More recently, Bea’s passion for international development led her to volunteer overseas in Cambodia and Timor-Leste for several months with EWB Australia through the Australian Volunteers Program as a Country Strategy Mentor. 

What has she learnt over the past 10 years? When working with communities overseas, says Bea, “you’re not the star”. The people she worked with – their culture, language and knowledge – came first. “The biggest learning point was to stand back.”

Australian Volunteers Program Field Professionals, Bea and Nicole, visiting a school in Siem Reap where an accessible handwashing station was installed by EWB in partnership with Cambodian Rural Students Trust.

Working across the world

Throughout her career, Bea found working and volunteering across several countries to be a stimulating experience, one which took her out of her comfort zone and prompted her to question her assumptions while bringing her into contact with enriching and inspiring people. Bea’s wide-ranging travels have taught her the importance of flexibility and resourcefulness, and in particular, being able to constantly learn and adapt to different cultures, environments and experiences. “Working across cultures and appreciating the importance of flexibility has maximised my ability to contribute to a better world”. 

For Bea, living, working and immersing herself in communities offers an experience both more challenging and more rewarding than being a tourist. Bea finds this immersion and deep engagement critical to her work; for international development to be successful and meaningful, she says, it’s vital to have a real understanding of the situation on the ground and how the local context works. 

Bea in a workshop held by EWB Australia with local Cambodian NGO Banteay Srei.

This was particularly important in Bea’s experience working on water and sanitation in Cambodia, to avoid situations where facilities like toilets were installed but not regularly used or maintained. Putting in the effort to learn and understand communities’ needs ensures engineering projects provide genuinely effective, long-lasting solutions that help empower communities in sustainable and culturally responsive ways. 

Often, this involved taking a step back and investing time in building relationships with, and learning from, people in local communities. This was a mindset shift that Bea observed in herself and in other colleagues, especially for those transitioning away from a high-powered Western workplace culture built around getting things done, quickly. Working on business development outside of Australia required a new way of thinking and doing things – taking the time to strengthen capacity within communities rather than going in first and doing the work; collaborating together, rather than providing ready-made solutions. 

Engineering is ‘all about people’

Bea’s work in Cambodia and Timor-Leste marked new strategic directions for EWB’s country offices, charting a course for expansion and greater in-country responsibility. Her work in both countries involved extensive consultation with the country offices, as well as close collaboration with stakeholders in each country. In each case, the strategic plan focused on providing opportunities for people and strengthening capacity, in a way that reflected the country’s unique context, strengths and needs. 

Bea and the EWB Australia in Cambodia team on a trip to Siem Reap with the Australian Deputy Ambassador in 2023.

Bea’s work in Cambodia also impressed on her the value of working with communities to activate their sense of ownership and agency over their resources and equipment. Bea has seen the benefits of empowering people and helping build an entrepreneurial mindset. In one instance, Bea worked with an organisation to install a water tank in a village and gave ongoing responsibility for the facility to one person, who then started a business ensuring the village always had water. “Change starts at the grassroots level and occurs when people are empowered to take responsibility,” says Bea. 

Mentors and collaboration 

Looking back on her varied career, Bea says she’s fortunate to have had mentors who had confidence in her abilities and encouraged her to take on new opportunities and explore new fields. On her part, Bea has always been open to new challenges – whatever came up, she “‘always said yes”’.  She also cites her husband, Gavin Blakey, former Chair of EWB, as a collaborator and source of inspiration in her work. Bea and Gavin have worked together on many projects, driven by their complementary skills and a shared passion for empowering people and prioritising the development and welfare of others. 

Bea and her husband Gavin volunteering in Cambodia with the EWB Australia team.

Bea’s focus on strengthening capacity and empowering people from the ground up is what shapes her strategic work, but also her individual approach. Whether mentoring women in small businesses in Papua New Guinea, working with young entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka or collaborating with EWB staff in Cambodia and Timor-Leste, Bea values the relationships she’s fostered through her work. In reflection, she says, “The major contribution I hope I have made is to have encouraged and supported people, giving them confidence and hope about their and their families’ future”. 

If you’re interested in volunteering overseas as an Australian Volunteers Program Field Professional with EWB, check out our current opportunities at ewb.org.au/volunteer. The Australian Volunteers Program is an Australian Government-funded initiative.

The post Global travels and local impact – Bea Duffield’s volunteering journey appeared first on Engineers Without Borders Australia.

Water, risk, and sustainability engineer Nicole Locke had always wanted to work overseas but there had never been a good time to do it. She graduated into a difficult job market and was lucky enough to find a position with Water Corporation in Perth. Fast forward a few years to 2019 and Nicole was considering her next move. 

“I was talking to a mentor and she said, you’ve always thought about going overseas and volunteering,” Nicole said. “’Why don’t you just do it?’ I thought—well, why not?” 

For many technical professionals, once you’ve started down a career path it can be difficult to divert or pause the momentum. But taking time out from day-to-day work to learn something new is a tradition of learners the world over. The practice of sabbaticals, a period of time granted to pursue learning or projects outside of regular duties, was established by Harvard University in the 1880s and soon, it became common practice at all universities. It may be trickier these days to make a sabbatical work with modern life, but the benefits are still the same–new perspectives and new knowledge.

Nicole pursued her dream of volunteering overseas, a self-made sabbatical, by applying for an Australian Volunteers Program role with EWB Australia in the Cambodia office. “I called up someone from EWB because most of my engineering experience was more in strategy, not necessarily the hands-on technical detail and design that most people think engineering is all about,” Nicole said. “And they came back saying, no, actually we need that specific skill set.”In Perth, Nicole works in the water utility sector, a line of work that engenders a profound sense of responsibility. “Everybody needs [clean water], every single community needs it,” she said. “Most people in Australia can turn the tap on and they can take it for granted that they have what they need and that it’s going to be safe. And then moving into places like Cambodia, you no longer get to take that for granted.”

Nicole and a student during a visit to a school in Siem Reap.

Nicole’s first stint in Phnom Penh began in January of 2020. You can probably guess what happened next. Many Australian volunteers were repatriated home in March 2020 and the dream was put on hold – for a few years, at least.  

Once the program started up again, she persevered and headed back to Cambodia at the end of 2022, this time with her partner in tow. Nicole had done a lot of travel over the years (fun fact: she’s visited every continent, including Antarctica!) but her partner was a little less sure. “I was comfortable, I knew what to expect [going back]. I knew how [the program] is so supportive and does a really good job introducing you to the country,” she said. The logistics of moving to a new country can be daunting but the Australian Volunteers Program has been doing this for a long time. Visas and insurance are included, you receive a living and accommodation stipend, there is support in finding affordable accommodation, and you’re entitled to receive language training. And best of all, according to Nicole, you’re inducted with a group of volunteers who are all in the same country. “It’s almost like, ‘Hey,  here’s a support group, pre-made for you’,” she said. 

