ewb-ucl feasibility reports projects 2013-2014 · 2015. 1. 6. · engineers without borders ucl...

Engineers without Borders UCL Project Teams: Feasibility Reports December 2013

EWB-UCL FEASIBILITY REPORTS

PROJECTS 2013-2014

Project Peru.........................................2

Project Brazil.....................................15

Project Kenya....................................23

Project Ethiopia.................................27

Project Mexico...................................35

Appendix 1: Project Brazil Risk Assessment..........................................................39

Appendix 2: Project Mexico Rainwater Harvesting System Components...........41

Attachment 1: Project Ethiopia Gantt chart (separate excel file)

Attachment 2: Project Mexico Budget Breakdown (separate excel file)

Prepared by Project Team Members:

• Team Peru: Gregory Heidenreich, Laura Santos, Katherine Chimenes, Flavia Ottaviano,

Rob Robotham;

• Team Brazil: Salem Qunsol, Maximillian Allan, Guilherme Yamaguchi, Liam O'Sullivan,

Massimiliano Materazzi;

• Team Kenya: Tonny Okedi, Devang Patel, Evelyne Saelens, Julius McGillivray, Elena

Haddad;

• Team Ethiopia: Stephanie Butcher, Michael Coombs, Emma Jones, Yash Dalvi, Kester

Francis;

• Team Mexico: Gabriela May Lagunes, Alex Zardis, Laura Biesold.

Edited by:

Iwona Bisaga (EWB-UCL Society Manager 2013-2014)

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PROJECT PERU

I) INTRODUCTION

Background, Project History and Intervention Justification:

EWB UCL has been sending out teams to Peru for the past three years. In 2013, a team of three students

went to a small district called Changuillo, in South West part of Peru near Nazca. From research conducted

by email and Skype, it was found that people in this region could not store their food properly and therefore

did not eat enough fresh fruit and vegetables. As a solution to this problem, the team introduced a

refrigeration system based on evaporation to make the food last longer. It was observed that there was an

improvement to the nutrition of the community members, as they now have the chance to eat vegetables and

fruit more than once a week without needing to go to the market every two days. A committee was formed to

promote and sell the remaining refrigeration systems that were a donation from a company in Lima, and they

have been involved in presenting the idea in school meetings as well as to the community in general. A needs

assessment was conducted in this area, with the possibility of a project for forthcoming years. An even better

liaison was further established with the local Peace Corps Volunteer, as well as other members from the

Peace Corps NGO.

This year, EWB-UCL Peru team will be working again with Peace Corps in the same area and possibly even

GIZ, which is working in nearby communities. With reference to the needs assessment, the team has come

up with a project to satisfy some pressing needs both observed and brought up by many community

members: the implementation of a simple water storage unit and pump for an irrigation system in a

200x500m greenhouses area. The greenhouse area was built in the past by an NGO but the incompletion has

implied that not only some parts are occupying space and being of no use, but also that family members

which have their pieces of land in the greenhouse spend too much time carrying the water from the water

supply and watering it. Although money was left to finish the project, the local people did not know about

any design and how to construct an irrigation system, and the municipality at the time didn’t invest the funds

appropriately.

The local community will benefit from a project, as they can finally fully use the greenhouses and grow they

can focus more on the efficient planting of crops. The project also ties in with the past years project, as they

will hopefully be able to plant more and won’t therefore have to sell all of these to get revenue, and instead

keep some in the refrigeration systems and use them at a further date.

Taking all these factors in consideration, the proposed solution will be a simple model constructed hopefully

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(partially) before and the remaining during our visit, with locals. It will also be tailored to their day-to-day

activities, so that the maintenance isn’t a major problem. The design will be a simple replicable model that

can have different “add-on’s” depending on the need and financial position of the community/ies, so it could

potentially expand to other areas as well.

II) PROJECT DESCRIPTION

1) Project Aims and Objectives:

The project aims are to:

• Provide (solar panelled) irrigation system as a solution to current ‘vivero’s’ unreliable water system;

• To improve the water supply management within the ‘vivero’.

The objectives of this aim are to introduce a single water storage unit with a pump connected to the local

water supply, within a one-month time frame, benefiting (at least) 10 families, by:

• Getting all materials in the field before the team go to Peru in the summer;

• Completing construction & getting the system up and running for:

- Irrigation of the ‘vivero’;

- A second resource of water when need be – this is still in discussion because of accessibility

of water to all residents and/or only the families who rent the space in the ‘vivero’ to grow

their crops.

• Providing community education on construction from basics of soldering to building;

• Providing community education on maintenance;

• Make and provide instruction manuals on maintenance and repair.

2) Project Scope and Components:

The project will be mainly focused on teaching locals how to build this storage unit so that future problems

can easily be repaired without any large costs of contracting experts or people from the field, or on a worse

case scenario, leaving the system to deteriorate. With that in mind we will have a series of about 7 or more

sessions with the families that have a piece of land in the ‘vivero’ to teach them how each part of the system

works and solutions to possible problems that may arise. There will possibly be a collaboration and help

from the Universities of Lima and Ica, which will help us to further explain technical aspects which require

exact and specific translation.

After that we will work with them on the construction part, from the EWB-UCL Peru team part only

coordinating and directing them. Hopefully, with the help of the university students we will have a quicker

construction process but still leave a sense of ownership as it isn’t just international volunteers donating their

materials and expertise, but instead locals helping to explain and implement the system in the community. In

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this case we can evaluate the initial stages of usage and to what extent the community adapts to the system

and to the requirements it has.

The team has acknowledged that a follow-up is required, and for that reason chosen to collaborate with

Peace Corps which will have Peace Corps volunteers for the next at least 3 years, and possibly GIZ who is

working closely, conducting on-going monitoring and evaluation, for the next 4 years.

3) Practical and Technical Considerations:

With regards to the materials, we will source as much as possible locally (Palpa) or in Ica and Nasca (two

main cities nearby), and arrange either the businesses or the municipality of Changuillo/El Ingenio to pay for

the transport. So that the families acquire a greater sense of responsibility, we are going to try to arrange that

at least the families pay for at least 10% of the system. For that reason, we have tried to work around not

very costly resistant and innovative materials.

Below is a first design developed for general overview of the system. The system was designed so that it can

be easily replicable and scalable. The pallets shown are available world widely and are very easy to put up

and move around (in case they want to change the system to another place). Also, the modular grid allows for

many different types of power input, namely hand pumps, solar panels, between others. This is especially

good for community projects where people don’t want to be in charge of problems in case technical issues

arise and also enables us to work according to our fundraising – because even if we cannot afford to get a

solar or wind pump, we can place a hand pump instead. The team has also acknowledged the seismic activity

that occurs in Peru when designing and planning to dig the pallet legs into the soil, using frame cross braced

including shock absorbing lead rubber bearings. We are currently investigating the type of soil in cause for

construction timing estimations as well as risk assessment evaluations.

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Finally, it is pertinent to notice that the running ‘vivero’ is a very beneficial aspect of the success of our

project. Since the community can see their production prospering, the water system is an increased

motivation to make the cropping more efficient, so that the families can spend more time in the market

selling their products or conducting other activities. Also, the fact that Mark has previously worked with

Engineers Without Borders and is an engineer himself will help to get things solved quicker once we leave if

any issue arises.

