Impact Stories
Making change happen across Australia and Asia Pacific.
Nominations now open for the EWB Australia Board
Each year, voting members are invited to nominate and elect individuals to the Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Australia Board of Directors (“The Board”). This is an important opportunity to have your say and elect individuals who can make a valuable contribution in...
Nominations now open for the EWB Australia Board
Each year, voting members are invited to nominate and elect individuals to the Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Australia Board of Directors (“The Board”). This is an important opportunity to have your say and elect individuals who can make a valuable contribution in...
Building on pilot success: Indigenous-led Youth Outreach program returns to Far North Queensland
After a successful pilot last year, Engineers Without Borders Australia (EWB)’s Indigenous-led Youth Outreach program has returned to Lama Lama Country in Far North Queensland, with the goal of sparking a curiosity in engineering among First Nations students. The...
Piloting handwashing stations in rural Cambodian schools
Many school children in Cambodia do not have access to appropriate sanitation facilities, particularly in rural areas where a third of schools lack adequate hygiene facilities with soap and water. The link between sanitation and education became especially apparent...
Exploring opportunities for native plants at the ‘Nguluway’ Local Design Summit
The cultivation of native grains through careful land management was once central to Aboriginal life. However, following colonisation, the shift to European foods and farming methods damaged native grasslands and reduced biodiversity.
At Nguurruu farm, 40 minutes north of Canberra, Murray Prior is working with Ngambri custodians to implement regenerative farming practices and revive native foods and land management. Farming practices at Nguurruu are informed by Indigenous knowledges and seek to restore biodiversity and reverse ecological damage.
The second iteration of the EWB ACT Chapter’s ‘Nguluway’ Local Design Summit, held earlier this year in collaboration with Nguurruu farm, gave university students and industry professionals a firsthand insight into regenerative farming practices on Country.
Drones, disasters and design – new STEM outreach for regional classrooms
It’s a sad reality: regional students all too often miss out on important educational opportunities that their peers in the city get to enjoy. When it comes to STEM outreach, many programs are run out of capital cities, which means regional school students can easily...
A climate resilient and community-led solution to sanitation challenges in Vanuatu
For environmental activist David Kalsal, fishing and swimming in the Emten Lagoon on Vanuatu’s Efate Island has always been a part of local life for him and his family. In recent years however, the lagoon has also become an indicator of how climate change and sanitation challenges are impacting his community.
The Erakor Bridge community lies on the edge of the Emten Lagoon and is home to approximately 200 residents. The community consists of low-lying areas with a high groundwater table, meaning the area is especially vulnerable to cyclones and frequent flooding during periods of heavy rainfall. As a result of flooding and inadequate household sanitation systems, swimming and fishing is no longer safe for the community due to high levels of e.coli bacteria detected in the lagoon.
Meet our Futur-neers: Eve Visser
As a high school student, Eve Visser was told by a career advisor that she shouldn’t consider university. However, Eve was determined not to let this dissuade her. She took it as added motivation, going on to receive a scholarship to study at the Australian National University (ANU). Currently in her third year studying Engineering and Science with a major in Climate Science, Eve is passionate about sharing her experiences and knowledge with prospective students. This interest in outreach inspired her to start volunteering with EWB’s ACT Chapter, running workshops to encourage students to pursue a path in engineering.
Designing Indigenous-led engineering pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been practising engineering and sustainably managing Country for over 70,000 years. But in the engineering sector, the number of Indigenous engineers employed in Australia remains low. How can we attract this critical...
Inspiring the next generation of technology stewards with Bentley Systems
An annual STEM outreach event that explores and showcases the opportunities possible in STEM careers brought 60 high-school students from three schools across Victoria together for a series of design challenges in November, 2022. The outreach program known as the Innovation Challenge has been run in Victoria by the EWB Australia University of Melbourne Chapter since 2019. The program engages Year 9 and 10 students, primarily from backgrounds under-represented in STEM, in an in-depth, hands-on socio-technical design challenge.
Northern Rivers floods engineering response paves way for future emergency support
A year after the floods that devastated communities in the Northern Rivers region, Engineers Without Borders Australia (EWB) and local community partner Holding Hands Under Ground (HHUG) have been coordinating volunteers to respond to community needs. In doing so, EWB has been piloting a recovery response model that can be mobilised across other regions during future climate disasters, to support low-income and marginalised communities.