So at the end of 2022, Nicole started again in Phnom Penh (second time’s the charm, in this case) as a WASH capacity mentor. “A capacity mentor is about mentoring individuals so that their technical and professional skills are increased,” Nicole said. “I think that’s a really rewarding way to work because it’s much more sustainable. Some organisations will think volunteers are just consultants. You come in, you do your project and you leave. But [when I leave] I’m leaving all the understanding and the knowledge in how to do this work.”

Assistive Technology Officer, Mengheang, and Nicole testing the quality of wastewater samples.

The role of a WASH capacity mentor asks you to jump into a variety of projects and lend your expertise in a sustainable way, contributing both to the outcomes of the project and upskilling your team members equally. For Nicole, the work she collaborated on was varied, from practical solutions and prototyping (“People might bring pipes and gears and all sorts of bits and pieces to the office to build pilot technology,” she said) to whiteboard brainstorming and strategy. Being placed in the Cambodian capital meant she and the other engineers were often able to go out into the field and get direct feedback from the community. EWB works with several rural and remote Cambodian villages developing new sanitation technologies, so travel to these places is often an adventure in itself – think tuk-tuk to bus to car to boat and back again. 

Other elements of culture shock can creep into volunteer life too. Coming from the Australian context, international volunteers often discover an entirely different set of parameters in their new roles. From differences in office hierarchies, culture or language barriers, and complex field issues of access and resources, volunteering can be as challenging as it is rewarding. “It is a very difficult environment to work in sometimes,” Nicole said. “It takes a lot of time to find your feet and it requires a lot of support from local or experienced people, but there’s no point beating yourself up about it.” 

What does a day in the life look like for an EWB engineer? It’s very different to living and working in Australia, although it starts out much the same. 

“I would wake up, get ready, go down the elevator,” Nicole said. “I was living in the city in an apartment, it actually overlooked the Russian market [Tuol Tompoung], pretty cool. Then I order a tuk on an app to get to the office – they have great apps, it’s basically Uber for tuk-tuks.”

“The day would be filled with whatever projects we were doing. I was mostly in the EWB office, but sometimes I might need to go to, say, the government’s workshops or meetings. After work, you could just jump on a tuk-tuk and within ten minutes get anywhere you wanted to go, and there are some really incredible places to eat.”

The view from Nicole’s apartment, overlooking Tuol Tompong (the Russian Market).

The benefits of living and working in Cambodia are too many to name but include: quick and easy access to South East Asia (“I went to South Korea for a week because they’ve got direct flights!”) and plentiful time outside of work to pursue other interests (Nicole is writing a sci-fi novel and completed some online writing courses while in Cambodia). 

One last question for Nicole: what was the best meal you ate in Cambodia? “I really like Fish Amok. It’s this beautiful smooth curry that’s the national dish.” 

Actually, you don’t need to go all the way to Cambodia to try fish amok – you can try it at Country Cobb Bakery in Melbourne, run by two Cambodian brothers. Their Khmer creation, the Fish Amok pie, won Australia’s best pie in 2023. If you’re yearning for a taste of adventure, why not try it in pie-form first. 

Food aside, the advice Nicole would give to prospective volunteers is all about expectations. “I think a lot of people go into this sort of thing, assuming ‘I’m going to change the world’,” Nicole said. “I went to try and provide value, but I feel that maybe I got more out of it. Part of what attracted me to being an international volunteer was knowing that by throwing myself into a different cultural context, I would have to adapt and learn and discover different ways of doing things. And that personal growth was definitely one of the strongest draw points.”

If you’re interested in pursuing your own supported sabbatical, consider volunteering overseas as an Australian Volunteers Program Field Professional with EWB.

The post Remote field visits, tuk-tuk commutes, and fish amok: a year in the life of an Australian volunteer appeared first on Engineers Without Borders Australia.

Increasing uncertainty

Vanuatu is one of the most at risk countries in the world for natural disasters, especially tropical cyclones, and the frequency and intensity of cyclones is increasing due to climate change. Cyclone Lola hit Vanuatu on 26 October 2023 impacting 80,000 people.[1] The Category 5 cyclone was the third major one to hit Vanuatu in seven months.[2] Critical infrastructure including roads, bridges, schools and homes were wiped out, and communities who were only just beginning to recover from the twin cyclones in March, Judy and Kevin, were again faced with the mammoth task of rebuilding what was lost and damaged.[3]

This is just one example of the impacts of climate change. It highlights that the increasing uncertainty in our changing world means infrastructure needs to be more resilient to better prepare communities to face the growing frequency and intensity of disasters.

But infrastructure is much more than concrete and steel

When we think of infrastructure that is climate-resilient, we might think of strong buildings; hardy, weather-resistant roads; or continuous electricity. Few would question this, and the ability of infrastructure to withstand increasingly harsh and frequent weather events is certainly an important part of resilience to a changing climate. But this is only half the story.

Climate-resilient infrastructure is about much more than the strength and resistance of concrete and steel. It’s also much more than an ability to cope with and absorb prevailing conditions, or even building back when disaster strikes. It may sound obvious, but the reason for infrastructure to be climate-resilient is so that people can access, use and benefit from those facilities and services over time.

The Australian Pacific Climate Partnership’s Resilient Infrastructure Good Practice Guide, emphasises that infrastructure assets should be planned and budgeted for, designed, built, operated and maintained ‘based on inclusive design and stakeholder engagement, while also building broader community resilience, and where possible, supporting improved capacity of individuals, industry and governments.’^[4] In the context of disasters, the Humanitarian Advisory Group’s Framework for Green Humanitarian Action in the Pacific, emphasises the need for humanitarian infrastructure to be sustainable and climate-resilient, and highlights the importance of ensuring local communities and traditional knowledge, values and practices inform the design and management of infrastructure.[5] Climate-resilient infrastructure is inherently about people, and our approach to it has significant implications for accessibility, gender equality, and social inclusion.

