Engineers Without Borders

The name Engineers Without Borders (abbreviated EWB; the French translation Ingénieurs Sans Frontières or ISF is also commonly seen) is used by a number of non-governmental organizations in several countries, which are involved in engineering-related international development work. Many EWB national groups developed independently from each other, and so they are not all formally affiliated with each other, and their level of collaboration and organisational development varies.

International co-ordination

Some EWB organizations have created an informal international network, Engineers Without Borders International, to unite their actions. However, unlike many international NGOs, each national group is fully independent and autonomous. As most EWB development projects are generally small scale grass-roots partnerships, this is in part to reduce the red tape and various bureaucratic overhead costs associated with large organizations.

Moreover, due to their diverse origins, there is some disagreement between the various EWB groups regarding appropriate approaches to international development. For instance, the U.S. organization focuses on chapter-based design projects involving short assessment / implementation trips to the community in question. [ [http://www.ewb-usa.org/projects.php EWB-USA - Projects] ] In contrast, their neighbours in EWB Canada put a greater emphasis on capacity building, long-term volunteer work, and domestic programmes. [ [http://www.ewb.ca/en/whatwedo/overseas/approach.html EWB Canada - Our Approach (Overseas)] ] [ [http://www.ewb.ca/en/whatwedo/canada/approach.html EWB Canada - Our Approach (in Canada)] ]

As a result of these differences, EWB Australia, EWB Canada, EWB-UK, ISF Spain, ISF Italy and ISF France have no formal involvement in EWB International, which is largely led by the U.S. organization. [ [http://www.ewb-international.org/members.htm Engineers Without Borders International] .] However, many of these non-EWBI groups do have some "informal affiliations" with each other, with the U.S.-based Engineers for a Sustainable World, and occasionally with the EWB International organizations. [ [http://www.ewb.ca/en/whoweare/faq.html#g1 EWB Canada FAQ] ]

Selected EWB organizations

* Engineers Without Borders (Australia)
* Ingénieurs Sans Frontières (Belgium)
* Ingenieurs zonder Grenzen (Belgium)
* Engineers Without Borders (Canada)
* Engineers Without Borders (India)
* Engineers Without Borders (UK)
* Engineers Without Borders (USA)
* Engineers Without Borders (Palestine)

See also

* Without Borders, for similar organisations in different fields
* Sustainable engineering

External links

For some additional Engineers Without Borders organizations, see EWB International's [http://www.ewb-international.org/members.htm "Members" list] , as well as EWB Canada's [http://www.ewb.ca/en/whoweare/faq.html#g1 list of similar organizations] . Note that these lists are not exhaustive; additional groups may exist.

References