IIa) PROJECT PARTNER

During 2012 and 2013 Peru team collaborated with a Peace Corps volunteer working in a community called

Changuillo (close to Nazca) for already one and a half years, so as to introduce the concept of an energy-less

refrigeration system called ‘zeer pot’ as well as form a small committee to promote and sell these in the area.

The Peace Corps volunteer, Eben, booked meetings with the mayor of the municipality of Changuillo and

other stakeholders to be involved for when we got there. He also coordinated some visits to neighbouring

communities for our needs assessment. The project was quite successful, we managed to form the committee

with elements of the school, the health post, a representative of the school families and the municipality, and

our partner conducted further meetings to make sure they were heading in the right direction. He also

provided his needs assessment and is still in contact for help regarding our future project in the area, despite

having finished his service.

This year we are planning to partner with GIZ (possibly) and Peace Corps as an organisation, so that we can

benefit not only from the volunteers but higher management expertise. Our current two contacts are Mark

(Changuillo) and Christopher (Ica region). Mark is the substitute for Eben and is coordinating with us to get

the Peace Corps Volunteer Coordinators of Peru to comply with our MoU. He studied Civil and

Environmental Engineering in University of Washington and was a Regional Peace Corps Representative in

the US after working several years with Engineers Without Borders. He is currently doing his masters on

bio-digesters and has previously worked in renewable energy projects, namely solar in Haiti. Christopher is

currently working alongside GIZ and some municipalities within Ica and Huancavelica regions and has many

experiences working with renewable energy solutions. He was a Peace Corps volunteer some years ago also

in Peru. Currently he is working in the areas building some improved houses and small greenhouses to a)

improve heating as the areas are cold, b) grow crops that cannot be grown in high altitude so as to provide a

better nutrition c) create entrepreneurs that are interested in spreading these and similar ideas.

We contact Mark on a weekly basis via Skype and on a 3-5 day basis via email so as to get more information

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other than the one we gathered from the needs assessment, analyse any changes occurring, sustainability

issues, preliminary visits, and pre-visit responsibilities of his and the community. So far he has visited the

‘vivero’ (functioning greenhouse) to take pictures to all the elements of it – namely the unfinished pump, the

technical implementations, the irrigated and water supplies as well as ask people about how often the water

runs. We have managed to extract that they have electricity supply all day, that there is a water supply, which

is fed to a tap in one of the ‘vivero’ buildings, the dimensions of it (including outside plantations and animal

area 500x200metres).

We contact Chris on a similar basis. He has provided us with a lot of information regarding his construction

project with photographs and manuals. He will be shortly providing the construction manual (once it is

legally approved to be handed out). He has also been in contact with GIZ to analyse the possibility of

establishing partnership with us and had given us feedback on how we could do so. If our project can be

replicated to their areas, then GIZ is willing to collaborate with us in the project in El Ingenio expertise-wise

and possibly logistically and manual labour wise. If we comply to this requisite, Chris will also be working

with us on the field on a full time basis; in case we partner with Peace Corps only, Chris will be helping out

but will not assist during our whole visit.

III) PROCUREMENT

Information related to procurement has been included in other parts of this report.

IV) IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

1) Proposed Implementation Schedule (see the Gantt chart below for a summary of the planned activities):

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2) Executing Person/Pupils

Division of responsibilities and duties (within EWB-UCL Peru Team):

• Gregory Heidenreich: Group Leader

• Laura Santos: Liaison with Peace Corps and on-the-field contacts, Design and Procurement

• Robert Robotham: Design Manager and Procurement

• Flavia Ottaviano: Fundraising Officer and Treasurer

• Katherine Chimenes: Fundraising Officer Manager

Timeline (as the Gantt chart illustrates):

1) The physical part of the project will take place between June and July 2014 for the duration of approximately 4

weeks – travel arrangements will be finalized by May.

2) A potential site investigation will be conducted either in December 2013 or April 2014.

3) The Design process will be going on from December until approximately March. The team has made an initial draft

of the design, which will now be improved with the help of technical expertise from the industry and adapted to the

available resources coordinated on the field. By the end of May, the process will be completed and refined so that

materials can be ordered in time for our stay.

4) A research of possible material suppliers will be conducted between April and May once the design process is taking

place.

5) We are expecting each team member to fundraise £1000 by April, while main grants application for the team

fundraising in general will be sent by February. N.B. applications for free airplane tickets should be sent before

Christmas holidays.

6) Application to successfully affiliate the project to Engineers Without Borders UK will be completed during the month

of April.

3) Human Resources

The logistical help that the Peru team needs will be coordinated with the partner on the field.

Our current referees from the Peace Corps organization are Mark and Morgan. The 2012 team has previously

collaborated with a Peace Corps volunteer in Changuillo, where Mark has now taken over (for the next 2

years). During this time the team was also able to explore some work developed with Morgan in the

community of El Ingenio.

The main functions of Peace Corps will be:

• To provide expertise and advise on the technical aspects of the projects (e.g. solar power

technology in the case that this is incorporated in the design).

• To act as a liaison so as to mobilize the local community and gather volunteers for the

construction process.

• To provide practical support to the team members, such as, but not limited to, introducing the

community members, supplying relevant contact and making sure accommodation is safe.

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• To ensure construction materials have reached and are stored safely before we arrive in the area.

• To mediate with the University of Lima and the University of Ica to arrange volunteers to work

in the area with us. Engineering students from Ica may not only be physically involved in the

construction process but will also represent a further support in terms of sharing the technical

engineering expertise required for the project implementation.

GIZ has offered help with some of the logistics of the project so long as EWB-UCL Peru team

accommodates the requirements set for affiliation – mentioned in section II.a) of this document. They have

proposed to assist the team with the sourcing of materials in the area and the coordination of preliminary

work and testing.

Construction coordination will be held with respect to the availability of the families running the greenhouse,

plumbers in the area and electricians. There is the probability that the Municipality will pay for technical

services, however the design is being improved so that most, if not all of the work can be taught to locals to

construct and replicate easily in neighbouring communities.

The EWB Team will then be responsible for implementing an appropriate training scheme for the local

community so as to ensure a sustainable and durable system.

V) RISK

Location: Peru (Lima, Changuillo); UK (London)

S=Severity, L= Likelihood, R=Risk, A= Acceptable risk after mitigation

Category Hazard Risk S L R Mitigation S L R A Comments FLIGHTBETWEENUKANDLIMA

Security atthe airportUK

a) Loss ofluggage/passport/ticket 2 8 16 Ensure all team members have all the

documents required and keep hold ofthem at all times. Ensure all teammembers have contact details andemergency phone numbers. Ensureteam members proceed with thenecessary requirements beforeboarding the plane.

2 4 8 Yes

b) Loss of a teammember en route. 2 8 16 2 4 8 Yes

c) Miss the flight 2 8 16 2 4 8 Yes

ARRIVAL TOLIMA

Security atthe airport(Lima)

a) Missing luggage 2 8 16 Ensure all team members havecontact details of thehostel/accommodation and have aphrasebook at all times. Ensure teammembers lock and label theirsuitcases and keepimportant/valuables in their handluggage. Ensure the luggage pass ispaid on the bus.