Climate-resilient infrastructure is both social and technical. Research shows that even the most critical of human needs have relational and physical aspects. Infrastructure assets like water services, shelter, and transport are deeply interconnected with production and livelihoods; psycho-social wellbeing; understandings and continuation of culture and identity; and for sustaining the ongoing satisfaction of needs over time.[6] Such needs are socio-economic, psycho-social, cultural, and in some cases all-encompassing – each reflecting social assets of infrastructure which, in contrast to physical resources, are not scarce.^[7] Looking beyond quantitative metrics like litres, windspeed, and temperature to also listen to and acknowledge lived experience, perspective, traditional knowledge and culture, represents a significant extension to how we typically think about minimum standards, humanitarian and international development goals, and articles of legislation.^[8]

The challenge of a truly socio-technical approach to climate-resilient infrastructure is in no small part because it introduces the element of choice. And with choice comes some especially challenging concepts, like equity, rights, and justice. As the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group points out, ‘community-based resilience is potentially the most powerful, most enduring, and most achievable form of resilience’, and is ‘complex system of integrating parts.[9] This is an uncomfortable space for many of us working with the built environment who feel at home talking about cubic metres and kilowatts, which are easy to measure. A deficit of wellbeing or social cohesion is much more difficult to assess and operationalise.[10] Nonetheless, the difficulty of engaging in this space reflects its importance.

What’s next?

This is just the beginning. There are challenges to address and opportunities to improve how climate-resilient infrastructure is designed and built using a socio-technical approach. Areas requiring a deeper dive by the humanitarian and development sectors, including donors, policy makers and built environment practitioners, in partnership with governments and most importantly communities experiencing increasing disasters include:

• Localisation and infrastructure
• The challenges of reaching net-zero infrastructure
• Barriers to and opportunities for climate-resilient infrastructure
• The mutual complementarity of climate action, humanitarian action, and environmental protection
• Moving from climate ‘adaptation’ to climate ‘agency’ in the built environment

Learning and improving in these areas will take time, but we are already on our way. As an example, Tropical Cyclone Pam, which hit Vanuatu in 2015, has been described as “a bit of a game-changer”, in terms of how the Vanuatu Government and development partners have engaged around infrastructure.[11] EWB’s Sanitation in Challenging Environments program continues to grow and iterate after 15 years of community-centred climate adaptation and evidence gathering. So too New Zealand has been working with the Vanuatu Government and communities for 15 years on projects such as water supply in schools, which are now proving to be good examples of climate-resilient infrastructure that are withstanding the additional pressures of increasing cyclones. Climate-resilient infrastructure is a long game, but it’s one we must play.

Infrastructure involves and affects people in profound and everyday ways. A built environment that is climate-resilient should be locally led; people-focused; and elevate the importance of culture, relationships and social support. This is what truly climate-resilient infrastructure looks like.

[1] ABC Pacific (2023) Footage shows havoc caused by Tropical cyclone Lola in Vanuatu

[2] Reliefweb (2023) Cyclone Lola leaves trail of destruction in northern Vanuatu, warning for cyclone season

[3] Radio New Zealand (2023) Fears of infrastructure, housing damage as cyclone Lola damage evaluation continues in Vanuatu

[4] Australia Pacific Climate Partnership (2023) Resilient Infrastructure Good Practice Guide

[5] Haruhiru, HAG & lese (2023) Framework for Greening Humanitarian Action in the Pacific. Humanitarian Horizons. Melbourne: HAG

[6] McArdle P. (2022) Transforming water scarcity: community responses in Yemen and Australia, The University of Sydney

[7] Sandole, D. (2013) Extending the reach of Basic Human Needs: a comprehensive theory for the twenty-first century, in Conflict Resolution and Human Needs (pp. 39–57). Routledge

[8] McArdle P. (2022) Transforming water scarcity: community responses in Yemen and Australia, The University of Sydney

[9] Australian Security Leaders Climate Group (2023) Alternative Commonwealth Capabilities for Crisis Response Discussion Paper – Submission

[10] Avruch, K. & Mitchell, C. (2013) Introduction: Basic Human Needs in theory and practice. In K. Avruch & C. Mitchell (Eds.), Conflict Resolution and Human Needs. Routledge

[11] Radio New Zealand (2023) Fears of infrastructure, housing damage as cyclone Lola damage evaluation continues in Vanuatu

.     

The post Building resilience to increasing uncertainty: the role of climate-resilient infrastructure appeared first on Engineers Without Borders Australia.

When the devastating floods first hit Dili in April 2021, over 11,000 people were displaced from their homes and 45% of Dili’s population were without ongoing or reliable access to clean water. While the need for safe and clean water was immediately addressed through the provision of clean water delivery and temporary filtration systems, it was the significant impacts on infrastructure to key sections of Dili’s water system that required more significant reparation works. EWB was part of a partnership which included Be’e Timor-Leste E.P. (Dili’s newly established water utility), PARTISIPA (the Australian Government’s program supporting the government of Timor Leste in subnational infrastructure and decentralisation) and global engineering firm Cardno/DT Global. The project was led by the Timor-Leste Government, funded by the Australian Government and construction was completed by local contactor RMS. 

Local contractor, RMS, pouring concrete in a pipe encasing in Beemos. During the April 2021 floods, the river channel changed and piping was exposed. To enhance its durability and ensure long-term resilience, the pipe’s alignment was lowered and encased in fibre-reinforced concrete.

Although intended as an emergency response, in reality the project was a full situational analysis leading into infrastructure design and construction, in order to build back better. Two sites were the major focus of this project – one in Mutudare River (a steep and narrow river valley in the foothills adjacent to Dili) and the other in Beemos River (a much larger river with an expansive catchment area, a tributary of Dili’s main river, the Comoro). The Beemos River supplies the most significant source of water for Dili’s entire water system, providing up to 3.5 ML of water daily. With a large catchment area and very fast concentration time as a result of the steep surrounding terrain, the Beemos River saw flood waters up to 6 metres deep during the April 2021 event. The impact of flash flooding this severe was catastrophic to all infrastructure in its path, hence a new approach of burying HDPE pipeline out of harm’s way was adopted for the system repair. Mutudare River also saw extremely high-velocity flooding, which caused catastrophic damage to existing infrastructure. 

Repairs to the Beemos system were made by DWSERP over 900 metres, using 300-mm-diameter HDPE and steel pipelines, as well as the construction of two major scour valve pits (one over 5 metres high), a new pipe bridge, two river crossings and an 80-metre-long concrete-encased gabion pipe protection structure. At Mutudare, 500 metres of 300 mm HDPE and 150 mm steel pipe was installed, all trenched into gravel and bedrock as deep as 3 metres in some places. Also at Mutudare, a new weir, intake tank and protection structure were constructed, as well as four river crossings, a scour valve and rehabilitation of a historic pipe bridge from the era of Portuguese colonisation. Overall, the project sought to benefit approximately 70,000 people who receive supply from these systems and, more broadly, the 221,000 people who reside in the capital of Dili. 

EWB, DT Global and RMS meeting on site to discuss the re-design of the intake weir and intake tank at Mutudare following heavy rain during construction, which destabilised the adjacent embankment. The re-design sped up construction, mitigated safety concerns for workers and reduced the amount of concrete required overall, therefore reducing the emissions footprint of the infrastructure.

