Completed Projects-Engineers Without Borders - University of Maryland Chapter

Projects:

Completed Projects:

Anacostia Watershed, Maryland Completed May 2009
Dissin, Burkina Faso (Recharge) Completed Jan. 2009
Dissin, Burkina Faso (Water) Completed Summer 2008
Dissin, Burkina Faso (Lighting) Completed Jan. 2008
Bebedouro, Brazil Completed Jan. 2008
Ilha das Peças, Brazil: Completed January 2007 and August 2006
Baan Bo Mai, Thailand Phase I, II and III: Completed Jan. 2007 and June 2006
Uduzhapa and Conseco, Ecuador: Completed June 2006
Patadel, Ecuador: Completed August 2005
Samli, Thailand: Completed June 2004

Current Projects:

Compone, Peru
Addis Alem, Ethiopia

Anacostia Watershed, Maryland:

Background:

The Anacostia Watershed encompasses 176 square miles of land in Prince George’s and Montgomery County, MD and part of Washington DC. The river’s 8 miles of tributaries make up one of 10 sub-watersheds that drain into the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Of the 10 sub-watersheds, the Anacostia Watershed is the most densely populated, and the most polluted. A combination of non-point source pollution from the runoff of roads, parking lots and other impervious surfaces, combined with sewer overflows from high volume rain events make this watershed unsafe for swimming and nearly uninhabitable for fish and other wildlife.

The small town of Edmonston is located in Prince George’s County, MD and is split down the middle by the Northeast Branch of the Anacostia. It has a population of approximately 1500 residents, of which a large portion are recent immigrants. Edmonston is located in the low-lands of the Anacostia and has faced flooding problems in recent years due to the large quantities of runoff water from heavy storms. These floods have caused damage to many homes and have forced residents to evacuate.

The Need

A majority of the pollutants that make the Anacostia River unhealthy originate from “non-point sources”. Pollutants contributing to the condition of the river include oil, grease, gasoline, hydro-carbons, phosphorous, nitrogen, suspended solids, and trash. Impervious surfaces such as roads make up more than 50% of some regions in the watershed, thus there is very little natural filtration that occurs before polluted storm water runoff flows directly into the Anacostia. Impervious surfaces also allow runoff water to flow faster, increasing the area’s susceptibility to flash floods. The Edmonston Pumping Station provides a short-term solution to the problems of storm flooding of Edmonston, but the community needs a sustainable solution. Contributing to the ongoing efforts to improve the quality of storm water and water flow in Edmonston is one step toward a cleaner river.

The EWB-UMCP Response:

Engineers Without Borders students at the University of Maryland, College Park, in cooperation with the Town of Edmonston and Prince George’s County, have assessed the need to im-prove the Anacostia Watershed’s environmental health. Students worked closely with officials from Edmonston and Prince George’s County Department of Environmental Resources to determine how and where EWB-UMCP volunteer resources could best be applied. It was agreed that EWB-UMCP would propose a solutionto improve the present state of the Anacostia and provide an effective model for community clean-up efforts.

Students, Edmonston officials, and Prince George’s County officials identified Tanglewood Park as an ideal location to implement an appropriate engineered solution to address the area’s needs. A bioretention facility was selected as the most feasible design option to filter and treat runoff water naturally from the park’s commu-nity center and parking lot. The project is scheduled to be implemented in May, 2009.

Moving Forward:

Many organizations are working towards restor-ing the Anacostia Watershed to a healthy ecosys-tem, but a coordinated community effort is needed in order to completely revitalize the Anacostia. This project aims to serve as a model of environmental responsibility for other communi-ties in the Anacostia Watershed area.

Dissin, Burkina Faso (Recharge):

Background:

Burkina Faso, located in West Africa, formerly known as Upper Volta, is one of the poorest countries in the world, with severe challenges to its development. At present, more than 80% of its population is engaged in subsistence agriculture, and with a literacy rate among men of 30%, and 9% among women, prospects for development are dim in the absence of sustained assistance to build its basic infrastructure and its education system.
Dissin is located in the south-west portion of Burkina Faso in the Sudano-Guinean climate zone, which has a rainy season from June-August and a dry season throughout the rest of the year. As a result of this dry climate, crops are not available for most of the year and malnutrition is common.
Both energy and water for domestic and agricultural purposes are essential needs for building economic and social development, as well as for maintaining political stability in a region plagued by political crises in neighboring countries.