2 8 16 Yes b) Not understandingSpanish 2 4 8 2 2 4 Yes c) Missing team member 2 8 16 2 4 8 Yes d) Mugging, robbery 2 8 16 2 4 8 Yes

e) Petty theft 2 8 16 2 4 8 Yes

LOCALPOPULATION

PoliticalStability

Endangered,interrupted/delayed orcurtailed project.

4 4 16 Constantly monitor the politicalsituation and pay close attention tolocal advice. Check Foreign officewebsite for advice to tourists.

4 2 8 Yes Should be prepared toleave the area shouldanything arise.

Attitudestoforeigners

Unwanted attentionpersonal attack 6 4 24

Advise team members on acceptedbehaviour and sensible precautions.Be aware of local attitudes andissues.

6 2 12 Yes

Disease Illness, death or 10 4 40 Ensure team is fully immunized for 6 4 24 Yes It is not possible to fully

8


interrupted/delayed orcurtailed project due tocontracting disease orinfection.

area located in. Take precautionswhen dealing with those known to beill

prevent disease but bycomplying with allmeasurements the riskis reduced.

Attack Injury, death orinterrupted/delayed orcurtailed project.

10 4 40 Take precautions in what areas youare entering. Be careful not to flauntbelongings or self.

4 2 8 Yes

Access todrugs Illness, injury death, ar-

rest or curtailed project. 8 4 32

Take special care of belongings toensure no tampering. Ensure teamstays away from certain areas thatare known for drugs. Ignore sellersthat try to bargain drugs.

4 2 8 Yes

GENERAL

Behavior

a) Inappropriatebehaviour may result inUCL and UK'sreputation beingdamaged

4 4 16 Ensure all team members are awareof the effects their behaviour willhave on the school, local communityas well as on the team. Brief all teammembers on local behaviourexpectations, dress and customs.

2 2 4 Yes Everyone watch overothers and speak out ifthey are behavinginappropriately

b) Inappropriatebehaviour may causeoffence to PUCPcontacts and/or localpopulation.

6 4 24 4 3 12 Yes

LocalGuides

Incompetent, negligentresulting in illness,injury, death or aninterrupted or curtailedexpedition.

8 6 48 Pay close attention to local advice,double check bookings and agree onpayments well in advance.

6 4 24 Yes Ensure everyone hasconfidence in guide andfollow closely theadvice of the red cross

Attitude Morale could bedamaged and lead tobehavioural or disciplineproblems.

4 6 24 Ensure all team members are awareof the effects their attitude will haveon the PUCP community, Localcommunity as well as on the team.

4 4 16 Yes

TrainingandExperience

Many types of problemmay arise if the team isinadequately preparedbefore starting theproject.

8 6 48

Ensure all team members readthrough the pre-departure notes, at-tend all the pre-departure activitiesand learn how to help/build thehouse.

6 4 24 Yes

Location: Peru (Lima, Changuillo)

S=Severity, L= Likelihood, R=Risk

Category Hazard Risk S L R Mitigation S L R A Comments

General

Personal

Equipment

Inappropriate equipment

may lead to problems

during project.

Expensive equipment is

at risk of theft or damage

5 5 25 Ensure all team members read

through the pre-departure notes,

especially equipment requirements.

Team members are not allowed to

undertake activities without the

necessary equipment. Keep

expensive or at risk equipment

safely stored.

4 3 12 Yes

CLIMA

TE

AND

WEAT

HER

CONDI

TIONS

Earthquake Injury, death from

collapsing buildings and

other structures, being

hit by rubble. Being

trapped inside collapsing

buildings.

10 4 40 Work takes place mostly outdoors

in open environments. However,

when working with the school,

making the pots, the team will

follow instructions of superiors. In

case of earthquake evacuate to

outdoor environment - agree upon a

common collection point. If trapped

indoors seek more stable parts of

structure, e.g. door frames.

6 4 24 Yes Biggest risk is a

nighttime

earthquake, but team

will agree upon a

meeting point if this

occurs, and evacuate

immediately after

feeling the first

impact of the

earthquake.

Heat & Sun a) Sunstroke 4 8 32 Ensure all team members keep

hydrated and use adequate

protection whilst working or

undertaking activities.

2 4 8 Yes

b) Dehydration 6 8 48 2 6 12

c) Sunburn/blistering 6 8 48 4 4 16

Rain/Storms Hypothermia and Illness 4 4 16 Make sure all team members have

sufficient warm and waterproof

clothing and suitable footwear. Rain

does not occur often in the work

area as it is one of the driest deserts

in the world.

2 4 8 Yes

Cold weather

ACCO

MMOD

ATION

Host-family

hazards - Lima:

wiring/

hygiene/food/mug

Injury, death or

interrupted/delayed or

curtailed project.

8 4 32 Ensure that all team members

understand the precautions they

need to take (pre-departure meeting

and expedition briefing) in

6 2 12 Yes

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ging etc) particular with food hygiene, room

security, and returning home after

dark.

Fire exits and

precautions

Injury, death or

interrupted/delayed or

curtailed project.

8 4 32 Team members are to note fire

precautions and exits and any

additional measures they may take

at the host family’s house. Pay close

attention to any self-catering e.g.

gas stoves, fires etc, and have

water/sand to hand when using such

equipment

4 2 8

Security Personal attack resulting

in injury, death or

curtailed project.

Theft of personal

belongings including

money and credit cards

6 4 24 Secure belongings where possible –

at partner’s house, where he says it

is completely secure to leave. Carry

copies of all important documents,

and store separately from originals.

Ensure all team members are aware

that they should not use personal

valuable belongings and carry large

amounts of cash in view of general

public. Secure doors and windows

at nighttime and when out during

the day.

4 4 16 Yes Team members

should be aware of

their surroundings in

the accommodation

and act accordingly.

Changuillo

Accommodation

Injury or

interrupted/delayed

project. Theft of personal

and group belongings

including money and

credit cards

4 4 16 Use mosquito nets and repellent if

necessary, keep valuables in a safety

box inside the adjacent property if

they have one, or else keep hold of

valuable things at all time.

4 2 8

Category Hazard Risk S L R Mitigation S L R A Comments

TRA

NEL

Transport Loss of a team member/luggage 4 8 32

Ensure team members keep togetherand watch each others properties at alltimes. Keep team members informedof destination in case they get lost.

2 4 8 Yes

Team members will en-sure they comply withall safety measures inorder to reduce the risks.They will also pay forluggage area in bus toreduce robbery probabil-ity.

Driver

Injury, death or interrupted/delayed

journey due to Driver error,

tiredness or unfitness to drive

10 8 80

Have a short conversation with the

driver to ensure he is fit to drive,

check for signs of alcohol intake or

tiredness.

6 4 24

Yes

Vehicle


journey due to defective vehicle

including tires and lights.

10 8 80

Before boarding check the vehicle

and ensure there are no gas licks or

any signs that can compromise the

team's safety.