The wet season

The intensity of the wet seasons in Timor-Leste played havoc with this project, particularly when pipeline construction was surrounded by steep embankments and in fast-flowing rivers. During the project, two of the three largest rainfall events of the year occurred in the midst of construction on the Mutudare site. This extreme weather destroyed newly constructed trenches and pipework, which increased the duration of the construction phase of the project. During these flood events, the water moves incredibly fast – in the 2021 floods, the torrent moved metres-long slabs of concrete (weighing as much as 5 tonnes) hundreds of metres downstream. Choices in design and materials needed to have long-term sustainability in mind. To address this, pipes were buried, which ensured future-fit infrastructure. Pipework was also encased in concrete where its alignment crossed under the bed from one river bank to the other, to protect it against such powerful flash flooding. In fact, concrete featured heavily throughout the construction due to its strength and durability, but the team was conscious of its contribution to the creation of carbon emissions. As such, it was used only when absolutely necessary. 

Dangers and dilemmas 

The project threw up multiple challenges. Construction necessitated the removal of vegetation and trees which changed the course of some of the smaller creeks and made them vulnerable to further erosion and sediment run-off. Revegetation as part of the project aimed to mitigate these issues. Active landslides were a safety issue, and one of the intake structures was strategically repositioned to counteract future landslides on that site. Unexploded ordnances, including mortars and a landmine dating back to World War II, were discovered on one of the sites and required removal by the local police.

Contractor RMS preparing to lower the alignment of the pipe at crossing 2 at Beemos.

Limitations to accessing specific equipment and materials brought home the kinds of challenges that the Timorese people face every single day. The project required significantly longer lead times – sometimes months instead of weeks – to obtain materials that were unavailable in Timor-Leste. Sourcing materials from Indonesia was at times a faster solution than sourcing them from Australia, and procuring and manufacturing as much as possible within Timor-Leste ensured that some of the elements required were less expensive while providing local employment and skills development. 

One locally available product was heavily used throughout the project – but inadvertently wiped out its supply to an unrelated sector. HDPE pipework expands under pressure, and a PVC foam wrapping allows enough space between the pipe and the concrete encasing to allow for that expansion without causing damage to the structure. A call out to source every PVC foam yoga mat in the country resulted in 200 mats being brought to site for the purpose. It also made for a pretty colourful section of pipework!

The health of the team was also challenged during the project, with several staff suffering from bouts of diarrhoea. This highlighted the effects of poor water quality that are endured by the Timorese people on an all-too-frequent basis. 

Opportunities for local engineers

Feto Enginhera site engineers, Marta and Angelica, with EWB Project Director Richard, onsite at Beemos.

The project was one of the largest and most technically challenging jobs that many of the local project staff had ever worked on. This was particularly so for many of the Timorese female engineers who are still striving to gain meaningful experience in the sector within their own country. Many in the project team leaned into this unique opportunity to provide informal mentoring. For local female engineers like Angelica da Costa, the project has proved a career game-changer, with several now employed in roles with local programs.

Angelica is a Timorese civil engineer and a member of Feto Enginhera who worked as a site supervisor on the project for over 12 months. Angelica has volunteered her time with EWB since 2020 through Feto Enginhera. As a site supervisor, she monitored the project to ensure materials adhered to quality and design standards and assessed the quality of construction. For Angelica, this was a unique opportunity to build her technical skills, allowing her to gain confidence in identifying and assessing materials for their quality and environmental impact. She describes the project as a great experience which gave her the opportunity to work with a supportive team who collaborated to build skills in data collection.

Female engineers in Timor-Leste continue to face gender stereotypes and few opportunities to apply their practical skills. Empowering engineers like Angelica through participation in projects such as DWSERP is an important step in bridging the gender divide that exists in the industry.

More than clean water

Spending time working near the communities that reside along the rivers also afforded moments for the project team to support them where they could. In one instance, excess sand and concrete was offered to a local family, and the construction team helped them form a concrete slab for their new home. It is something this family ordinarily could never afford, and now they have built a sturdy house on top. Locals were also regularly employed as security on the worksites, to keep a watchful eye on the build mid-construction, and as labourers to construct the works and gain construction experience. 

While there were many other positive outcomes as a result of the project, the primary focus was on the provision of clean, safe water – for the long term. Nearing the conclusion of the project, and enroute to the airport, one of our team drove past a young girl and boy who would have been around 12 years old. They were carrying two 10-litre jerry cans – one in each hand – filled with water from an unclean river. It is this scenario that this project seeks to stop.

The post Inside the Dili Water System Emergency Repair program appeared first on Engineers Without Borders Australia.

Photovoice is a qualitative participatory research method that empowers community members to document and reflect upon their lived experience through photography. It was pioneered by researchers in 1992 as a tool to collect stories from women living in villages in the rural Yunnan province of China. The researchers asked the women to share their lived experience by taking photographs in their communities and then writing a reflection to accompany each photo. Their reflections were then shared with policy makers seeking insight about the community’s needs. 

By centering community members’ voices and expertise in their lived experiences, photovoice improves the quality of collected data by reducing potential bias imparted by data collectors external to the community. Today, photovoice can be used either as a tool for intervention or as a monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) tool to provide feedback and to reflect upon a specific project.  

Photovoice is implemented through five steps:

1) Recruit participants

• This is usually a diverse group of people from the target community impacted by the project or project stakeholders.

2) Orient participants

• Provide a specific prompt relevant to what is being investigated to guide participants.

3) Create images

• Equip participants with knowledge of photography and smartphone camera use to elicit quality photographs.

4) Interpret images

• Facilitate reflections from participants about their captured photographs with guided questions to provide insight into their perspectives.

5) Utilise photo-stories

• Advocate for positive change and improve programs with the resultant photo-stories.

Dr Jess MacArthur

The introduction of photovoice at EWB was facilitated by Dr Jess MacArthur, an expert in qualitative research and a background in chemical engineering. As part of her PhD studies with the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney, Jess created the qualKit, a curated set of qualitative MEL tools designed for gender equality and social inclusion programs. Jess now works as a research and learning adviser with Pro-Wash and Scale and as an adjunct fellow at the Institute for Sustainable Futures in monitoring and evaluation of water and sanitation programming. After being approached by EWB, Jess generously volunteered her time and expertise to train EWB’s Engineering team on photovoice. 

The photos produced using photovoice may not make for visually striking images but they can powerfully advocate for positive change and amplify the voices of local community members. “It’s not necessarily about the quality of the photo, it’s more about what the photo is representing,” said Jess.

