Anthony Elias
Staff Writer
UT students are showing the world what it means to be a “volunteer.”
Volunteers Without Borders, formerly a student chapter of Engineers Without Borders, is an organization that partners with disadvantaged communities to help improve their life qualities through projects that are environmentally equitable and sustainable. At the same time, VWB trains engineering students and professionals in responsibility internationally.
UT students travel the world to help improve the lives of those in less-developed countries, working on projects such as 4,000-gallon concrete water tanks or 3,000-foot mains with water taps.
Volunteers Without Borders became an independent organization after students shared a common sentiment, said student chapter president Jeremy Mefford, senior in engineering.
“(We already had) a lot of the benefits that would come from being a part of Engineers Without Borders,” he said.
Forbes Walker, associate professor of biosystems engineering and soil science and one of four faculty advisers of VWB, said the student chapter became independent because Engineers Without Borders didn’t capture the spirit of UT’s particular group. “Volunteers Without Borders was a more accurate name for the group,” Walker said.
Currently VWB has been building spring catchment and pipeline to storage tanks in La Fortuna, a small village in Guatemala.
Mefford said despite the change in environment and lifestyle, the “intelligent, level-headed students” didn’t show any signs of culture shock and were “mentally prepared for going down there,” making the trip, overall, a great experience.
“Most of the students on the trip don’t speak Spanish,” Mefford said. “I speak enough Spanish to get by, so I never felt like I was hopeless or lost.”
He said sometimes the villagers were skeptical of their construction projects.
“We were basically (trying to) protect a natural water spring from contamination so that the village could receive clean water, and a lot of the villagers were skeptical that it would work,” he said. “Once it did get working, the villagers were grateful.”
John Schwartz, another of the four faculty advisers of VWB, said he’s enjoyed the experience of working with students who have been committed to their projects.
“The students are very dedicated with their goals to help others in this world,” Schwartz said. “We have a lot of fun, and I enjoy seeing students learn about other cultures and apply their education in a rewarding way helping others. The organization is not just engineers but students from all disciplines. They work well together.”
VWB projects require experience from many fields, Walker said.
“We have expanded from merely implementing engineering projects to encompass a holistic approach to community development,” he said. “We encourage participation from students from all disciplines.”
UT students are working on designs and coordinations of projects that VWB will operate on in the summer when the student organization returns to La Fortuna.
Schwartz said the independent organization has grown successfully and become more popular, but it’s the students who decide what VWB’s direction will be in the future.
“Students’ interest in the organization has grown over the years,” Schwartz said. “The organization is for the students. It’s up to them where they want to take the organization.”
More information on the La Fortuna Project, Volunteers Without Borders or any future projects can be found at http://www.lafortunaproject.org.