The Need:

The small town of Dissin is surrounded by approximately 14 even smaller villages. Along dusty red dirt roads that radiate out from Dissin, these individual villages range in population from several families to several hundred residents. Unlike Dissin, the small size and relative isolation of these individual villages prevents any of them from receiving electricity from the national electric grid. There is little hope that they ever will. A sustainable off-grid electrification solution in these rural villages is needed to enable villagers to manage their own source of energy, insulate them from international energy price fluctuations, and reduce their dependence on costly kerosene for insufficient lanterns. Electrification in these villages enriches village life. When electricity is available, bright fluorescent lights enable students to study after sundown. Cell phones can be charged, giving villagers the ability to communicate using modern technology. Televisions and radios can be turned on, providing entertainment, information, and a chance for community gatherings.

EWB Response - Solar Powered Battery Recharging

An EWB assessment team including an undergraduate student, two graduate students, and a mechanical engineering professor traveled to Burkina Faso in August, 2008 to assess the best way to use solar panels to provide electricity to the villages. Installing a network of solar battery recharging stations, for batteries owned by villagers, was deemed to be a sustainable solution. To assess the local suitability of the project, the team participated in discussions with local community leaders, community members, as well as with Peace Corps volunteers, the African Sustainable Development Council, and other NGO’s working on solar projects in the region.
The EWB team, in partnership with the community in which we will work, has come up with a model for a village-run battery recharging association. This association will manage funds generated by each battery recharging station. When necessary, the association can disperse those funds for maintenance or for expansion of the capacity of the recharging network by building additional battery recharging stations. This model will ensure that the money villagers spend on their electricity will be kept in the local community, effectively allowing them to begin to achieve greater control of their own community, and on a small scale, enriching the local economy. During implementation, EWB plans to educate villagers on solar technology, proper battery use and care, and advantages of electric light. This knowledge will further empower the villagers.

Moving Forward:

EWB has spent the Fall 2008 semester prototyping and finalizing a design of the recharging station, as well as developing solar demonstrations and training materials to educate the villagers. The team returned to Burkina Faso in January 2009 to implement the systems. Students and villagers worked together to build battery recharging stations in the villages around Dissin. Part of the EWB team focused on working with the community to set up a local association to manage the charging stations. The team also made improvements to the school lighting systems that were installed in the villages by EWB last January 2008.

Dissin, Burkina Faso (Water):

Background:
Dissin is located in the south-west portion of Burkina Faso in the Sudano-Guinean climate zone, which has a rainy season from June-August and a dry season throughout the rest of the year. As a result of this dry climate, crops are not available for most of the year and malnutrition is common.
Water for domestic and agricultural purposes is essential needs for building economic and social development as well as for maintaining political stability in a region plagued by political crises in neighboring countries.
For further background information, see the Burkina Faso (Solar) above.

The Need:
Hand pumped groundwater wells are the primary source of clean drinking water for the people in the villages surrounding Dissin. Community members, particularly women and children travel as far as two kilometers to retrieve water for daily drinking and washing, oftentimes waiting for over an hour in long lines at the pump. Additionally, children in the villages do not routinely get necessary vitamins and minerals critical to proper development and good health. The community has suggested that automating the pumping process and storing the water in a tank would allow for easier water access from faucets, freeing up time for women and children to work or go to school. The additional water also allows the village to irrigate small gardens around the wells, significantly benefiting their health and well-being. Availability of a sustainable cooking fuel is also a major problem in these communities and throughout Burkina Faso. Demand for firewood is leading to massive deforestation, and causing community members to travel increasingly far to retrieve cooking wood.

EWB Response:
An EWB assessment team including an undergraduate student, mechanical engineering professor and professional engineer traveled to Burkina Faso in July 2007 to gauge the extent of the community’s water and fuel needs. The team conducted interviews with local community religious and political leaders, and took measurements of pumps and wells that were identified as having the longest wait periods and served the most people. The team identified the manufacturers of the most common form of pump to obtain detailed design information. Several designs were considered for automating the pumping process using solar energy. One option is replacing the existing pumps with a new solar pump. The other is using a solar powered motor to drive the existing hand pump. The team considered efficiency and maintenance issues with each system. The team demonstrated the drive motor concept to the community using a gear motor and car battery, and received an enthusiastic response. They also visited solar powered pumping systems already in place, but learned that all of them had been rendered useless or less functional because all or most of the solar panels had been stolen, despite a fence and a guard in some instances. The EWB-UMCP design team is considering innovative solutions for preventing theft.
Sustainable cooking fuel:
The team observed the community’s use of cooking fuel, primarily wood harvested from forests and brush surrounding the community. People travel long distances by foot, bike or donkey to retrieve firewood as needed. An NGO in Burkina Faso described deforestation as a major environmental threat, but identified two types of nut that may be used to produce cooking fuel. One type of the nut is grown in Dissin as a cash crop currently, but could be processed for fuel.

