For EWB, spring break=helping others

College students typically start planning for spring break the moment they arrive back on campus after the winter holidays. Dreams of sun and sand help them get through the months of exams, papers and cold weather.

For the Rowan Engineers Without Borders volunteers, spring break planning began last March — after their first trip to Valle Verde, Dominican Republic.

Valle Verde, located only 16 miles outside of Santiago, the second-largest city in the Dominican Republic, is in desperate need of clean water. Currently, water is delivered to the people every seven to 15 days in unsanitary containers that they must purchase from the National Institute of Water and Drainages.

Meeting a need

The Engineers Without Borders team set out to Valle Verde last spring to assess the water situation in the small, rural community of approximately 800 families. What they found in the community shocked the team — and left the members determined to find a solution.

“My experience on last year’s trip put everything into perspective. It is really hard for the community to get water, and the ones that do, do not know how to store it properly to avoid sanitation issues,” said Cindy Rubiano-Gomez, project lead.

After conducting basic water testing and familiarizing themselves with the community and local engineers, the team came back to Rowan and began brainstorming ways to bring clean water to the village.

Now, the group will investigate how possible solutions would function in Valle Verde. The ultimate goal of this trip: to determine a solution that can be implemented on a future trip.

Looking for solutions

The group will test for three different types of solutions. These alternative methods include: infiltration gallery, ground well and pumps. The group will test for water quality and infiltration rates, as well as conduct canal and roof measurements. As a supplemental method, the group and the local engineers will chose a house to build a rain water catchment, to see if this method would be beneficial.

The following Rowan Engineers Without Borders members will make the trip to Valle Verde March 16 to 20:

• Cindy Rubiano Gomez, a junior psychology and Spanish double major from Pleasantville, New Jersey
• Evan McCollum, a junior mechanical engineering major from Voorhees, New Jersey
• Danielle Wilcox, a senior civil and environmental engineering major from Voorhees, New Jersey
• David Lichtenberger, a junior chemical engineering major from Cherry Hill, New Jersey
• Lorena Lopez, a senior biology major from Middletown, New Jersey
• Angelita Fasnacht, professional mentor from Global Water Alliance in Philadelphia, from Cherry Hill, New Jersey
• Aldo Cevallos, professional mentor from Voorhees, New Jersey

Collaborative effort

Rowan Engineers Without Borders pays for all student travel expenses and necessary installation materials. The community is then encouraged to pay for a portion of the materials to ensure funds are available to sustain the water supply. To raise as much money as possible to benefit the people of Valle Verde, the group has held on-campus bake sales and t-shirt sales and received a grant donation from the Society of Chemical Engineers.

“This project is about so much more than bringing water to this community. After a hurricane devastated the region, Valle Verde became home for people of several different towns. Now, we want to instill a sense of ownership and pride in the community,” said former project lead Katherine Orellana, a senior from Hamilton, New Jersey. “They are actively involved in this project and will contribute in every phase. We want to help them take back what the hurricane took away and move forward.”

“Valle Verde is a community that has struggled economically/physically for many years due to natural disasters. One of the most unfortunate things that the inhabitants from this community suffer from is their lack of water supply. These people have a limited amount of water, and some of them do not even know when water will be available next,” said Lorena Lopez, who will serve as a translator for the trip. “Fundraising for them will change their lives in so many ways.”

Long-term commitment

After their trip last spring, Rowan Engineers Without Borders decided to adopt a long-term project in Valle Verde. To date countless hours of hard work, fundraising and brainstorming have already gone into the project.

“I am proud to see the passion and energy of these students to help people around the world in any way they can,” said Engineers Without Borders faculty advisor Dr. Yusuf Mehta. “Engineers Without Borders brings out the best in students. Seeing the situation in Valle Verde firsthand has given the students a sense of purpose — to help the people of Valle Verde receive basic amenities. ”

For Rowan Engineers Without Borders students, giving up spring break — and volunteering in developing countries at other times of the year —  is nothing new. Rowan launched its EWB chapter in 2003, and since then students, professors and professional mentors have worked on water and roadway projects in Central America, Africa and the Far East as well as in South Dakota.

EWB-USA^TM is a non-profit organization committed to designing and implementing engineering projects in developing communities around the world. Such projects include renewable energy, clean water supplies and sustainable enterprise development. The organization’s volunteers also include individuals with backgrounds in business, journalism, health and education.

To donate money to help the Rowan Engineers Without Borders team members on their current mission in Valle Verde, visit: https://ssl.charityweb.net/ewbusa/?Custom3=100062&Custom4=11571