Abstract
More than 50 students in Engineers Without Borders at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (EWB-UIUC) are partnering with the village of Ntisaw, Cameroon, West Africa to address the village's most pressing need: clean drinking water. The clean water solution will include a gravity-based water distribution system, spring protection, and a health education program for the community of 930 people. This solution will replace their current water sources, which are contaminated by livestock and clothes washing. The village of Ntisaw has mobilized to drive this change, knowing that it will drastically reduce the prevalence of water-borne illness and help to alleviate the burden of carrying water from the women and children. EWB-UIUC joined the partnership in Fall 2008. The team has already travelled to Ntisaw, collected all necessary data to complete the design, and raised more than $29,000 in funding. The PVC distribution system will take water from a natural spring several kilometers from the village and distribute it directly to the community. Again, partnership is the key: EWB-UIUC will contribute piping while Ntisaw will supply sand, gravel, stone, labor and the $3000 they have saved for this project. The spring area will be surrounded by a natural fence that protects the source and contributes to the well-being of the community. Health and hygiene education programs coordinated through the Islamic and governmental schools will collectively serve 350 children of the village. Completion of this project will occur in the summer of 2011 and will require $25,000 additional funding.
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