Moving Forward:
Upon return to the United States, the team is discussing the scale of the automated water pumping project, while also investigating means of producing cooking fuel from the community’s resources. The water pumping team plans to implement its project in July 2008.
For more information, contact Phil Hannam at phil.hannam@gmail.com

Dissin, Burkina Faso (Solar):

Background:
Burkina Faso, located in West Africa formerly known as Upper Volta, is on of the poorest countries in the world, with severe challenges to its development. At present, more than 80% of its population is engaged in substance agriculture, and with a literacy rate among men of 30% and 9% among women, prospects for development are dim in the absence of sustained assistance to build its basic infrastructure and its education system.

The Need:
Tangsabla has a population of about 800 people, and is one of thirteen village sin the Dissin region, located in the south-west of Burkina Faso. This region has little access to electricity. This impacts life in many ways, including education and agriculture.
Because of the low literacy rate among adult Burkinabe, the government has financed Alphabetization Centers, or literacy centers, for adults in each village. Adults stay in the evenings, after their agriculture and other responsibilities for the day are completed. They currently struggle with smoky lanterns to study reading and writing at night. This minor, yet basic problem is considered to be an important obstacle to learning to read.

The EWB Response:
Three EWB students and two engineering faculty members from the University of Maryland, College Park chapter, traveled to the village of Tangsabla in January 2007. Their purpose was three fold: to learn about the village needs, its culture, and its organization; to install a trial solar-powered lighting system for their Alphabetization Center; and to visit Centers in nearby villages to assess viability of more system installations.

Accomplishments: January 2007:
With the help of many enthusiastic villagers of Tangsabla, the trial lighting system for the first school was installed in one day. The team also installed data loggers to monitor lighting use. A planned secondary use of the system will be to charge cell phones, and the fees levied for this service will be set aside for system maintenance costs. Several local contacts were established on the trip, including ones with local town leaders, with local solar technology businesses, and with the nearby university. Schools and Alphabetization Centers in 12 nearby villages were visited for planning purposes.

Moving Forward:
The solar lighting team returned January 2008 and sucessfully completed the project. More details coming soon. Click here for more details

For more information, contact Jason West at b.jason.west@gmail.com

Bebedouro, Brazil:

Background:
Bebedouro and Santa Amelia are two urban communities located outside of Maceió, Alagoas in the northeast, the poorest region of Brazil. The community is home to hundreds of people, the majority of whom are unemployed with local unemployment estimates ranging from 70 to 80%.
In the northeast, students have an average of 5.1 years of formal education according to statistics from the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística.
Escola Estrela do Mar, the Starfish School, is a school modeled on the principles of providing innovative education for approximately 100 underprivileged children from age three to high school. Many of the children come from impoverished homes with one or two unemployed parents. The children are in school for a full day rather than the standard half day. Lunch and snacks are provided throughout the day.
Part of the Starfish School’s model is based on holistic learning, so the children learn physical education, computer skills, and English lessons. Schooling is provided free to the children and is based from donations to their overseeing NGO.

The Need:
The community of Bebedouro and Santa Amelia lacks clean waste removal. Due to the lack of infrastructure in these communities, waste is often disposed into the water without any sort of treatment. Most other waste is either dumped in the local lagoon or washed away when it rains. The lack of treatment negatively impacts the children, both biologically and environmentally.

