Engineers in Action
Many communities throughout the world struggle daily with basic quality of life issues; potable water, sanitation, roads, bridges, dams, electricity and other luxuries we take for granted. Thousands of Bolivian Children die each day from diarrhea and other water-born diseases. — Engineers in Action helps facilitate sustainable solutions to meet these urgent needs.
“We don’t build the wells, we build the partnerships that build the wells.”
Our native Bolivian engineers travel to local communities to identify needs, developing project proposals for water pumps, wells, eco-latrines, bridges, waste treatment, irrigation and other projects. And then we bring together powerful partnerships between US groups like Engineers Without Borders, US Rotary Groups, and US Engineering Universities; along with organizations in Bolivia such as Habitat for Humanity/Bolivia, the Bolivian and/or Japanese Governments support; and most importantly the local community itself to build a powerful coalition to bring a dramatic and PERMANENT improvement in the quality of life for these the poorest of the poor.
Logistical support services
We support US engineering teams traveling to Bolivia from the moment they step off the plane. Our full-time staff provides the tools, housing, and logistical support to complete these crucial projects.
Sustainability – our most critical support for you
Engineers Without Borders Chapters, US Rotary Clubs, US Schools of Engineering, all struggle with Sustainability issues. Training a couple of young, intelligent, aggressive young men in the community in how to properly operate a piece of infrastructure and how to maintain it is simply not enough! What happens to young, intelligent, aggressive you men in these communities? They move to the city, taking their knowledge of usage and maintenance of a piece of equipment with them. Besides, sometimes things break that are beyond simple maintenance issues. What do you do then? Bolivia and the whole Developing World is littered with well-meaning, well-designed abandoned engineering projects.
Engineers In Action is made up of native Bolivian engineers who will go to the village and train and retrain the villagers on proper usage and maintenance. We make frequent return visits to make sure all is working well. And if something major goes wrong, the community knows to contact us, and we will get it fixed.
Recent Testimonials
Recently I went to the EWB International Conference in Louisville, KY. Throughout the weekend I consistently heard teams talk of their in-country NGO and how frustrating they can be. Most of the time the NGO’s were non-responsive, did not do anything besides introduce the team to the community, and/or they were only temporary volunteers that were only spending a couple of years in the country. Many of the problems the teams were experiencing could have been prevented if only they had an active NGO that had the resources to help, like EIA. Engineers in Action is still a new organization, but we are getting a good reputation. Many people had heard of how good of an NGO we are and I want to take the time to tell you all that I am extremely honored to be a part of Engineers in Action and incredibly proud of all the hard work that our staff puts in every day. You all are doing a great job!!
Rebecca Ward, P.E.
Civil Engineer
March 2011
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Application Review Committee for EWB-USA
Referring to EIA’s application for San Antonio de Lomerio to be accepted as an open program with EWB-USA: “Might be the best thought out and prepared 501 submittal I have seen over the years of my EWB ARC reviewing experience.” --Spring 2011
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EWB-Colorado Springs Professional Chapter – May 13, 2010
Greetings, I was writing to let David Stephenson know about the fine work his team on the ground in Bolivia is doing! I just returned from Suncallo, Bolivia on an EWB trip that was supported by Ruben, Marcos and Wilson. All three did a fantastic job of supporting our group and went way beyond the their nominal roles of providing logistical and translation services. They really helped us understand the culture, hosted us day and night throughout our time in Bolivia, and did everything they could to make our visit, and project, successful. I think EIA’s mission as an enabler for incoming project teams is very powerful and I look forward to returning for the implementation phase of the project and working with your organization again. Best wishes for continued success, – John Marcotte EWB-Colorado Springs Professional Chapter.