Engineers Without Borders
University of Pittsburgh Chapter
What is EWB?
Engineers Without Borders USA (EWB-USA) is a nonprofit humanitarian organization established to support community-driven development programs worldwide through partnerships that design and implement sustainable engineering projects. EWB-USA members, comprised of professional and student engineers or other disciplines, work with local communities and NGOs in over 45 developing countries around the world on projects such as water, renewable energy, sanitation and more. EWB-USA has grown from little more than a handful of members in 2002 to over 12,000 members today and has over 350 projects worldwide. EWB-USA maintains over 250 dedicated student and professional chapters, and has touched the lives of more than one million people.
Our Mission
We work to build a better world through engineering projects that empower the communities we work with to meet their basic human needs.
We are currently working on projects in 3 locations:
We also volunteer around the Pittsburgh area.
Our Chapter
The University of Pittsburgh's chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB Pitt) is run and maintained entirely by undergraduate and graduate students who devote themselves to developing local and international communities and achieving humanitarian goals. We solve engineering challenges facing the communities that we serve by applying the skills learned inside and outside of the classroom.
At EWB Pitt, we are an ambitious and diverse group of students who partner with communities to help them secure access to their basic human needs. We accomplish this through a process of researching, designing, implementing, and ensuring the sustainability of a project by collaborating closely with professional engineers as mentors, NGOs, EWB-USA, and, of course, representatives from the communities. A strong sense of responsibility and a desire to make a difference in the world motivates our members to work hard every single day.
Our Projects
We have partnered with the remote community of Carijana, Bolivia, to address a critical need for proper sanitation. Since 2019, our team has worked with local partners to design and build latrines for each household, helping to reduce waterborne illnesses. Despite challenges such as the pandemic, we’ve constructed 50 latrines and will complete the project with 5 more in 2024. This initiative has already improved public health, with a significant drop in illness, making a lasting impact on the community's well-being
We have partnered with the neighboring communities of Tambanal and Ayaloma in the Ecuadorian Andes to address their struggle with consistent access to clean water. Since 2021, we’ve been working on designing a sustainable water collection, treatment, and distribution system for the 200 residents. The project has completed its first phase, laying over a mile of piping and installing key infrastructure. Our efforts aim to provide safe drinking water and reduce waterborne diseases, improving the health and quality of life for the community. Phase two is planned for 2025.
The Peace and Friendship Farm in the Hill District.
We have partnered with the Peace and Friendship Farm in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, run by the Project Love Coalition. This urban farm promotes sustainable food growth and community building, particularly for local veterans. In 2024, we began collaborating to design and build a solar-powered walk-in cooler to store farm produce. Future plans include developing a water irrigation system and high tunnel to further support the farm’s mission of providing fresh, healthy food to the community.