The EWB Response:
Project Assessment Description: Engineers Without Borders students at the University of Maryland, College Park, in cooperation with Escola Estrela do Mar developed a plan that would use the school as a model for wastewater treatment. This began with an assessment trip with two university students and one university faculty to determine feasible solutions to the wastewater problem. Work performed during the assessment trip included understanding the needs of the village, learning about the community’s capacity and its ability to take charge of construction, maintenance and sustainability of the system after completion. It also involved community meetings, logistical planning, and meeting with governmental leaders.
The Plan: Engineers Without Borders – UMD plan on implementing an anaerobic digester, also commonly called a biodigestor. A biodigestor collects organic waste (“biomass”). In the absence of oxygen, the biomass is converted by anaerobic bacteria into methane gas (“biogas”) and fertilizer.
The methane gas will serve to provide an additional need, clean cooking fuel to the community. The methane gas will be collected and siphoned to the kitchen stovetop where it will be used to cook the children’s meal throughout the day. This will offset the need for purchasing propane gas and provide a renewable energy.
The fertilizer will serve two purposes. Primarily, the fertilizer will be used for the schools’ garden, where the groundskeeper grows much of the produces that the children consume.
If excess fertilizer remains, the school hope to sell the extra “adobo” to help fund additional projects, such as a butterfly garden and adult education programs.
One of the innovative aspects of EWB – UMD’s design revolves around an agitator. The agitator serves to disturb the liquid biomass in the biodigestor to prevent scum buildup and ensure the continual digestion of the organic matter. The agitator will be powered by a gearbox connected to a merry-go-round, which will rotate when the children play during their recess. With such a design, the agitator does not need a separate source of energy.
The implementation of the biodigestor has many purposes. First and foremost, it serves as a way to treat the waste-water cleanly. It also provides two valuable byproducts, biogas and fertilizer, both of which can be used within the school-site to help support the school and demonstrate alternative advantages of renewable energy.
During the evenings, the school site is used as an adult education center with remedial courses and an open computer lab. The school serves as a central hub to the community. By demonstrating a proper model where many of the community members assemble, it is hoped that the concepts of clean wastewater removal, renewable energy, and sustainable engineering can be learned, understood and replicated.

To see the presentation that the team made at one of the Fall 2007 general body meetings, click here.. Contact Elena Chung ( elchung@umd.edu) or Jacob Zwillinger ( jzwill@umd.edu ) if you have any questios or want to find out more about the project. Details about the implementation trip coming soon.

Ilha das Pecas, Brazil: January 2007 and August 2006

Background:

The village of Ilha das Peças is located on an island on the south east coast of Brazil. It is located in the state of Parana and is within the city limits of Guaraqueçaba (an equivalent to the county division in the U.S.) The rest of the island consists of two smaller villages and a protected national park.
There are approximately 100 families (400 people) that are permanent residents of the village. The main sources of income on the island are fishing and tourism.

Prior to 1997, Ilha das Peças had no treated water or sanitation systems. The problem with the lack of potable water was partially solved in 1997. A pipeline was constructed to transport water from an inland source to the island 25 kilometers away. At this time, the houses in the village also received proper toilets and septic tanks.

Problems:

Water Supply: Since the installation of a water pipeline in 1997, the population of Ilha das Peças has increased and two additional villages on the island have tapped into the supply line. As a result, there has been an increased demand for water on the island which the water source could not accommodate. Because of this, Ilha das Peças had a severe water shortage during the dry season (June-August).
Wastewater Treatment: When the sanitation systems were installed in 1997, they did not perform well in the environment of Ilha das Peças. The septic tanks were poorly designed for the needs of the users, and when the wastewater reached the infiltration tanks, waste elements of the water (organic material, parasites, and pathogens) quickly permeated to the surface due to the high ground water table near the sea. As a result, citizens of the village became sick due to their exposure to the untreated waste.

The EWB Response:

Students at the University of Maryland, College Park, in cooperation with the community of Ilha das Peças, coordinated a project with EWB-USA. After surveying the exiting conditions on the island, in January 2006 a team of students and professionals traveled to the village to discuss the community’s needs with its citizens and collect data on water supply and sanitation. The community identified the water shortage as a severe problem. Additional survey information identified wastewater run-off as another critical concern.

Accomplishments:

Phase I: August, 2006: In August of 2006 the team implemented the two systems designed to supply the village with an adequate water supply and mitigate the community’s problems with waste water con-tamination.In order to give the population a greater elasticity in their water supply, we constructed a water tank in the village. The tank supplements the current system by storing water during periods of low demand and then dispensing the water during periods of high demand. Additionally, a chlorination system was installed to ensure that the water supply is safe to use and drink.
Phase II: January, 2007: In January of 2007, the Brazil team completed the construction of four greese traps, septic tanks, and constructed wetlands (CWT) to treat wastewater from four separate buildings in the village, in order to prevent further contamination of the streams surrounding the village and to help improve the water quality. Each system was sized for the according number of people occupying each building, and were built with slightly different designs, in hopes of finding the best and easiest design for the community to reproduce using their own materials for the other buildings in the village. To view pictures from this phase, go to the photos page.