As part of the Cambodian team’s photovoice training, they conducted photovoice in Ankaol village in Kep province as an intervention tool to identify the different community experiences relating to open defecation. While the challenges regarding women’s safety around accessing sanitation is well documented, the use of photovoice brought to light the challenges associated with unsafe access to sanitation as a result of wet weather, particularly for elderly residents or people living with a disability. The training itself was also an eye-opening experience for the team. When given the photovoice prompt, they found themselves seeing the community (a community they had visited numerous times) in a new light. 

Photovoice “opens the net to capture things that we normally don’t think about,” explained Jess. When participants of different demographic groups (such as women and men) are given the same prompt, there is a plethora of research showing that they produce very different images, demonstrating the value of documenting diverse community perspectives. “Each person coming to the same topic will create an image that’s very different … which is very valuable – seeing what they highlight and what’s important to them,” said Jess. 

Throughout the training process, the team learnt important considerations around the implementation of photovoice, such as partnering with community members to ensure prompts are culturally sensitive. While photovoice can be a tool to rebalance power, it is important to consider that the photovoice process can also be a barrier to participants who have low digital literacy. Spending time to equip participants with the skills and knowledge to document their stories is essential to ensure ethical data collection.

The addition of photovoice to EWB’s MEL toolkit will enable the team to strengthen their data collection processes and inform learnings. Capturing diverse perspectives through the power of imagery will complement the collection of quantitative data and allow EWB to continue to learn from our successes and challenges.

EWB would like to thank Dr Jess MacArthur for her generosity in volunteering her expertise and time to train the international teams and facilitate the use of photovoice at EWB. 

Interested in volunteering your skills and expertise with EWB? Take a look at our current volunteer opportunities. You can also get in touch with us at info@ewb.org.au.

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The people of Koh Tnoat live on one of the Mekong’s many riverine islands and rely on water from the river for drinking, washing, cooking, and watering their gardens and livestock. But water from the river, having travelled far through dams and areas of heavy agriculture, often isn’t safe to use, let alone drink.

The challenge of delivering clean water to Koh Tnoat is a complicated engineering problem but one that Cambodian engineer and EWB Engineering Technology Project Lead Mariny Chheang wanted to tackle nonetheless. Mariny studied Environmental Engineering at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand and finished her bachelor’s degree in Water Resources Engineering and Rural Infrastructures at ITC in Cambodia. While studying, Mariny visited remote communities and was shocked by what she found. 

“I went to […] the community on the river, the floating village, and I saw they drink the same water [as they use for washing] and the water looked like coffee,” she said. “And it made me feel like I have to work on this [for] my country”.

Mariny in Koh Tnoat for construction of the water treatment plant.

The Koh Tnoat water problem

The town of Koh Tnoat needed clean water and until now, no one had been able to crack this problem. For centuries, water was collected and brought home where it was stored in large concrete jars for several hours. This is an ancient technique used to clarify water as it allows the sediment to settle and clear water can be skimmed off the top. But river water today is different. It’s more polluted from agricultural runoff and chemicals and during monsoon season, it’s incredibly turbid. 

In 2017, a local NGO called the Cambodian Rural Development Team (CRDT) installed a water distribution system for agriculture and irrigation. The system was designed to transport water from the Mekong into a central water tower through 3,000 metres of piping to around 60 houses using solar power. The problem? Buffalo are heavy. The pipes weren’t buried deep enough and weren’t robust enough to stand up to the soil impaction created by the buffalo on the island. The pipes cracked and the water pressure became unreliable. People reverted to the old ways of collecting water.

Community consultations 

The CRDT team reached out to EWB in 2019 hoping that, together, they could fix the water problem in Koh Tnoat. When Mariny and the EWB team arrived in Koh Tnoat, they spoke to the community about what was needed. They expected to learn the community wanted water primarily for agricultural use but a different story emerged during the community consultations. The people of Koh Tnoat wanted clean water, pumped into their homes, for everyday use.

”We found that they use [untreated water] for drinking, cooking, and home consumption. Everyone said ‘We need clean water’. They live on [an] island, they have a lot of water around them, but it’s not that easy to access,” Mariny said. 

Consultation with the Koh Tnoat community in November 2022.

Clean water would change the lives of the Koh Tnoat community, particularly the women as the task of collecting water falls to them. Each morning, women make their way to the river’s edge with two 20-litre buckets attached to bamboo support poles. It’s not an easy chore as the edge of the river is steep, especially in the dry season when the water levels drop low and squelchy mud lines the bank. Even women who’ve just given birth are expected to make the trip to the river to collect water. Mariny and the team committed to providing clean water directly to 60 households, a community farm, a commune, and a primary school. 

Finding a solution

Although the onset of COVID-19 and travel restrictions slowed the work, the EWB team prototyped and tested solutions from 2021. To stand up to the weight of the buffalo, the PVC piping would need to be swapped out for high-density polyethylene (HDPE) instead. The system would need to be powered by solar as Koh Tnoat isn’t hooked up to the grid. 

The previous solution installed solar power panels but the system didn’t have enough capacity to pump water through the three kilometres of pipes needed to reach every household. In 2022, the Cambodian team retrofitted the existing solar system to increase capacity, allowing the system to pump water all day. Once the distribution system was completed in April 2022, Mariny and her team got to work designing a water filtration system to fit the existing infrastructure.  

During this time, we engaged our pro bono technical partner, Aurecon, to support the design of a water treatment plant. They jumped on board and shared their technical expertise, overseeing the design of a filtration prototype. After years of collaboration and prototype testing, Mariny designed a solution inspired by those same traditional water purification techniques that served the community for millennia. 

Sand filtration

Sand filtration is a filtration method that uses sand from the Mekong to filter out algae and particles of sediment from the water. Raw water from the Mekong is pre-treated in a coagulation in-flow tank, mixing with poly-aluminium chloride (PAC) to encourage sediment to form clumps (floc) and, eventually, be filtered out. From here, the water flows into the flocculation tank and a system of baffles is used to slow the flow and allow the particles time to collide, bind, and settle. The water then runs into the sand filter.

Construction of the base of the water treatment plant in Koh Tnoat.

The sand used in the filter must have a diameter of between 1 and 1.5 millimetres to effectively filter the water. If the sand is too coarse, it won’t filter particles as well and if the sand is too fine, it won’t allow the water to flow through fast enough. Mariny and her team have worked with the community to find and test the right type of sand to allow the filter to work optimally, sourcing the sand from the banks of the Mekong itself. The water that emerges from the filtration system isn’t strictly drinkable – like most places in Cambodia, people are still encouraged to boil the water to kill any remaining bacteria before drinking but it’s clean enough for washing, cooking, and agriculture.

The sand filtration and distribution system will be maintained by a supported local water operator from the community, giving control and independence over their water supply to the people of Koh Tnoat. 