6 4 24

Road/water

conditions


journey due to prevailing

conditions. Particularly during

rainy season and at night

8 10 80 Check for weather conditions and

refrain from travel if too extreme. Be

aware of any protests or road closures

so as to avoid them.

4 4 16

Other road

users

Injury, death or interrupted/delayed journey due to contact with other

road users.

10 10 100 8 2 16

Category Hazard Risk S

L

R

Mitigation S L R A Comments

EXCURS

IONS

Accidents/ crime

whilst doing

tourist

activities/trips

around Peru.

Injury/death/theft from

mugging, robbery, attack.

8

6

4

8

Research different types of scams

that are played on tourists to avoid

falling for them. Avoid areas with

much crime. Don't walk around

alone, especially at night.

6 21

2

Y

e

s

Accidents whilst doing

touristic activities.

6

6

4

8

Research safety procedures of any

companies hired e.g. Tour guides/

trekking companies. For example by

reading guide books, talking to other

tourists.

2 4 8

Y

e

s

10


VI) PROJECT COSTS ESTIMATES AND FINANCIAL PLANNING

1) Cost Estimates

a) Transport

• International

The Team is currently contacting several airline companies regarding the sponsorship schemes they offer and

related application to be submitted. The most advantageous scheme from what has been researched is the

“Community and Conservation Programme” offered by British Airway. This supports the UK registered

charities such as EWB-UK, in the provision of flight bursaries, excess baggage, and merchandise and cargo

space. In the case this is not successful, the team has already managed to affiliate via EWB-UCL with a flight

charitable-friendly website which provides cheaper flights – approximately £400 two way per person.

• Local

For transport arrangements – see section 3 below: Budget.

b) Accommodation and Food

Team members will be hosted with the families who are currently accommodating Peace Corps volunteers

(possibly at Morgan’s and Mark’s who are living close to the working area). Due to change in position of

mayor, last year’s arrangements regarding the food will have to be revised and reconfirmed. The team is

hoping to get the lunch subsidized by the Municipality, as agreed in last years MOU, however breakfast and

dinner will be paid by the team members. In the eventuality that all meals have to be personally financed by

the team, it has been estimated that each student would approximately spend £4.50 each day for all three

main meals and drinks- on average a meal costs around 5 Nuevos Soles Peruanos, which will add up to a

grand total of approximately £290 for the whole stay.

3) Materials

As mentioned above, Peace Corps and possibly GIZ will provide a substantial help with the gathering of the

needed materials. Common tools (e.g. skewers) will be sourced locally from either Ica or Palpa. The team is

also expecting donations from Lima in the form of materials (e.g. metal bars, the water tank, pallets).

Through Chris, our Peace Corps referee who works with GIZ, the team is getting in touch with local

companies specialized in solar energy, including Q-Energy and Bright Sun, which would be able to provide

us with the required materials in the case that the design includes the solar energy feature. The design is in

fact its primary phase, therefore, more precise details of these arrangements and the list of required materials

will be disclosed at a later stage.

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2) Fundraising Outline

Sources of funding Estimated fraction of money to be raised

Collaboration with UCL FINDS for

partnership with banks 30%

Bake Sales/Food Stalls/Jars 10%

Parties 15%

Personal fundraising events 5%

Grants 20%

Airlines 20%

Over the next few months, there will be several stages of implementation regarding the various approaches

chosen to raise money. The fundraising task can be split in different types, going from applying for flight

tickets via airlines to small fundraising activities everyone in the team will be coming up with.

The collaboration with UCL FINDS is an essential component that we will try to look into. It takes into

account contacts available from the society who will help us approach important banking companies in order

to look into sponsorship opportunities. This will require working on a specific plan to showcase our project,

and allow the sponsoring companies to be regularly updated with our progress via a website for instance. The

first step should to be to come up with a solid proposition plan to present first to the representing pupils at

UCL FINDS, and then from there it would be possible to select a few companies that could potentially fit

into the frame of things. If this plan proves to be successful, we will be looking at obtaining important

sources of funding, which will definitely be encouraging for our project.

There will also be more bake sales, food stalls and other low-level form of commerce to support fundraising.

There are some shops, with whom we have already dealt with or are in the process of discussion

(Hummingbird Bakery, Lola's Cupcakes etc.) which can provide us with cupcakes free of charge. This would

be an efficient way of increasing our funds as we could sell them for £2 pounds each and make a 100%

profit. Another aspect will be researching on is spreading jars across shops so that customers can donate their

change. This is still an idea in evaluation as the team doesn’t know if this is legally possible and precise

locations need to be chosen.

We are looking also to throw social events, and potentially find a collaboration with the UCLU regarding

sports night, in order to find a way to raise money. More precision regarding this has yet to come, but we are

currently working on planning events in the most appealing and efficient manner (where, what theme,

economic efficiency, when etc.).

As mentioned earlier in the report, grants applications are due in by February on our timeline. This is

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something that needs to be followed up too.

Finally, we are planning to check if we have any contacts from our respective countries that would be

interested in contributing to the fundraising. There is a chance of turning to Engineers Without Borders

France to see if they are in a position to contribute and help out. Katherine will also be running a half-

marathon to raise money for the project in March.

On top of this general set of fundraising approaches, every member is also working on trying to raise money

on their own, and we believe that the combination of all these plans will manage to contribute to a solid

mean of funding our project.

3) Budget

Topic Sub topic Individual

cost (Soles)

Total cost for 3

members flying

(GBP)

Transport Airport to Soluz

(Lima)

10 45

Lima to Ica 10

Ica to Chincha

(may be able to

get direct Lima

to Chincha bus)

5

Chincha to

Changuillo

5

Changuillo back

to airport

30

Flights N/A 1800 1200

Food Per day 20 N/A

Per stay 420 290

Construction

Materials

(Team providing

1/2)

300

Total 1835

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VII) NEXT STEPS AND CONCLUSIONS

Regarding the design, we hope to start working on it with Mott MacDonald to improve our first draft. The

design team will be formalising this first design by making it in a design tool program similar to AutoCad.

This will serve as a motivation for businesses to help us technical wise and funding-wise as it is a physical

proof of our projects development. We will be contacting the UCL institute of making to make prototype

models so as to test the viability of us constructing, and to estimate the amount of people necessary to

complete it on the field.

We are going to keep contact with all the people in the field and contact them on a weekly basis. In the close

future (during Christmas break), we will be contacting the Peace Corps Volunteer Coordinators to assure an

agreed collaboration with Peace Corps as an organisation. We will also be Skyping with Christopher (who

works with GIZ), to present the design and ask for feedback on improvements so that we can collaborate

with GIZ.

Funding wise we will all be contacting businesses and family/friends back in our home countries, using

diverse approaches, to contribute to our personal funding. One of the team members will be running a

marathon, and hence start her own page to encourage people to donate for that cause. We will be conducting

some events in the university in the next semester for common funding, as well as applying for grants and

UCL Finds funding’s via the Finance Society.

