Projects
 KenyaIn the summer of 2008, four UW students and an adviser traveled to Orongo, Kenya for its first assessment trip. The group lived in the community itself, truly experiencing their way of life to attempt to learn first hand the most pressing issues facing the community. This 3,000 person village has expressed a desire to improve its water quality, agricultural techniques and agro-forestry production. This group has continued to travel twice a year and works with the community on developing low-cost sustainable solutions to these needs. | |
 RwandaThis year we conducted several trips to re-assess the current needs of the communities. We found that their most urgent need was for more agricultural education. Over 90% of Rwandans are subsistence farmers, this means that a small increase in production can be make the difference to parents struggling to feed their children, or to allow families more time to make crafts or other commodities to sell at the market. We met with a local school and learned that a landslide had severed their main water pipeline. We are currently working to install a rainwater catchment system to provide water in the short-term for cleaning classrooms and latrines while another group works with the local government to fix the pipeline. On top of that, a local clinic came to us during our most recent trip and asked for help in building more patient rooms to prevent the spread of disease and provide more personal space for families who regularly come to care for sick members. | |
 El SalvadorOur group is teaming with Rotary International to construct a wastewater collection system in two communities in El Salvador. Along with construction, two very important aspects of the project are educational workshops that teach local children and community members basic sanitation and health practices, as well as water testing to assess the pathogens that threaten the health of community members. This semester, our group will be preparing educational materials, workshops, and designs in order to continue construction over winter break 2008-2009. There are many ways to get involved in our group and lots of work to be done, so come join us! | |
 HaitiAfter the assessment trip in June 2008, the Haiti Project team is looking at several projects for the upcoming semester: -Designing a material efficient concrete beam/roof for widespread use in the community -Building a hydro electric generator at the water source to bring electricity to the community -Building a Health Clinic (Sustainable and efficient design) -Creating a surveying course/class for the community. Community members can then help further the upcoming projects with the data they collect | |
 DomesticEWB UW-Madison has partnered with the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in a long-term project that aims to provide groundwater drainage and stormwater management infrastructure. Collaborations with other UW departments and Schools include the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture as well as the School of Pharmacy students from both groups have worked with the Red Cliff Tribe in the past and we hope to continue their projects as part of an inclusive group. There was an initial assessment trip in early August where students collected land surveying data and met with prominent members in the Red Cliff community. A second assessment trip is being planned for November where additional data will be collected on groundwater levels in areas with flooding history. This project is assisted by Prof. Kenneth Potter in Water Resource Engineering. | |