The bottom line

The team is on track to complete the Koh Tnout project by December 2023. The total material cost of providing clean water to an entire community comes in at just under $70,000 Australian dollars. Koh Tnoat’s solar-powered water filtration system will become the blueprint for providing clean water to remote communities in Cambodia and beyond.

Fund this work and other projects like it – make a donation today and make a difference for communities like the Koh Tnoat community.

This project received technical support from EWB pro bono partner, Aurecon. EWB Australia’s work in Cambodia receives support from the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).

The post How traditional sand filtration methods are solving complex engineering problems in Cambodia appeared first on Engineers Without Borders Australia.

In Darlau, a village in Timor-Leste, collecting water was until recently a slow and physically demanding task. Every day, residents would trek to the only springwater supply and carry buckets back up a steep hill. This job was generally done by women and children – a round trip that could take up to 2 hours, and in extreme heat during summer.

Darlau is located only 11 kilometres southeast of the capital city of Dili, but its location and topography mean its 1200 residents are highly isolated. The village is set on mountainous terrain and is reached by steep, muddy roads, which are often cut off by floods during the wet season. Basic support from the government often fails to reach Darlau, which has only recently received electricity.

EWB was introduced to the community in May 2022 through local Timorese non-government organisation, Permatil, when EWB was seeking to run participatory design workshops with a community that could benefit from engineering solutions. Through these workshops, the EWB team heard from the community about a range of challenges they faced in everyday life, spanning household sanitation, agriculture and menstrual health and hygiene. 

As the EWB team listened to and observed the community, it became clear that many of these challenges were linked to an overarching problem – Darlau’s limited access to clean, drinking water. With EWB’s extensive experience in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), the team were confident  that they could solve the community’s water supply problems.

EWB and Darlau residents testing the temporary water supply solution installed in September 2022.

As the project took shape, the EWB team was faced with the challenge of designing a water system for an isolated, mountainous area. They also needed to gain the trust of the community, who were wary of trusting and sharing knowledge with outsiders following unsuccessful or short-lived past attempts at rehabilitating the water supply. 

Over the next year, EWB worked closely with the community to build trust and design a water system that would work effectively in the terrain, meet the community’s needs and lessen the burden on women and children for water collection. 

Fostering trust and deep understanding 

EWB Technology Development Lead, Romeus, working with Darlau residents to rehabilitate the existing water supply in the community.

In May 2022, EWB started its consultation with the community through focus groups and participatory design workshops. These workshops, run over the course of a week, were an important part of EWB’s use of human-centred design to identify and explore problems that the Darlau community was facing. Used in a range of projects, EWB’s participatory design process combines a variety of formats and exercises, including group discussions to learn about the history of the community, interviews with community members in their homes, and focus groups honing in on gender-specific issues.

As the EWB team continued to learn more about Darlau, a fuller picture emerged. It became clear to the team that EWB’s consultation and design process had to be gender responsive. Women and children were largely responsible for collecting the water for cooking, drinking, bathing and washing clothes.

As women within the community felt much of the burden of water collection, it was important for EWB to integrate their experiences into developing a solution. The team prioritised improving female participation in workshops to identify gender-specific issues and later established a majority female Group Management Facility, who lead the operation and maintenance of Darlau’s water facilities.

Building the water system 

Darlau residents supporting the installation of the temporary water supply system.

Navigating the mountainous terrain was a challenge for the team during the wet season that occurs between December and May, when heavy rain floods steep roads and blocks access to Darlau. To get ahead of these challenges, the EWB team swung into early action in July 2022. The installation of a temporary water supply solution in September marked a turning point in the EWB and Darlau relationship, with greater trust and goodwill fostered now that a functional solution had been delivered. Improved collaboration and sharing were key to the design and implementation process, with the community sharing vital knowledge of local geography and existing infrastructure. 

The community had been hesitant to share details about their natural resources and springwater due to its spiritual significance and the cultural practices associated with it. Building on the trust that had been established following the installation of the temporary water supply solution, EWB was given the location of a secret spring in February 2023, marking another significant milestone. The spring was located in challenging terrain that required specific expertise to address. Prior to concreting this natural spring, EWB was invited to a cultural ceremony conducted by the community to appease the spirits traditionally watching over the mountains.

EWB attending a cultural ceremony held by Darlau residents in August 2023.

This became the site for the permanent refurbished water system, which EWB developed to avoid the design and maintenance issues that had affected previous water systems. EWB re-designed the water pipeline system to ensure it worked around changes in elevation in the area, and implemented an automatically controlled pumping reticulation system. The permanent refurbished water system was finalised in July 2023.  

Responsibility for design, construction and maintenance of the new system was shared across different groups. The EWB Australia in Timor-Leste team, with support from Feto Enginhera interns, provided engineering analysis, detailed design, project management and construction monitoring. Feto Enginhera is a locally-led group of female Timorese engineers. They were assisted in fabrication and construction work by Dom Bosco intern volunteers. Local community members also took an active part in the project through ongoing discussions and negotiations. Some local volunteers took on labouring roles, encouraging a sense of community ownership of the water supply. 

The refurbishment provided the community with a significantly improved and efficient water system. Compared to the previous system, the new system increased flow rate from 300 to 1500 litres per hour, and reduced pump power consumption by a factor of 4. More than 115 households and 1200 people now directly benefit from improved access to water. Average walking time to the water supply was reduced from 56 minutes to under 5 minutes, significantly reducing the burden on women and children. 

Creating opportunities for Timorese female engineers

EWB Technology Development Lead, Romeus, and Feto Enginhera intern, Angelica, in Darlau.

As well as improving the daily lives of the Darlau community, the project also provided work experience for female Timorese engineers. The EWB team were supported by interns from Feto Enginhera, a locally led group which aims to support Timorese women in engineering and break down the social, economic and cultural barriers that women face in the sector. Female engineers in Timor often struggle to find opportunities where they can apply their skills, with gender stereotypes and a lack of female role models preventing them from fully participating in the industry.

A long-term partner of EWB, Feto Enginhera aims to address these challenges by fostering a network of female engineers and building their professional capability through work experience and mentoring. Feto Enginhera interns support EWB’s work in Timor Leste with engineering and project management and provide valuable assistance with community consultations.

Four Feto Enginhera interns were involved in the project in Darlau, gaining project supervision experience through construction monitoring. The Darlau project was an opportunity for these interns to build capacity and expertise, giving them firsthand experience in the planning, design and implementation of a community water supply project.

The successful involvement of Feto Enginhera interns fed into the development of EWB’s new Feto to the Front project, which recently secured funding through the US Embassy Small Grant Fund. Feto to the Front formalises the approach used in Darlau, with a focus on promoting the careers of Timorese women engineers by giving them a leading role in two water and sanitation projects. The program therefore has a dual approach, addressing both the immediate challenge of water access in rural Timor-Leste and the systemic challenge of gender inequality in the engineering sector.

