Helping communities to help themselves

摘要

Providing aid funding to disadvantaged communities may provide food and water for a while, but building the capacity of those communities to help them-selves will ensure their long-term wellbeing. Capacity building requires people with skills and knowledge to work in partnership with them. Engineering skills and knowledge are among the keys to reducing global poverty. Engineers Without Borders Australia (EWB) works both within Australia and abroad to improve the knowledge and physical resources of people in need through small-scale engineering programs. Our focus is on capacity building within com-munities - sharing technology and expertise to improve the livelihood of our community partners. We also aim to educate Australian engineers and the wider community on issues of sustainable development, appro-priate technology, poverty and the plight of disadvantaged people around the world.