About Us

About EWB

There are currently over 6.5 Billion people in the world. Of those, one quarter, do not have access to safe drinking water, adequate shelter, or reliable power. In addition, about one third of the world’s population, does not have basic sanitation, while or over half, do not have adequate access to information or communication. EWB is working to solve this seemingly insurmountable problem one community at a time.

Engineers Without Borders is a non-profit humanitarian organization that partners with developing communities around the world in order to enhance their quality of life. These partnerships become long-term relationships that develop a sense of cultural awareness, intellectual humility and global perspective for EWB members. They also provide developing communities with sustainable solutions that function according to the community's needs and wishes while being easily maintained on a long-term basis.

Project Selection

There are several factors that make communities ideal for EWB projects:

EWB chapters are encouraged to take on projects in areas where the chapter members have some sort of cultural and logistical contact, either through a local NGO, a family member, or contacts through other EWB chapters.
Community Social Structure: The more cohesive, organized and unified the community is, the more feasible projects are for EWB.
Last, but perhaps most importantly, EWB seeks to work with communities that want projects to happen. For projects to be sustainable, community members must be willing to extend critical input in terms of expressing their needs and desires, and also to take a sense of ownership for completed projects.

About Our Chapter

Engineers Without Borders at the University of Texas at Austin was founded in 2005. Presently we have over 70 active members and five projects underway. Two of these projects are in Mexico, one project is in Cameroon, Africa, and one is in Panama. Our chapter is young and burgeoning, so now is the time to get involved!