Can you support next steps in Darlau?

To ensure the water system is well maintained, EWB is currently providing training and technical support to a newly formed community-led Group Management Facility. The GMF is specifically intended to support women’s equal involvement, with local women commenting that this will ‘help create gender equality’ and demonstrate their ability to contribute to the community through technical work.  Selected community members will act as leaders to operate and maintain the water system.

The trust that EWB has now established with the Darlau community provides the groundwork to explore new projects to pilot. Moving forward, EWB plans to explore new potential infrastructure projects such as a large-scale ceramic water filter for schools or an accessible community toilet.

EWB Australia’s work in Timor-Leste receives support from the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).

If you would like to support EWB’s work with communities overseas, please donate here. 

The post Building a reliable water supply for the residents of Darlau, Timor-Leste appeared first on Engineers Without Borders Australia.

In applying a coordinated approach to addressing its infrastructure needs, Rawa Community School’s leadership team approved an Infrastructure Redevelopment Program in 2018. METIO – a social enterprise that provides project development and project management services to meet community needs – was appointed to undertake a needs assessment and program of works, in consultation with the community. The METIO team has since project-managed a series of improvements to the school infrastructure and grounds, with support from a range of organisations that provided pro bono services and funding for the program.

The initial phase of the redevelopment involved the renovation of a sports court and the school’s main building at its Punmu campus and the building of a new sports court and shade structure at its Kunawarritji campus. This phase was supported by EWB and pro bono partner Arup for the engineering design needs.

Following those works, the next phase focused on the provision of water and sanitation facilities, and outdoor learning spaces at the Punmu campus. Two aged and abandoned buildings were demolished to make way for new infrastructure – part of the master plan that has been co-designed by METIO, EWB, EIW architects, Four Landscape Studio and the school community. All of these organisations provided this design work pro bono. These works included relocation and improvements to the existing transportable toilets; provision for new drinking water fountains, fences and gates; as well as providing a shaded outdoor learning space for the students and families. 

Progress and diversion

EWB partners Epiroc and Atlas Copco provided financial and volunteering support for this phase as part of their “Water for All” program, founded on the premise that “clean water is a human right”. A key component is the building of landscaped outdoor classrooms, called “learning bubbles”, which are essential to the unique learning environment at the school. Attendance, engagement and learning outcomes have been significantly enhanced when the children can spend time outdoors On Country. To date this has been weather dependent, and with average maximum temperatures regularly above 40°C, conditions are often too hot without adequate shading. A sustainable school garden with local species and bush food has also been scaped, which will aim to improve health, community and learning outcomes, with some of the Epiroc team travelling to Punmu to help with the construction work. The new facilities were officially opened in November 2022.

Pro bono partners have been vital to this project. Their support ensures that a project can actually happen. But they also unlock other projects that are underfunded.

“For the RAWA project, the pro bono support has meant we can divert the funds earmarked for part of the work that’s now being supported with pro bono, to another part of the project that needs to be funded. It fills a critical gap that often can’t be filled by other funding sources,” says Humberto Marum, Principal, METIO.

EWB’s pro bono program develops partnerships to channel engineering skills into projects that are needed in the communities with whom we work – in remote First Nations communities, as well as in Cambodia, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu. For more information contact partnerships@ewb.org.au.

The post Engineering partnerships critical for progress: the case at Rawa appeared first on Engineers Without Borders Australia.

The link between sanitation and education became especially apparent when the COVID-19 pandemic hit Cambodia, with school closures resulting in the disruption of learning. Improving hand hygiene was a key part of reopening schools safely and minimising disruption to education. 

The EWB Australia in Cambodia team has recently partnered with local student-run organisation, Cambodia Rural Students Trust (CRST) to install handwashing stations across five rural schools in Siem Reap, aiming to improve access to sanitation and create a foundation for positive educational outcomes. Alongside their work designing and installing handwashing stations, EWB also worked closely with CRST to assess 10 schools in Siem Reap on their provision of sanitation facilities.

Andreas Zurbrugg, the Deputy Ambassador from the Australian Embassy in Cambodia, visiting the EWB Australia in Cambodia team in Siem Reap to see our handwashing stations.

WASH and Education

Approximately 22% of schools in Cambodia lack basic drinking water services and 37% of schools lack basic sanitation services. Ensuring adequate sanitation can be a challenge in rural areas in particular, due to poor infrastructure and a lack of awareness about hygiene. 

Hygiene became a key priority for schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. In an interview, Tan Sopheak, principal of Sret Secondary School in Siem Reap, emphasised the need for good hygiene practices to keep students engaged and consistently attending school.

‘Washing hands prevents illnesses and the spread of infections to others. If any students are infected, they will miss school and spend time at the hospital.’ 

Making sanitation facilities widely available, including at schools, is an important part of reducing dropout rates. This applies particularly to female students, who often drop out of school to help take care of their families. 

Tan Sopheak stressed that improving sanitation in rural areas and providing a hygienic, clean environment would impact students’ lives for many years to come.

‘If we are not healthy, everything is impossible to accomplish. Overall, health is incredibly important.’ 

Assessing sanitation in Siem Reap schools

The EWB team supported community partner, CRST, in conducting sanitation infrastructure assessments at 10 schools in rural Siem Reap. EWB ran a series of workshops which trained CRST in conducting field assessments, developing assessment templates and measuring infrastructure. Through the workshops, CRST were able to build the skills they needed to successfully carry out this assessment and other similar work in the future. 

EWB also helped CRST expand the scope of their assessment, widening the focus from drinking water to incorporate other questions about water source, number of toilets, gender inclusivity and disability inclusion. 

The results from these assessments were provided to the schools, giving suggestions for improvements they could implement and which facilities were needed to ensure good hand hygiene and access to clean drinking water.

Installing accessible handwashing stations

An accessible handwashing station installed at Sret Secondary School.

  EWB Australia in Cambodia first began designing accessible handwashing stations in 2021 in response to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. These stations were implemented in COVID-19 treatment centres and quarantine centres throughout the year. They were specifically designed to minimise touchpoints, operated using a foot-operated pedal.  

The positive response to these stations led the EWB Australia in Cambodia team to expand the initiative to schools. Handwashing stations were installed at five primary schools in Siem Reap province, providing accessible sanitation facilities to 490 students and 30 teachers.

The stations were designed using EWB’s Technology Development Approach to develop a prototype that considered disability access. The team consulted with community partners throughout the installation process, conducting site visits to schools to better understand their needs. Installation of the handwashing stations commenced in November 2022, with stations at five schools now complete.

The handwashing stations are located in outdoor spaces outside the schools. They were designed to be no-touch, operated using a foot controlled pedal, and are connected to solar panels. The design for the stations also incorporates a ramp to ensure wheelchair access.