14


PROJECT BRAZIL

I) INTRODUCTION

1) Project Background

The initial idea of the project started in 2011 when Luiza Campos, an academic in the Civil, Environmental,

and Geomatic Engineering Department at UCL introduced the then committee to Tiliano, an architect who

owns and manages his own NGO (called Terra A Terra Arquitetura (referred to as TaT hereafter)).

Tiliano was Team Brazil’s main point of contact informing them about the needs of several communities and

which ones required help the most. He was also responsible for all the legal work that would have to be done

in Brazil.

2) Project History

In the first year (2011), the Brazil team designed and implemented an aquaponics system (expanded on in the

Project Description section) in the poor community of Jardim De Gonzaga. The aquaponics system is a water

harvesting system used extensively throughout the world; its main function is to cycle water through several

water tanks where the water can be continuously treated and used over and over again. This is very useful as

aquatic animals and plants such as fish can be made to grown within the system sustainably providing both a

source of food and a source of income for the community. The system relies on electricity to transport the

water across the tanks.

In 2012 Two members of EWB UCL’s Brazil team travelled to Jardim De Gonzaga to implement and oversee

the project. Tiliano was there to meet them and they worked and lived within the community. They agreed

with the community to build the system in the backyard of one of the community residents’ house. The

system would directly benefit the family of the house while other people would get the chance to be trained

on the use, maintenance, and construction of the system if they felt like they needed one in their own house.

It should be noted that at that stage, the community welcomed all ideas very happily and were on very good

terms with EWB UCL and Tiliano.

As the system was being installed, part of its design was adapted and changed slightly but the overall design

remained the same as the initial one. The construction of the system took around 4 weeks but the team was

forced to leave before it became operational with a promise from TaT to run it a week or two after.

Not much work or contact was made with Brazil following the team’s return to London until around October

2012 when new team members were added to old ones. Brazil would get two teams, both which would be

15


working on a new area (Sepe Tiaraju) suggested by TaT to construct a water treatment and supply system.

One team would also revisit Jardim De Gonzaga for a few days to ensure the aquaponics system is working.

Tiliano had kept telling EWB UCL that the system was ready and that it would soon start working. The

Brazil team therefore made sure to prolong the period in Jardim De Gonzaga to a week to ensure the system

would be indeed working. Meanwhile a system was being designed for Sepe Tiaraju.

As the project entered its third year (2013), enough team members from both Brazil teams had dropped out

causing the two teams to become one. This was, however, not a large problem as the team was slowly finding

the Sepe Tiaraju project scope too big and was scaling it down slightly.

In May, EWB UCL Brazil team made the decision to send one member on a site visit to Brazil. That would

give the team an idea of Sepe Tiaraju and how to adapt the system to it. The site visit would also include a

trip to Jardim De Gonzaga. The trip proved to be a massive success; it showed the team that the Jardim De

Gonzaga project was yet to be operational and had been partially destructed by a storm that had happened.

The owner of the house in which the project was constructed was now complaining about it and was not

happy anymore about it being there, especially that it was not doing anything. The team member also

discovered that Sepe Tiaraju had its status as a town upgraded and now had access to governmental funds.

The result was a large number of engineers and water related projects becoming available through

governmental aid.

The result of the trip was to abandon Sepe Tiaraju since they did not need EWB UCL anymore, and to work

on reconstructing the tanks in Jardim De Gonzaga. During the trip, EWB UCL made contact with a new

NGO who worked with Tiliano called Veracidade. Veracidade was formed of graduate and postgraduate

university students who have interest in creating sustainable engineering solutions for poor communities in

Brazil, a perfect partner for EWB UCL.

3) Intervention Justification

Since the beginning of the project and up until now, all work done in Brazil was water quality related and

aimed to provide better sources of water for communities. The needs assessment was originally conducted by

Brazilian NGO TaT who concluded that an aquaponics system providing an environment for aquatic plants

and fish is the most suitable project EWB could do. The project also received positive response from the

communities that were visited during the site visits.

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II) SYSTEM DESCRIPTION

The design of aquaponics systems closely mirrors that of recirculating systems in general, with the addition

of a hydroponic component and the possible elimination of a separate mechanical filtration system and

devices for removing fine and dissolved contaminants.

The aquaculture system will consist of several basic elements:

1) Rain water collection area;

2) Conveyance system conceived to work as preliminary treatment as well;

3) Bio-filtration boxes system for water purification;

4) Pond for water collection and primary storage from different water sources (lowest level);

5) Pump to deliver purified water to the storage tank;

6) Elevated storage facilities for continuous water supply (highest level);

7) 1 or 2 fish tanks for fish fingerling production.

The collection area can be the roof of a community building. The effective roof area and the material used in

constructing the roof will influence the efficiency of collection and the water quality. A conveyance system

of canals and waterfalls will deliver the rainwater from the rooftop to the pond, which is located in the lowest

level of the system. The pond can be replaced by an underground tank depending on the geomorphology of

the place. Both drainpipes and roof surfaces will be constructed of chemically inert and available materials

such as wood, plastic or fiberglass. Part of the water can be direct straight into one of the fish tanks to

provide ready-to-use fresh oxygenated water for fry or fingerling production. The rest of the flow will be

ultimately sent to the pond, mixing with the water from the fish system and promoting the process of

nitrification, which is crucial in a bio-filtration system. The latter is constructed as a number of filtration

boxes in series. The substrate can be either gravel - generally limestone or pumice/volcanic rock, depending

on local availability or sand or a mixture of various sizes of media. Granular hydroponic media provide

sufficient substrate for nitrifying bacteria. Veggies like chard, tomatoes, and water chestnuts rooted in the

gravel can also be used to purify the water and complete the ecosystem. Water flows by gravity from the

filtration boxes to a sump, which is the lowest point in the system. Finally, water collects in a reservoir

(sump) and is returned to an elevated tank, connected with the roofs and the rearing tanks. An elevated

storage tank is used to deliver water through standpipes located near the fish rearing tanks. Elevated storage

tanks are usually used where ground storage tanks cannot be built due to lack of sufficient natural elevation

and where standpipes are served from a well with a windmill or other powered pumps.

A rural wind turbine – Savonius type – can provide the mechanical energy for making the system self-

sustainable. The turbine will be connected to the water pump to lift water up to 10 meters and close the water

loop system.

17


Tilapia fry from an aquaculture are placed in the rearing tank and began the process of fertilizing the water.

The only input into this aquaponics system is food for the fish. If an omnivorous fish like tilapia is used, all

of their food can be grown for them. Duckweed is an excellent complete diet for tilapia.

In this cycle, aquaponics yields generous quantities of high quality protein and vegetables from a very small

footprint.

III) PROJECT PARTNER

1) Partnership History

The main current project partner is Veracidade; a Brazilian NGO which EWB UCL met through TaT. TaT led

by Tiliano was an excellent NGO to work with but was slightly overwhelmed by the size of EWB UCL’s

projects. They therefore introduced EWB UCL to Veracidade.

Veracidade is an NGO made up of around 30 university student temporary members who work for between

12 to 18 months and 3 head members who are always there.

2) Partnership Relevance to the Project

Veracidade’s work is mostly concerned with water related systems; they have worked extensively on creating

various water catchment, harvesting, and treatment systems with the aim to help the Brazilian population

have better access to clean water.

