Benefit "Coffee Concert" tonight for Engineers Without Borders

Friday, November 16, 2012

Villagers in Seis de Mayo, Honduras, are building and maintaining water filtration systems thanks to OSU students who are members of Engineers Without Borders. EWB will hold a benefit concert Friday to help fund that project as well as plans to expand to Guatemala. The OSU chapter of Engineers Without Borders is hosting a benefit "Coffee Concert" premiering local musicians and artists on Friday from 7 – 10 p.m. at the BCM (corner of University and Monroe). Sip all-you-can-drink Honduran coffee and enjoy the live concert for only $5 admission, which will help fund an EWB water filtration project in Honduras and a new project in Guatemala. EWB will also be selling bags of Honduran coffee and offering information about their international projects.

"The help we've received from donors over the years has made it possible for several families in the Honduran village of Seis de Mayo to benefit from clean water, thanks to the filters we've introduced there. During our last visit, the group also trained a few local residents and assisted them in starting a business to build and install the filters," said EWB President David Criswell, an engineering junior from Stillwater.

Honduran youngster poses next to his family’s BioSand water filter system.

The EWB team from OSU will return to the village during spring break to support the local BioSand filter business, which is part of a new approach to help residents help themselves. "The foreman for the business was chosen by community leaders. This way, not only do they spread clean water to the surrounding area themselves, they also help the local economy, which suffers from a high unemployment rate," said Criswell.

EWB is also planning a trip to Guatemala in May where the focus will be safe and efficient cooking stoves. "Most residents in the Guatemalan village we plan to visit are still cooking over open campfires, and children commonly suffer from the effects of smoke inhalation," said Criswell. "On top of the health risk, families spend much of their time collecting wood for these inefficient stoves or fires. We'll be working with that community this summer to help design a solution."

Engineers Without Borders at OSU is a part of the national EWB-USA, a non-profit organization of students and faculty from all engineering disciplines whose aim is to engineer solutions to improve the quality of life in developing nations. For more information about EWB, go to ewb-osu.okstate.edu. twitter @EWB_okstate or email ewb.osu@gmail.com.