Baan Bo Mai, Thailand: January 2007 and June 2006

Background:

Baan Bo Mai is a farming village located in the Kaen Noi Mountain range in the Chiang Mai Province of Northern Thailand. The village, which is 10 miles south of the Thai/Burmese border, is home to more than 200 Lahu Hill Tribe people, stateless refugees from Burma. There are approximately 30 children living in an orphanage within the village. The children are casualties of the drug wars and ethnic persecution in Burma that took the lives of their parents. Five years ago, a Burmese guerrilla fighter named Japhu, along with his son Jaffa, fled Burma and created the orphanage in Thailand. Since then, a dormitory, an activity room, and combined school house and dining hall have been built to accommodate the children. The village and orphanage currently get their drinking water from an agricultural pipeline, which is not fit for human consumption. The goal of this project is to provide the village and orphanage with both clean and reliable drinking water, as well as water for an agricultural field. The source for the water is a stream that lies 2.5 km from the village.

Problem:

An orphanage and approximately 200 villagers in the village of Baan Bo Mai in northern Thailand currently lack clean, reliable drinking water. A water distribution and treatment system are needed; an irrigation supply for crops will help them move toward greater self-sufficiency.

The EWB Response:

Students from the University of Maryland, College Park, in cooperation with the community of Baan Bo Mai, coordinated a project deisgned to provide the village with drinking and irrigation water. Two students, a practicing engineer, and an engineering professor went to Baan Bo Mai in January 2006 to survey existing conditions, including water quality and quantity, village support and structure, and planning a route for the pipeline. The team subsequently spent 5 months designing a two-phase project to meet the water needs of the village in a sustainable manner.

Accomplishments:

Phase I: June, 2006:The first phase of the project was completed in June 2006 by a 6-person EWB-UMCP team with the help of about 20 villagers. The major accomplishments included installing an intake system at the source stream, installing the uppermost 400 ft of pipeline through the stream bed and along the stream bank, surveying a new route for some portions of the pipeline and stream crossing locations, and meeting with the villagers to discuss their willingness to maintain a sand filter system for water purification. We learned the challenges of working at the onset of the rainy season, and planning was impacted by the deathof a local village leader. However, a motivated project team and a skillful combination of village workers propelled the project to success. Aside from the concrete accomplishments of the first phase, there were a plethora of additional benefits for both the village and EWB-UMCP project members. The villagers participated in the implementation of the project, which taught them construction and maintenance skills that will be used in the second phase of implementation. It established our credibility: we will return, and we will usher the project to completion. And it engendered a sense of ownership, responsibility, and understanding with regard to the project. The students furthered their engineering skills, learned more about the hardships yet determination of the community, and were renewed in their commitment to these people.

Phase II: January 2007: The second phase of the project was successfully completed by a 9-person EWB-UMCP team along with the villagers of Baan Bo Mai. The major accomplishments were five-fold: (1) Updating the intake system and laying a total of 200 ft of pipe laid in a stream bed; (2) Spanning three ravines with 2-inch GI pipe; (3) Laying and bolstering 1000 feet of 2-inch GI pipe above ground along a steep hillside; (4) Burying 750 feet of 3-inch PVC pipe down a steep hill and installing four erosion prevention structures; and (5) Crossing a stream with 3-inch GI pipe. In total, the team laid 2750 feet of pipe.
Laying 1,000 feet of 2-inch GI pipe along a steep and rocky hillside proved to be the most challenging stretch of work. Maneuvering manpower and materials through this section was particularly difficult, as was connecting pipes with unions and sockets. The GI pipes, each of which weighed about 100 pounds per 20-ft. section, were bent around trees to shape the pipe such that it followed the natural contour of the hillside. Installing 750 feet of piping into tough and rocky soil down a steep hill required significant villager labor for digging and backfilling the long and straight trench. Y-shaped stone-and-mortar structures were installed in-line and on top of the pipeline to prevent erosion of the trenches.
The team also installed a concrete structure in a streambed to house and protect pipe crossing the stream. Groundwater in the streambed made pouring concrete difficult, but the team and villagers persevered. A brick valve box was constructed to house a washout facility on the downstream side of the stream crossing.
The team had the opportunity to test the pipe flow prior to departure, and was pleased to record a flow of about 20 gallons per minute. Repair of a few leaky connections during the next project phase should result in increased flow. The team also collected information about the potential configuration of the distribution system for the next project phases.
To see the powerpoint on Phase II, click here.
Phase III: Summer 2007: More details coming soon!