Another important relevance of the NGO is one of the team members Team Brazil met with during the site

visit; the student is currently doing a research paper for his master’s degree on the aquaponics system and,

since he needed a model to base his research on, he was happy for Team Brazil to construct the system on

Veracidade’s grounds where it can be monitored and maintained by him and Veracidade.

3) Current Relationship Status

Currently, there is communication between Veracidade and Team Brazil and meetings have been done with

them via Skype on several different occasions. They are currently waiting for the testing of the system and a

confirmation from EWB UCL on the exact date when the project will be conducted.

4) Key Strengths and Potential Weaknesses

The main key strength of Veracidade is the availability of their grounds as a base for the aquaponics system

to be built; as building the system again in the community may produce hostility(since it did not work the

first time), this is of vast importance for the success of the project. They are also going to be accommodating

Team Brazil for the duration of the project with no additional costs.

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Another key strength to Veracidade is their experience in working with water related projects along with their

large number. The main weakness to TaT was their little number and having Veracidade allows for more

efficient construction of the system.

The main weakness and trouble Team UCL is having with Veracidade is on the communication level and the

delay in many document sending related processes. As they have many projects, they are generally busy and

can only meet periodically.

IV) PROCUREMENT

1) Materials/Equipment

The aquaponics system is build out of 6 main components: a rainwater collection unit, a conveyancing

system, bio-filtration boxes for water purification, a pump to move water to the drinking storage tank,

elevated water storage facilities, an aquaculture system.

The Team plans to build a prototype of this system in UCL to test each component before making final deci-

sions on the design.

2) Procurement and Disbursement Arrangements

The rainwater collection unit will be built out of a foldable rainwater tank (e.g. rainwaterguru) on the roof of

a building in the community. This will be purchased online and taken with us, this is possible as the

rainwater tank folds up compactly.

The conveyancing system moves water from the rainwater collection system to the fish tank and pond. This

will be built from 20m of plastic pipes with 5 or 6 open valves. The pipes can be obtained from local

suppliers. The values have been researched online and the Team is considering using the BWT Avanti RF,

although until our prototype is built this cannot be confirmed.

The Team will need to build our own bio-filtration boxes on site. These will be modular sand/gravel based

units. The sand/gravel can be purchased locally.

The Team will need to acquire plants to grow in the hydroponics system. These include: Yellow Iris (Iris

Pseudacorus), Simplestem Bur-reed (Sparganium Erectum), Water Soldier (Stratiotes Aloides), European

Frogbit (Hydrocharis Morsus-ranae) and European White Waterlily (Nymphaea Alba). Our prototype and

local availability will determine which will be suitable.

The water in this filtration area is pumped back to a drinking water tank which requires an electric pump. A

possible choice of pump is the sequence pump as it is cheap to run.

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The Team will buy open cement/plastic tanks for the aquaponics system. The tank will be 5m3 and the

materials will be acquired locally. The aquaponics system requires a species of fish. There are several

suitable species: Common Dace (Leuciscus leuciscus), Ide (Leuciscus Idus), Common Rudd (Scardinius

Erythrophthalmus) and Common Roach (Rutilus Rutilus). To promote bacterial growth straw is also

required, this can be sourced locally.

The Team also requires a stand for the elevated storage tank. This can be built using bricks and mortar

(which are cheaper than steel and more durable than wood). Approximately 150 bricks will be required to

build the tower.

The Team may also require a small wind turbine (Savonius type) to make the system self-sustainable.

3) The Role of the Partner

The Partner the Team is working with will provide a site to build the aquaponics system so the Team will

have a lower chance of expensive equipment being stolen.

V) IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

1) Proposed Implementation Schedule

The project time in Brazil is estimated to be roughly three weeks long. The time breakdown is as following:

• Physically gather materials at site which will be used (currently partner NGO grounds, but subject to

change). Optimistic estimates point to this taking one to two days, however a more realistic estimate

when taking into account any problems with delivery, sorting, etc. point to at most three days.

• Building of the aquaponics system. An optimistic estimate would be to finish this within a 3 days

although realistically it would most likely need 5 days to account for problems.

• The next ten days will be used to bring in and train people from the local community where the

system is built. The training will be done by our team while the people to be trained are to be

brought in by the partner NGO. The assumptions here are that there should be minimal training to

operate the system and therefore training can be done within a day.

• The last two to three days will be used to look for implementation ideas for future projects, for

example by surveying the local community or looking for potential partnerships with other NGOs

whose current projects can be of interest to EWB.

2) Executing Agencies

• Team Brazil will be responsible for the system's design and ensuring it works as planned. During the

implementation stage the team will be responsible for the overseeing of the system construction, and

20


the maintenance training.

• The partner NGO will be responsible for the needed materials and for the site where the system is to

be built (currently planned on their own grounds). They will also be responsible for supplying the

manpower needed to build the system, and then the volunteers to be trained in maintaining the

system.

3) Timeline

• January 2014: Possible trip to visit and meet the partner NGO.

• January- May 2014: Fundraising is done throughout.

• January- February 2014: Build and test a prototype of the aquaponics system designed, in a

laboratory at UCL (currently planned to be in the Civil, Environmental, and Geomatic Engineering

Department).

• February 2014: Assess effectiveness of the design, with a focus on the filtering system since it is the

most crucial aspect of the system.

• If it is functioning effectively as planned then proceed to next point.

• If not, then increment a week specifically for modifications to the design, such that its

effectiveness is improved. This modified design has to be tested again so that it can again be

assessed.

• April 2014: Possible one-man trip to visit potential sites, meet the partner NGO and to have a better

idea of the resources available. Also, look for potential problems that may arise.

• July- August 2014: Project undertaken in Brazil.

4) Human Resources

• Three members of the team will be sent to Brazil to work alongside the partner NGO. The

three will be responsible for overseeing the construction of the system, and then the

maintenance training.

• The partner NGO will supply manpower to aid in the construction of the system (from both

themselves and volunteers from the local community).

• Volunteers from the local community who are interested in having an aquaponics system

will be gathered by the partner NGO to be given training in building and maintaining the

system.

21


VI) RISK ASSESSMENT

See: Appendix 1.

VII) PROJECT COSTS AND FINANCING PLAN

1) Costs

Activity/Material Estimated Cost £

Plane Tickets *3 2100

System (including pump) 600

Prototype Building 300

Accommodation 300

Total 3300

Total + 10% contingency 3630

2) Fundraising

Since the project will be done in Brazil where the 2014 World Cup will be happening, Team Brazil will

attempt to organise several events based on it including a small UCL 5 by 5 football tournament and FIFA

one on one tournaments. There are also plans to organise several bake sales throughout the year and using

EWB UCL’s charity status to get subsidised goods to sell.

Another important method through which money will be collected is through applying for grants and

sponsors from companies operating both in the UK and Brazil. Again, since the World Cup is being held in

Brazil, a large amount of investment is going into the country and the Team will hope to benefit from that.

22


PROJECT KENYA

I) INTRODUCTION

1) Project Background

The project is carried out within a partnership that is now in its second year after a successful chlorination project in

2012/13 (implemented in June 2013).

