Blog
Stories from EWB AustraliaIn the workshop with FREO2
EWB established a partnership with FREO2 in June this year, aiming to further develop and scale technology for children and newborns who catch pneumonia or suffer acute breathing troubles - a key cause of death in developing countries. Over the past six months, EWB's...


Mobilising the Accessible Moto v2.0
Over the past year as EWB Australia initiated its new mobilisation program which matches volunteers with specific real-world projects to support EWB’s work. To launch the program, we identified three distinct streams: Open Challenges - such as the BirthWatch project...


The EWB Challenge Showcase 2020 – it’s a wrap!
The EWB Challenge Showcase for 2020 has wrapped up three days of online hosted pitches, presentations and webinars, celebrating the hard work of over 10,000 university students. Our partner for this year, the Centre for Appropriate Technology (CfAT), has been inspired...
The evolution of a partnership that’s delivering engineering solutions for Indigenous communities
From bathroom blitz to curriculum crowdsourcing - how EWB and CfAT have evolved a partnership to deliver successful outcomes for North Queensland Indigenous communities. Twelve years ago, six volunteers and ten Kaiadilt fellas boarded two tinnies and a rescue...
It’s just good business – partner with EWB
As part of our 2030 strategy, we are solidifying our commitment to partnering with business, for good. From the beginnings of EWB in Australia, we have attracted engineers from all disciplines and backgrounds to engage in meaningful work with communities in Australia...
Engineers Australia engaging engineering students in new partnership with EWB
EWB Australia has partnered with Engineers Australia to pilot a new approach to engaging engineering students at university. The initiative was launched at a recent event with students at the University of Western Australia (UWA) and key state leaders at the frontline...
Uni Chapters collaborate with ‘Big Design EWB’ online challenge
In a time of unprecedented social isolation, where in-person events are unviable, five NSW EWB university chapters collaborated to take their annual Inter-University Design Corner competition online, for the first time ever! "[I loved about this event...] Getting to...
Rural students ideate for the STEM Design Challenge
EWB Australia teams up with organisations and industry determined to expose more girls and young women to STEM pathways and careers in the STEM Design Challenge. It’s a massive conundrum for country Australia – how to water crops in times of drought. Year six...
#MySTEMstory
This National Science Week we've collaborated with UTS Women In Engineering and IT and the Techgirls Movement Foundation to share #MySTEMstory - the stories of women from rural regions of NSW who have forged amazing careers in STEM. In Australia, and particularly in...
Valuable New Opportunities For Engineering On Country
Program Re-think Opens Up Valuable New Opportunities For Supporting Remote Indigenous Communities Due to COVID-19, access to remote Indigenous communities in Australia has been restricted, resulting in Engineers Without Borders Australia (EWB) withdrawing face-to-face...
ATEC biodigesters commence roll-out into Bangladesh
Pictured: In Bangladesh, Akhi is trialling the ATEC biodigester. Since launching as a social enterprise, ATEC* (of which EWB Australia is a shareholder) has reached over 1,500 households across rural Cambodia with its biodigester technology. Last year, a AU$2.35...
EWB Australia and FREO2 form alliance to design and scale life-saving oxygen technology
Pictured: Francis is happier and healthier three days after receiving oxygen therapy for suspected pneumonia/sepsis. Image credit: Peter Casamento Photography/FREO2 Pneumonia is the biggest killer of children across the globe, causing over 800,000 deaths per year*....
Let’s flatten the curve, and let’s make the next curve flatter
EWB Board Member Peter McArdle reflects on COVID-19 and where it lands in the humanitarian-development nexus. Never before has the public been so captivated by a graph. Sure, engineers are used to taking solace in the comfort of a curve, but this is not… typical,...
Delivering COVID-19 education to Vanuatu’s most remote communities
Pictured: Ratu from Vanuatu's Ministry of Health team at Drinking Water Safety and Security Plans training Immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic crisis that has impacted the world, Vanuatu was hit by Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Harold. With borders closing in an...
Farming tech from afar
Pictured: Concept note for an Agrilab project The Agrilab is a co-design and capacity building program working to enable accessible agricultural livelihoods for people living with disabilities in rural Cambodia. The Agrilab involves a series of codesign workshops,...
EWB women standing up for women, everywhere, in the time of COVID-19
Have you been considering the challenges COVID-19 has placed on women, children, and other vulnerable members of our community? EWB's Women in Engineering (Feto Enginerha) team in Timor-Leste, joined by staff from Australia, Vanuatu, and Cambodia, certainly has! In...
Sonya Rand joins the Board of EWB Australia
EWB is delighted to announce the appointment of Sonya Rand to the EWB Australia Board. A Chartered Chemical Engineer, Sonya has held advisory roles with the Australian Attorney General’s Office and DFAT, addressing issues of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery in...
Women In Engineering Day 2020: webinar
View the webinar recording here. Despite the opportunities available to women in engineering, the percentage of women in the engineering workforce sits below 13%. Defying the national trend, at Engineers Without Borders Australia, women make up 30-45% of the programs...
How can we take reconciliaction?
By EWB CEO, Eleanor Loudon Over the past week, there has been much reflection, sharing, and (online) gathering in support of National Reconciliation Week. This year's theme #InThisTogether mirrors the Covid-19 pandemic call-to-action, whilst being a pointed reminder...
Increasing access to energy on Country
Currently, many Indigenous communities are only able to access reliable energy on Country through the use of petrol and diesel generators - which can be costly to run and maintain - or through fixed renewable energy systems that are prohibitively expensive. In 2020...
Menstrual hygiene needs attention. Period.
Menstrual hygiene is gaining traction as a critical water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) concern in the Asia-Pacific, and intersects many Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In Timor-Leste, our WASH program works to support the needs of rural communities in...
Reflections of a volunteering lifer
Pictured: Heidi as a volunteer with EWB working with a local project team, on a water supply project, conducting a topographical survey for a water supply distribution line at a rural agricultural college in remote Timor-Leste. This National Volunteer Week, long-time...
Open Mobilisation Challenge: Design a Timer (Without Numbers)
Seeking: graphic designers, industrial designers, software engineers or individuals with a natural flair for pragmatic design! Join our open design challenge to help save the lives of mothers and babies in rural Myanmar. Why is this needed? Myanmar has the highest...