Uduzhapa and Conseco, Ecuador: June 2006

Background:

Uduzhapa and Conseco are located in the Andes Mountain Range in the Azuay Province of Ecuador. The combined population of the communities is approximately 180 people living in 40 separate houses. The people of Uduzhapa and Conseco consume water from open irrigation ditches that are contaminated by human and animal waste. A local government agency, FISE, is in the process of providing the communities with potable water. However, in order to eliminate the poor health conditions of the villagers, a functional sanitation system was needed along with the drinkable water supply.

Problem:

The villages had no sanitation system or potable water supply. This created a problem with fecal contamination of water and food sources, thus adversely affecting the health of the resi-dents. Gastrointestinal illnesses are among the main illnesses reported in the 3 health centers of the county of Cochapata. The most preva-lent illnesses among children less than 5 years of age are severe dysentery, malnutrition, and parasitic infection.

The EWB Response:

Students from the University of Maryland, College Park collaborated with the Comite por Mejoras, an elected group of community representatives, and FISE, a local governmental organization that conducts water and sanitation projects in the province, to establish and coordinate the sanitation project for Uduzhapa and Conseco. In January 2006, engineering professionals, students, and a faculty advisor completed the assessment trip. During this time, soil and water data was collected and the members of the communities officially agreed to work with EWB-UMCP to complete the implementation.

Accomplishments:

June, 2006:The implementation of practical and functional pour-flush latrines (outhouses) was completed in June 2006. The implementation team consisted of twelve University of Maryland students, two Johns Hopkins University students, three professionals, and one faculty advisor from the University of Maryland. Individual latrines were constructed for each household and overall 39 latrines were completely finished during the four week implementation of the project. Each latrine super-structure consisted of a concrete foundation and cement block walls. Wooden doors and corrugated plastic roofs were attached to the walls of the superstructures. Drainage piping for future showers and sinks were placed under the foundation of the structure so that the latrines would be easily adaptable to the expected water supply. Toilet bowls with an integrated water seal were placed in the latrines and PVC pipe connected the bowl to the rock lined pit located about 5-10 feet away from the superstructure. Reinforced concrete slabs were constructed for the pit coverings.

The latrines built are able to contain the human waste in localized pits in the ground which will greatly reduce the contamination of the current water sources for the communities.The villagers will keep the latrines in working condition because they now understand the connection between sanitation and health and they provided labor to the project so that they could gain ownership during the implementation. The project was a great success and the province of Azuay, Ecuador anticipates the return of Engineers Without Borders.

Patadel, Ecuador: August 2005

Background:

The village of Patadel is located in the Republic of Ecuador and has a population of 350 people. The closest city to Patadel is Cuenca, which has a population of 350,000 and is the third most important city in the Ecuador.

Patadel is a small village with a community center at its heart. The community center functions as a church, child care center, and an elementary and high school.

Problem:

There was a lack of drinkable water within the community. The original system, which was falling apart, was shared between several developing communities. During the dry season, January through March, there was very little drinkable water.

The EWB Response:

Accomplishments:

We accomplished the following goals:
Built a water treatment system from a spring that will be used by the community center and downtown area.
Built treatment, storage and distribution systems.
To rehabilitated the existing system that serves the communities near Patadel.

Samli, Thailand: June 23 to July 1, 2004

Background:

The Lisu are one of several hilltribes residing in the mountains of Northern Thailand. There are many Lisu villages in this area; among them is Samli.

Samli currently has 160 Lisu residents and is home to the chief of the village cluster(1000 people).
In the past, the livelihood of many hilltribes was based on the production and sale of opium. In order to stop this, the Thai Government is investing into integrating the hilltribes into Thai Society. Thus far, the Thai Government has offered citizenship, education and other social services to the hilltribes.

Project:

To build a health clinic to serve the villages in the
surrounding areas.
Four chapters worked on the project:

Columbia University
West Coast Professional Chapter
University of California Los Angeles
University of Maryland College Park

Accomplishments:

Phase I: Completed by Columbia University

framing, roofing, and siding on the building

Phase II: Completed by UMD and UCLA

electrical system, plumbing, septic system,
interior walls, ceiling, and the finishing work.

The new center was completed and ...

can handle 60 visitors a day

has a bedroom and living quarters for a doctor

is equipped with an inpatient room, an emergency room, a waiting area, a small laboratory, and a pharmacy

ENGINEERS WITHOUT BORDERS
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CHAPTER
Contact us now via email at ewbumd@gmail.com