Mission of missions

Organizations offer civil and structural engineers opportunities to serve throughout the world.

Following is a list of non-profit organizations that may offer opportunities for civil and structural engineers to apply their knowledge, skills, and experience in short- and long-term projects serving poor or developing areas around the world, or to support disaster recovery or aid efforts related to civil and structural engineering. The list provides basic information gleaned from each organization’s website. Those seeking service opportunities or desiring to support such activities should contact the appropriate organizations directly for additional information.

ASCE Disaster Assistance Volunteer Program (https://ciasce.asce.org/asce-disaster-assistance-volunteer-program) is an effort by the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Committee on Critical Infrastructure to develop a directory of members interested and available to participate in disaster management activities (planning, preparedness, response, and recovery) in the event of natural and man-made disasters requiring engineers for planning, damage assessment, and rebuilding efforts. The directory may be made available upon request to qualified parties including local, state, and federal agencies.

Build Change (www.buildchange.org) designs disaster-resistant houses and schools in emerging nations and trains builders, homeowners, engineers, and government officials to build them. The group uses detailed housing subsector studies to determine the most cost-effective ways of building earthquake-resistant houses using materials and skills that are available through the local private sector. Build Change leverages the knowledge and skills of the best engineers and architects in the world — both in the U.S. and the developing world — to apply the best designs and design thinking to reconstruction efforts while sticking to a carefully compiled list of criteria for local sustainability and acceptance.

As part of the firm’s TT Gives Back initiative, a team of 10 Thornton Tomasetti engineers from six offices traveled to Boca de Lura in Panama’s Coclé Province for an international service mission, partnering with Bridges to Prosperity to help provide a crucial passage over the Lura River for area residents. Photo: Max Ducey

Bridges to Prosperity (www.bridgestoprosperity.org) teaches communities how to build footbridges over impassable rivers, in partnership with organizations and professionals. State-of-the-art technologies are fused with local construction techniques to develop locally appropriate bridge designs and material alternatives. Project sites also are considered training grounds to help local communities eliminate poverty caused by isolation from health care, education, and market opportunities.

Bridging the Gap Africa (www.bridgingthegapafrica.org) works with marginalized groups in sub-Saharan Africa to build bridges that provide people with safe crossings of dangerous rivers, gullies, and ravines that threaten their safety, limit their access to education and health care, and restrict economic opportunity. Using materials that are accessible in Kenya, the organization works with community leaders to involve local men and women in gathering sand and rock for the bridge footings and in raising their portion of the cost to build their footbridge. Then, utilizing local labor and volunteers, Bridging the Gap Africa provides technical expertise and financial assistance to design and construct a safe and secure pedestrian footbridge.

Community Engineering Corps (www.communityengineeringcorps.org), an alliance between ASCE, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and Engineers Without Borders USA (EWB-USA), uses the expertise of volunteer engineers to help underserved communities in the United States that do not have the resources to access engineering services meet their infrastructure needs and improve each community member’s quality of life.

El Porvenir (EP; www.elporvenir.org) assists people in rural communities in Nicaragua to improve their living standards through sustainable development in clean water, sanitation, health education, and watershed management. EP has 25 years of experience helping rural Nicaraguan communities build appropriate technology (wells, latrines, community washing stations, and fuel-efficient stoves), as well as providing communities with the tools they need to manage their water, sanitation, and forestry resources. Service groups spend the majority of their time (one to two weeks) working alongside villagers on sustainable development projects.

Engineering Ministries International (EMI;https://emiworld.org/us) is a Christian development organization that designs facilities that serve the poor in developing countries, including hospitals, orphanages, schools, and clean water projects. To produce its designs, EMI blends its team of in-house project managers with volunteer architects, engineers, land surveyors, and construction managers recruited from around the world. Volunteers donate their time and travel costs. Since 1982, EMI has worked on more than 1,000 relief and development projects in more than 90 countries.

Engineers for a Sustainable World (www.eswglobal.org) mobilizes students and professionals through education, technical projects, and collaborative action to impact local and global sustainability challenges. Boasting 50 chapters, predominately at universities across North America, as well as a network of professionals interested in sustainability, ESW is involved in sustainability promotion and development activities on university campuses and in projects across the world.

Engineering for Change (www.engineeringforchange.org) prepares, educates, and activates the international engineering workforce to improve the quality of life of underserved communities around the world by providing resources and platforms that accelerate development of impactful solutions and ensure public health and safety.

Engineers Without Borders (EWB; www.ewb-usa.org) partners with developing communities worldwide to improve their quality of life. This partnership involves implementation of sustainable engineering projects while involving and training internationally responsible engineers and engineering students. EWB-USA, with more than 14,700 members, is involved in projects — including water, renewable energy, and sanitation — in 43 developing countries. These projects are completed in partnership with local communities and non-governmental organizations.