A 3 day follow-up visit was carried in September 2013 with the goal of identifying a project for the 2013/14

academic year. A member of the 2012/13 team met the partner in September 2013 in Nairobi, Kenya for the

purpose of identifying a project for 2013/14. Field visits were carried out to three different potential project

sites in Kitui and Kajiado Kenya. A possible project site was identified in Kajiado Kenya and preliminary

technical data collection began in September and October. The project will be a water optimisation project in

Pelewa Primary School, Kajiado.


1) Original Project Scope and Current Status

The original scope was to implement the Haki Water originally wanted the focus to be on water treatment methods to

remove fluoride. They have since change the focus to water supply with a particular focus on wind pumping technology.

A community in the region of Kajiado used to rely on a diesel pump that has broken down meaning the community

relies on bottled water and a waterpan shared with livestock.

The idea was that 6 UCL CEGE Msc/MEng students will carry out the technical design of the project as part

of CESP project (Collaborative Environmental Systems Project). The project would then be implemented by

a 5 member EWB-UCL team (including two of the CESP students) over the summer of 2014. Although it has

been taken up as a UCL CESP academic project, as of the 27th of November, the partner had not yet secured

funding for the proposed project (or any project post April 2014) and was therefore uncertain of the

implementation of the academic project by the EWB-team.

2) Practical and Technical Considerations (CESP Project)

The main practical limitation for the CESP is that there is no data available. Currently we are lacking

accurate wind speeds, borehole depth and recharge rate making it extremely hard to justify the installation of

a wind pump.

23


III) PROJECT PARTNER

1) Partnership Background and History

Haki Water (Haki) is an England and Wales registered charity and a registered NGO in Kenya from 2009. Haki is a

diaspora-led organisation comprising of engineers, scientists and senior managers, who apply their skills and knowledge

to deliver sustainable water projects and enhance the lives of underserved communities.

In collaboration with their partners, Haki work directly with the poor and vulnerable people at grass-root level to ensure

they understand their needs, constrains, culture and the local environment, to efficiently apply technical expertise to

promote sustainable engineering practices. Haki’s focus is on:

1. Promotion of sustainable water management.

2. Promotion of health and improved sanitation.

3. Advancement of Education.

4. Promotion of sustainable development for the public benefit:

a. The relief of poverty and the improvement of conditions of life in socially and economically

disadvantaged communities.

b. The promotion of sustainable means of achieving economic and regeneration.

c. The maintenance, improvement or provision of public amenities.

5. Stimulation of development and growth of local business engaging in promoting sustainable

programmes in developing countries.

2) Relevance of the Partner (including past experience)

The partner has had experience on water and sanitation projects since 2009 (e.g. Flomena’s Children’s

Home, Galilee School and Kwa-Watoto school all in Kayole Soweto slum Nairobi). They have an

understanding of the local context in which the project will be implemented which will be useful to feed

back to the technical design. The partner is necessary for data collection on the ground for the technical

design of the project, as well as aiding in identification of suppliers, procurement of materials and pre-arrival

logistics. The partner will also be providing project funds.

3) Current Relationship Status

The partnership between Haki Water and EWB-UCL started in the 2012/13 academic year. 6 UCL CEGE Msc/MEng

students designed a solar powered pumping system for Haki Water as a part of a CESP under the supervision of Dr. Priti

24


Parikh, which was to be implemented by 4 of the students and one other team member as an EWB project in the

summer of 2013. The design was based on data collected by Haki Water on the ground in Kenya as well as research

done by the students in London. The solar project was deemed infeasible and was therefore not implemented; however,

two of the Msc/MEng students still went out to Kenya in June 2013 with a different scope: to oversee the

implementation of chlorination system in Kwa-Watoto Children’s home in Kayole Soweto slum in Nairobi, Kenya. The

school had ground water that was contaminated with coliforms and fecal bacteria at levels above WHO standards. The

chlorination system was successful installed, and the water treated to meet WHO standards.

Currently, Haki Water and the CESP students are working on the wind pumping technology academic project

as described above. Communication with the partner has mainly been between with Haki Water and the

CESP students who are currently collecting data and background information for the technical solution

(academic project). There has also been communication between the founder (Yolanda Chakava) and Priti.

This has been through email and Skype (most recent email 5th/12/13). The EWB team has been in direct

communication with Haki water twice via email since October 2013, and once via Skype on the 27th

November 2013.

4) Key Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths Weaknesses

Successfully won international grants in the past (e.g.

won Comic Relief Grant in 2012 – reapplying in

2014)

Heavy reliance on external funding for their projects

Experience in water and sanitation projects Few staff

Experience with international volunteers

Links with local partners

IV) PROJECT COSTS AND FINANCIAL PLANNING

Because the project outline is not yet defined, it is at the moment not possible to look at the cost estimates

and the budget.

1) Fundraising

Our fundraising would come from sources:

- Organising events

- Applying for grants

- Cutting costs by trying to get plane tickets etc.

- Individual fundraising

o Asking respective departments

o Friends Family

o Grants from home country, region, local clubs

Events can be organised by team Kenya but also as EWB UCL with all of the teams as this increases the

25


scope of the event. Airlines will be contacted by EWB UCL.

Applying for grants and contacting our departments would have to wait until the project is specified. There

are three grants that we are eligible bur further research is done. For some of the grants it is necessary to

apply as an individual and not as a group.

- Jack Petchley Grant

- Lord Mayor Grant

- Lady Gould’s Charity

Even though the project is not specified yet, we can still try to raise funds by organising events and doing

research for cost-cutting opportunities.

V) NEXT STEPS AND CONSIDERATIONS

Haki Water expressed interest in the EWB team continuing with similar activities as the 2012/13 project in Kwa-watoto

School Kayole, in a different slum in Nairobi (Mukuru slum), as Haki is more confident about receiving a continuation

of the Comic Relief grant than they are about receiving funds for the Kajiado (CESP) project . Furthermore, the CESP

project seems infeasible at this point in time. Namely, the activities at Mukuru slum will include:

• Mapping of infrastructure

• Construction supervision

• Support with training activities

• Production of operation and maintenance reports

• Production of construction completion reports (where applicable)

A Skype meeting will be held with the team, Priti and Yolanda on the 16th of December to get an update from Haki

Water. There will be a follow up call in January to confirm if there will be a project with Haki Water. Between now and

January, Priti, Iwona, and the team will be using their respective contacts to seek out other possible partners for the

worst case scenario where Haki Water will not have a project with EWB-UCL.

The team will, as much as possible, focus of projects that are not very costly and the team can fundraise for here in

London with minimal dependence of partner funding.

26


PROJECT ETHIOPIA

Sanitation Co-Design in the Mekelle School for the Blind

I) INTRODUCTION

1) Background

The project presented within this feasibility report is focused on an innovative co-design process focused on

sanitation, to be undertaken within the Mekelle School for the Blind. The school is located in Mekelle,

northern Ethiopia, the capital of the Tigray (highlands) region. It boards approximately 100 children with

various levels of blindness, and is the only school of its kind in the region. The children face enormous

difficulties within their educational setting and wider society, as blindness (and indeed disability as a whole)

remains largely stigmatized within Ethiopia as a whole. Consistent problems exist as a result of a lack of

physical or social infrastructure to support the students.

