Can Ontario engineers make a difference in the lives of some of the poorest people in the world? Engineers Without Borders (EWB) volunteers would say, emphatically, yes. And the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers would agree.

OSPE has supported the important work of EWB since 2001. Now, we are pleased to announce that we will be continuing to strengthen that relationship with more participation and increased joint initiatives.

“The Ontario Society of Professional Engineers is proud to support Engineers Without Borders,” said OSPE President and Chair Annette M. Bergeron, MBA, P.Eng., “For many decades, engineers have been improving the quality of life for people in Ontario. EWB is proving that we can now take that expertise and help dramatically improve the quality of life in developing communities worldwide.”

Engineers Without Borders is a registered Canadian charity that helps people in developing communities gain access to basic engineering technologies that can reduce poverty, hunger and disease. By sharing their expertise in areas such as water and sanitation, food production, and affordable energy, EWB volunteers can have a lasting impact on those most in need. In the past three years, EWB has sent more than 110 young Canadian engineers to work on 45 projects in 25 countries.

Kathleen Yung, for example, is a University of Waterloo alumna who worked as an engineer in municipal government before deciding to spend time overseas. Kathleen has now spent a year working in rural Zambia with local entrepreneurs. By supporting the manufacture and implementation of the treadle pump – a simple, inexpensive, local technology – Kathleen is helping to greatly improve the small-scale irrigation options in the region.

As the advocacy organization for more than 65,000 professional engineers across Ontario, OSPE is committed to building a more prominent and positive profile for the engineering profession. By supporting and promoting EWB and its activities, we can continue to show our fellow citizens that the expertise and compassion of engineers has a dramatic impact on life at home and abroad.

“We are very excited about partnering with OSPE,” says George Roter, co-CEO of EWB. “As the charity of choice for engineers, EWB is thrilled to have such a strong declaration of support from the profession.”
Stay tuned to Society Notes and the OSPE website for more details on our joint initiatives with Engineers Without Borders. For more information on EWB, visit www.ewb.ca.