Rubaya

EWB Rubaya | Implementation Trip

After two years of diligent planning, designing and putting together the Pre-Trip Implementation Plan, the Rubaya project team has gained EWB-USA approval and is all set to embark on the most rewarding trip for any EWB project, the implementation trip.

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Six EWB volunteers from our chapter will travel over a span of six weeks in three rotations to complete implementation of a pilot maize storage facility for Goodneighbors, our community partner. The constructed structure will be a twelve by twelve meter facility that will store one season’s maize harvest, i.e. 30 metric tonnes, for all members of Goodneighbors collectively. Six students from the civil engineering department at ULK Polytechnic Institute in Rwanda will volunteer along with the EWB members and help bridge the translation gap, especially for technical information exchange between the community and EWB members.

Rubaya Co-Project Lead, Mira Armstrong and EWB-NY Vice President, Patrick Brennan will undertake the first rotation and will oversee site preparation and foundation construction. After two weeks, they will be followed by Rubaya Co-Project Lead, May ElKhattab and Responsible Engineer In Charge (REIC), Ethan Cotton. With their technical supervision and volunteering efforts, the frame, CMU wall and roof construction will take place. For the third rotation, Rubaya Technical team members, Alexander Cantarera and Evram Dawd will travel and oversee the completion of all structures along with electrical installations.

The Rubaya team has very meticulously ironed out details to go from a conceptual idea to a detailed, phased-out construction plan while being more than 7000 miles away from the community. Technical drawings outlining structural details and phasing, material procurement and delivery as well as partnership with local contractor; all has been accomplished well ahead of time. Now the team can touch base and start their EWB mission right away.

For the next six weeks, the travel team has pledged to keep everyone connected to the community via this blog; hence the upcoming posts will come as close to Live Feed as they can get on this project’s progress, so stay tuned and spread the word.

Engineers Without Borders - New York Professionals Chapter is a non-profit dedicated to bringing engineering solutions to global problems of basic need. From bringing clean water to those who need it, to providing public health education, we are dedicated to stewarding the technology necessary for thriving communities throughout the world.

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