GISCorps (www.giscorps.org) is an Urban and Regional Information Systems Association program that coordinates short-term, volunteer-based GIS services to underprivileged communities. GISCorps seeks to help improve life quality by supporting humanitarian relief, enhancing environmental analysis, encouraging/fostering economic development, supporting community planning and development, strengthening local capacity by adopting and using information technology, and supporting health- and education-related activities through the effective use of spatial information technologies.

Global Water (www.globalwater.org) is a volunteer-based, international humanitarian organization focused on providing safe water supplies, sanitation and hygiene facilities, and related health programs for rural villagers in developing countries. Global Water’s Rural Outreach Water Supply Program works with local, non-governmental organizations in a developing country to identify suitable water projects and to provide specialty water-related equipment, technical expertise, and partial funding. Global Water may assemble Water and Technical Emergency Response (WATER) Teams to perform project work during emergency events such as natural disasters.

Habitat for Humanity (www.habitat.org) is an ecumenical Christian ministry that seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. The organization invites people of all backgrounds, races, and religions to build houses together in partnership with families in need. Habitat for Humanity works worldwide and has helped more than 5 million people construct, rehabilitate, or preserve homes since 1976. Its Disaster Response program also works with local communities to address a variety of housing needs after natural disasters.

International Code Council (ICC) Disaster Response Network (www.disasterresponse.org) provides building safety professionals an opportunity to volunteer to help affected jurisdictions with building damage assessment, building inspections, and other code-related functions following a disaster. ICC provides a list of volunteers upon request from an affected jurisdiction or its agencies or departments. Volunteers do not represent ICC and all matters related to services are arranged between the volunteer and the jurisdiction requesting help.

Lifewater International (www.lifewater.org) is a Christian development organization that works in Africa and Asia to eliminate water-borne disease and inadequate access to water. With a focus on sustainability, Lifewater helps communities gain safe water, adequate sanitation, effective hygiene, and the skills they need to pass on these resources to future generations.

Living Waters for the World (LWW; www.livingwatersfortheworld.org) is an ecumenical global mission providing sustainable clean water and fostering long-term, mutually beneficial, relationships between volunteers and communities in need. LWW trains volunteers to establish and lead water mission teams that partner with international communities on the implementation and operation of sustainable water purification systems and health education programs.  LWW water teams focus activities with international networks established in Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, SE Mexico, and Yucatan Mexico.

EPICS University (https://epicsnational.ecn.purdue.edu), founded at Purdue University in 1995, is a unique program in which teams of undergraduates from a variety of majors design, build, and deploy systems to solve engineering-based problems for local community service and education organizations. Projects are in four broad areas: human services, access and abilities, education and outreach, and the environment. Student teams are advised by faculty, staff, and engineers from local industry. Currently, there are 23 universities in the EPICS University program.

Operation Blessing International (OBI; www.ob.org) is dedicated to demonstrating God’s love by alleviating human need and suffering in the United States and around the world. One of the largest charities in America, OBI provides strategic relief in 37 countries on an ongoing basis through core programs such as disaster relief, health and medical care, hunger relief, vulnerable children and orphan care, safe water, and community development. Volunteers, including structural engineers, are a key component of OBI’s disaster relief efforts.

Pure Water for the World (www.purewaterfortheworld.org) provides sustainable safe drinking water filtration systems, latrines, and hygiene education to families and communities in developing countries. Pure Water is currently active in Honduras, and Haiti. Its program includes educating people about what it takes to protect clean, safe drinking water so that it does not become contaminated and then implementing the purification method that best meets the needs of the people or community.

Water For People (www.waterforpeople.org) assists people in developing countries to improve quality of life by supporting development of locally sustainable drinking water resources, sanitation facilities, and hygiene education programs. Water For People has been designated by the American Water Works Association as its charity of choice and is endorsed by the Water Environment Federation, the Water Quality Association, the National Association of Water Companies, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, and other sectors of the North American water community, including manufacturing and consulting engineering companies. The World Water Corps is Water For People’s volunteer program. World Water Corps volunteers engage in activities such as mapping to provide baseline data for development, monitoring the functionality of past projects, and evaluating overall program effectiveness.

Water Missions (www.watermission.org) is a Christian engineering ministry providing sustainable safe water solutions to people in developing countries and disaster areas. WMI designs and customizes sustainable safe water and sanitation solutions to meet the needs of individual communities. It also partners with the recipient community throughout the process of implementing a project. Following installation and implementation, WMI staff monitor and evaluate the project and follow-up with the community to ensure projects’ sustainability and success.

Are you involved with or aware of other national or international organizations that offer service opportunities for civil and structural engineers? If so, please email a brief description of the organization to Bob Drake at bdrake@zweiggroup.com.