Development Philosophy
1. EWB focuses on capacity building and long-term development.
2. In all of our overseas projects, EWB works with local partners and people.
3. EWB believes that change in Australia and education about development issues is an essential component of international development work.
EWB brings together engineering students, young graduates, experienced engineers and even non engineers as a team to tackle the issues of development and sustainability and help solve basic, small scale engineering problems faced by many people in need. Some common issues facing the communities we work with include access to drinking water, sanitation, energy, basic structures, waste systems, computers and engineering education. We believe it is essential to work in partnership with communities and other organisations to achieve environmentally sustainable, socially responsible and economically viable solutions.
The objective of EWB Australia is not only to contribute to new and ongoing development projects, but also to expand the dimensions of experience for engineers and engineering students. Engineers have a central role in building a sustainable future in Australia; in fact, they have an obligation to provide leadership in this direction.
“If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together.”
African Proverb
4 C's to Development
People begin with different levels of understanding of development. The 4 C's to Development are aimed at bringing someone with very little consciousness of the issues of human development to a place where they are ready to be challenged to act.
Conscious
The first step is for people to become aware of the problems that affect more than half the people on Earth. EWB believes that the main issue is the lack of access that disadvantaged people have. Access that we often take for granted.
Lack of access to:
- Resources
- Knowledge
- Technology
- Healthcare
- Education
- Welfare
- Opportunity
Our challenge is to make people conscious of the problem. Once they are conscious they can begin to care.
Concerned
This second step identifies that it is not enough just to know about the issues of human development and the problems that lack of access create. People must be concerned with the state the world is in. They must care about it. This will lead to people becoming more interested and getting involved. It is at this stage that many people, who are very concerned, ask the question 'what can I do'. We believe that it is our responsibility as EWB to direct them to effective and appropriate development, rather than the reactionary development that can often occur. Most people jump straight to the challenge and with the best intentions, do not necessarily improve the status quo and sometimes even cause harm. Good development requires a deep understanding of the issues and a well thought out strategy for tackling them.
Comprehend
This is a crucial and often forgotten stage of the process. This step is about understanding the complexities of development and learning about how to change good intentions into meaningful impact. This is where much of the EWB chapter's work is done, particularly with its own members, and is the main educational aim for EWB. Workshops, lectures, seminars, case studies and other educational events are ways in which we can enhance the comprehension of our members.
Challenged
Be challenged to make a difference. Commit to actions that will bridge the divide between those the advantaged and the disadvantaged. We challenge our members to get involved in projects, write letters to government, change their habits and encourage others to learn about development. For us, a challenge is a call for action and after understanding the other 3 C's, we think you are ready!
“We would like to say that we are very grateful for all the efforts done by EWB for Tenganan community. We feel that EWB has given tremendous contributions to all of us especially in improving our clean water management.
”
Putu Wiadnyana,
Project Manager, Tenganan (Bali) Water Supply