The goal of the EWB Local Project this year is design a mobile relief vehicle, whose purpose is to help keep persons who may be homeless, or survivors of major natural disasters dignified and healthy by providing regular hygiene upkeep. Toward this end the Local team would like to survey people in the local community who have: survived a natural disaster, is or has ever been homeless, or works with people who fall into the prior categories. Our ultimate goal is to get feedback from these demographics to come up with the best design that will service them.

India Project

The EWB India Project is an interdisciplinary endeavor to help improve the quality of life and education at Riverside Adventist Academy in Meghalaya, India. We are currently working to redesign the dorm roofs, sewage system, and water supply. Though each of these areas rely heavily on engineering expertise, the most challenging part of the project is interfacing with the local people and culture to ensure that our work not only matches their needs but also meshes with the local mindset. The drinking water situation on the campus is particularly challenging. The students, along with a number of faculty, prefer to drink water out of a shallow rainwater well on the campus. This well has been tested in the past and is known to contain various contaminants such as E.coli. The locals have developed a resistance to the bacteria and no longer experience immediate illness after drinking the water. We are concerned that they do not understand the long-term health risks associated with drinking contaminated water. There are a few that understand the health consequences, but they still choose to drink the water because it tastes better than cleaner alternatives. We need to develop a water treatment solution and, most importantly, find a creative way to help them drink the clean water instead of the good-tasting contaminated water.

Peru Project

The next official international project for Walla Walla University's (WWU) chapter of EWB will be right next door to the last official EWB project in the Andes Mountains of Peru. In June 2017, WWU-EWB completed installation of over 76 solar energy systems for the community of Japura, Peru. Our new project with the community of Labramani consists of about 10 families seeking solar energy systems. We need a wide variety of skills, so students from both engineering and non-engineering departments are encouraged to apply. Ensuring the long-term sustainability of the project will require help from business and marketing specialists to craft economic sustainability models and to help with fundraising efforts. The team is also looking for project team members who can help us document the work we do with video, photography, journalism and social media marketing skills. Social work / Sociology majors who speak Spanish