the beauty of their respective countries. In Ecuador, the Tufts students visited several indigenous Kichwa communities and explored Baños, a city in central Ecuador. The Malawi group spent two days hiking the Zomba plateau and exploring Majete Wildlife Reserve. “I don’t know if I’m ever going to have the chance to go back to Malawi. Being able to see the beautiful nature there was an incredible opportunity,” said Will O’Connor, E28. 

Back at Tufts, the work continues

After an eye-opening summer, the students returned to Tufts with a fresh perspective. “Going on this trip really made me realize this is the kind of work I want to do. It’s shifted the kinds of jobs I’m applying for. It’s shifted how I want to spend my future,” said biomedical engineering student Ella Canas, E26. Malawi Project Lead Sophie Gawronski, E27, has already seen direct results, “I definitely got my internship because of the work I did with EWB,” she shared.

The group shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. The organization is forming new technical focus groups to develop expertise in areas like Computer Aided Design (CAD) and ArcGIS. In February, the club plans to host an event on the Tufts campus showcasing the work they accomplished over the summer and educating the Tufts community about the areas where they traveled.

As they look forward to continuing their work in Malawi and Ecuador, the members of the 2025 travel teams carry their memories of this summer’s trips. “Being in the community, interacting with the people, sharing laughs with the kids – the feeling I left with is one I can’t ever explain, but I only hope that everyone can experience something so moving in their lives,” wrote Suzuki.

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