The new handwashing stations have been positively received by the schools. Students from the pilot schools reported that they were very happy to use the handwashing stations, washing their hands more frequently each day. 

Student Suengg Sak said, ‘I really like this handwashing station because it’s convenient to use and accessible for all students, especially students with disabilities.’

Improved sanitation and hygiene practices will continue to reap benefits for students like Suengg Sak, who aspires to be a teacher in the future. 

Next steps

EWB Australia Field Professional volunteers with school students in Siem Reap.

The team is now looking ahead to how they can continue the initiative and continue to improve the WASH sector in Cambodia. They are continuing their work with assessing sanitation in schools, currently finalising their data analyses and recommendations. They are also seeking funding to support the installation of more handwashing stations across schools in rural Cambodia.  

Tan Sopheak emphasised the importance of handwashing stations as a way of enabling and empowering students’ education. ‘A handwashing station is very important – it can [help] students stay healthy and reduce the dropout rate.’

The ultimate goal, he says, is to keep students healthy so they can finish their education. ‘Once students are educated, they will know what they want to do and how to get there.’

This project was generously supported by EWB ACT Chapter member Charlotte Fell through a donation received by the GHD Foundation. 

EWB’s work in Cambodia receives support from the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP) and generous donors. You can support our work as well by making a donation here.

The post Piloting handwashing stations in rural Cambodian schools appeared first on Engineers Without Borders Australia.

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. 

‘The [flood] water that ends up in the lagoon collects sediment, debris and, due to poor sanitation systems, human faeces,’ says David. 

Ni-Vanuatu communities like David’s are on the frontline of the climate crisis and are already experiencing firsthand the effects of climate change. 

‘We have seen so many things happening already around us that have a direct link to climate change… flooding, rising sea levels, coastal erosion, loss of marine life and biodiversity,’ David says. ‘When I was a little kid living here, the lagoon was filled with plantations of mangroves and an abundance of marine life. Now, we no longer have these things.’ 

With rainfall projected to increase by 8-9mm by 2030 due to climate change, the Erakor Bridge community was urgently in need of a sanitation solution which could withstand these challenging conditions and safeguard the community from the health risks posed by inadequate sanitation systems. 

A conversation between David and the EWB Australia in Vanuatu team in 2020 led to two years of extensive community consultation and the construction of a community compost toilet that survived not one, but two cyclones, in March this year. 

Origins of the project 

David Kalsal, Erakor Bridge community member

In 2020, David and other environmental activists raised the idea of a community accessible compost toilet with EWB Australia in Vanuatu. The EWB team began designing and prototyping a toilet facility that is adjacent to the community hall, which would be accessible to everyone in the Erakor Bridge community and suitable to the local environment. 

The community had never had access to a public toilet; the high groundwater table coupled with increasingly heavy rainfall meant that household solutions such as pour flush toilets and dry pit toilets had failed in the past. Extensive community consultation was crucial to developing a solution that would meet local needs, withstand environmental challenges and could be sustained in the long run. 

The team, led by EWB’s Technical Program Manager Steve Tarimaemae, began developing a prototype with input from the local community, with David Kalsal acting as a community advocate throughout the process. This was intended to be a long-term project extending to 2025, allowing for thorough consultation prior to building the toilet as well as subsequent monitoring and maintenance.

Designing a community-oriented solution

The EWB Australia in Vanuatu team holding concept exploration workshops with local community partner, The Vanuatu Society for People with Disability.

While exploring and designing options for the compost toilet, the team prioritised sustained and meaningful engagement with the local community. This was key to understanding beneficiaries’ needs, exchanging knowledge about the local environment and ensuring a long-lasting and sustainable solution. 

The team engaged with the community through a 2021 awareness program around pollution levels and sanitation guidelines, holding focus groups to canvas community input. EWB also has a long-term relationship with Vanuatu’s Ministry of Health through a collaborative effort in developing national hygiene and sanitation guidelines and standards.

In accounting for accessibility needs and the inclusion of vulnerable groups, the team consulted with the Vanuatu Society for People with Disability, concentrating in particular on ensuring access to the toilet for a wheelchair user in the community.

Following extensive community consultation and prototyping, the team settled on a design for a raised dual-pit compostable toilet, which was launched at a ceremony in October 2022 attended by the Vanuatu Ministry of Health, the Vanuatu Society for People with Disability, the Shefa Provincial Government Council, UNICEF and a local school.

The launch ceremony held in October 2022.

The toilet has separate pits for urine and faeces, with a soak away system for urine. A key benefit of the toilet is that once the faecal matter dries out sufficiently, it can be repurposed as a source of fertiliser. The toilet has been built 1.1 metres high, thus preventing flooding from washing out waste into the surrounding environment, which has caused health risks in the past. A gravity-fed rainwater tank has also been installed to provide water for handwashing.

David says, ‘After two dedicated years of working on and developing this concept, this year, we finally built it. I am so proud, as this is the first of its kind to be prototyped in my community.’ 

Long-term sustainability and next steps 

Ensuring the long-term sustainability of the facility was a key focus for the EWB team. Any solution had to be able to be maintained within the community and be suitable to meet the community’s needs on an ongoing basis.

The community toilet before and after damage to the local area caused by Cyclones Judy and Kevin.

This was put to the test when Vanuatu was hit by back-to-back tropical cyclones, Cyclones Kevin and Judy, in February and March this year. Despite significant damage to the area, the compost toilet survived intact – a result of its careful construction in this challenging environment.

Going forward, the EWB team is working with the Erakor Bridge community to ensure they can independently manage the toilet on an ongoing basis. A community committee has been trained on operating and maintaining the toilet, including regularly adding sawdust to the toilet, emptying the rubbish bin and cleaning the floor. Once the pit is full, the EWB team will assist the committee to safely empty and dispose of the compost within the community.

The team has extensive monitoring work planned for the next two years, aiming to understand the optimal safety protocols for managing and possibly re-using waste. This has been a key issue with previous compostable toilet projects in Vanuatu. The team is also in the process of exploring ways to scale the solution at a household level by producing a low-cost design that can be implemented by individual families. 

David looks forward to further collaboration to help build the community’s resilience to the environmental challenges that lie ahead. 

“We are looking forward to continuing to work with Engineers Without Borders… so that every household can adapt this system.”

As a lifelong resident of Erakor Bridge, David’s work as an advocate is bringing his community one step closer to ensuring they can continue to call this place home.

EWB’s work in Vanuatu receives support from the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP) and generous donors. You can support our work as well by making a donation here.

The post A climate resilient and community-led solution to sanitation challenges in Vanuatu appeared first on Engineers Without Borders Australia.