2) Project History

This project is in its first year, and is intended to represent the beginnings of an ongoing collaboration along

multiple years. It originated from pre-existing contacts with the school established by academic support

within UCL’s Development Planning Unit (DPU), which has led a Masters-level field research visit to the

city for several years. It also benefits from being able to draw from the work of the EWB-Washington

branch, which has conducted several projects with the school, and will be returning in January 2014.

3) Intervention Justification

Initial contact with the head administration of the school has identified sanitation as one of the key priorities

for intervention. Challenges remain for the students (for whom the pit latrines are not well-adapted), and for

teaching staff, who are also lacking adequately maintained systems.


1) Project Objectives

This project adopts a two-pronged approach for intervention, exploring the use of a co-design process. On

the one hand, this seeks to develop better-adapted sanitation solutions for the school children. On the other, it

seeks to use the process of engagement as a potential point of advocacy for the school and students within

their wider city. It is hoped that the formulation, experimentation, and documentation of this methodology

will feed into the scalability and replicability of the project, offering a useful reflection on how to engage

27


students (with or without disabilities) in a process of design and discussions related to the identification of

their needs and aspirations.

2) Project Scope

The project’s objectives are to be approached through the implementation of an innovative co-design

workshop undertaken with the school. A series of participatory games, activities, and storytelling devices are

to be carried out collaboratively by the team with the students, with the aim of generating different values,

visions, aspirations, or needs related to sanitation. This is to be interpreted by the EWB design team (ideally

in collaboration with students from Mekelle University) to inform the subsequent design of the sanitation

intervention. An important element of this workshop is the understanding that this should be an empowering

experience for the students, which holds value independent of the sanitation intervention itself. Through the

incorporation of this process in videos and visual representations, this should serve as the basis for a final

presentation and for ongoing advocacy in the region.

The scope for the project is still in preliminary stages, and will be further refined following a trip from an

EWB-UCL member in January 2014. The team has discussed several levels of intervention: 1) focusing

solely on the implementation of the co-design workshop for this year; 2) seeking to implement an

intervention on a small-scale; 3) designing and delivering a new toilet block. The potentials for each of these

will depend on an initial assessment of the sanitation system, potentials for maintenance of the system upon

the team’s departure, the identification of a strong partner, and funding considerations. This is to be better

defined in late January.

3) Practical and Technical Considerations

Many of the technical considerations will only be defined upon a clearer understanding of the project scope.

At this stage, the priority practical consideration lies in the feasibility of the project scope, and understanding

the potentials and limitations of the team. Key questions involve the difficulties in this scenario of

implementing incremental solutions (i.e. one or two toilet blocks), the need to cater to both the children and

teachers, the choice of sanitation technology (pit latrine, eco-san, etc). There also remain important practical

considerations in relation to the co-design process itself – i.e. the ability and extent to which visual props (the

traditional approach of participatory design processes) will be able to be used. The team also recognizes the

sensitivities that especially present in relation to this project, involving issues of gender, disability, dignity,

privacy, and social/power relations both within and outside of the school.

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4) Partnership Considerations

The team is currently actively seeking partners in the region, beyond the school itself, which could support

this process. Ideally this would involve an organization that has experience in the implementation of small-

scale sanitation technologies. The team has also identified that it would be beneficial to draw from

organizations with experience in education and/or disability. Several networks have been identified in

London, but the team continues to explore this in Mekelle.

III) PROCUREMENT

1) Initial Assessment

According to the Mekelle Blind School’s website there are around 100 to 150 students meaning we would

need six or seven latrines to cope with the amount of waste produced. The cost of these would be in the tens

of thousands to build. So at the moment it seems we can only facilitate a co-design process and fundraise

over a longer period, or partner with other organisations that may be able to support this process.

2) Current Toilet Conditions

If the team does decide to build a full toilet block, it will most likely be over our budget for this year as the

capacity of the school is larger than what we could provide. We do however think it is feasible to ask EWB

Washington to take photographs and carry out tests for us and assess the condition of the current toilets to see

if there are potential ways they can be improved. It may be within budget to improve these toilets as a

smaller-scale strategy.

3) Material Procurement

Initial research has been carried out into the presence of construction merchants around Tigray. Typical

materials seem to be concrete mix, ply board, corrugated iron, blocks and bricks. Due to the limited access to

internet in Ethiopia, searching for materials or delivery methods is a very fruitless exercise. We will be

relying on partners in the area for information on different options. A way to overcome being let down by

partners would be to have back up sources for trucks or materials if things go wrong.

IV) IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

This section details the specific tasks to be completed in order to achieve the aims of the project; and the

schedule for doing so. The team schedule for term 2 as well as for the duration of the project itself is given in

the form of a Gantt chart (see Attachment 1), with a subsequent description of each activity and any progress

29


made on preparation for that activity:

London-Based Activities

1. EWB-Washington sanitation assessment: As part of the EWB-Washington project in January

2014, during which improvements to power supply at the school are to be tackled, a short

investigation is to be carried out by a member of EWB-UCL with respect to the sanitation

conditions at the school. This investigation will supplement information given by Henry, and

form the basis for further refinement of the portfolio of sanitation options with which the

team will approach the co-design workshop process. For this activity, Iwona Bisaga will be

travelling to Mekelle with the EWB-Washington team and will be able to carry out a detailed

assessment based on the input of the EWB-UCL team.

2. Visit a school for the visually impaired in London: The purpose of a visit to a school for the

visually impaired in London would be two-fold: to assess the sanitation facilities provided

and daily activities of children in a school environment, as well as the possibility of

establishing a link with the school whereby a follow-up visit could allow us to conduct an

EWB outreach workshop with the children in order to gain a sensitivity related to modes of

communication and engagement. Ideally the first visit should be as early as possible during

term 2, and contact with a school will be made by Yash Dalvi.

3. Formulate accessible co-design process: The case studies seen for successful

implementation of a co-design process usually rely heavily upon the use of visual aids such

as model building and maps; hence the team must find a way of adapting a methodology to

the capabilities of visually impaired children. This will be informed by the outcomes of the

process (to provide a suitable sanitation design), and by the visit to the school in London

which will give an insight into how the children interact, learn and share ideas. At present,

progress on this task is limited to research into existing co-design processes.

4. Trial workshop at school for the blind in London: Subject to the success of the initial visit, a

trial workshop would provide an opportunity to test a co-design methodology and check the

accessibility of any activities for the visually impaired. This trial and hopefully feedback

from it will form the basis for finalisation of the methodology to be implemented in Mekelle.

5. Formulate portfolio of sanitation options: This activity will allow the findings of the co-

design process to feed directly into selection and tailoring of the most appropriate sanitation

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technology to the aspirations of the children at the school. In preparation for the visit,

Michael Coombs, Yash Dalvi, and Kester Francis will be responsible for the formulation of

this portfolio; this will take the form of technical and design information about various

potentially suitable technologies. This will allow the team to discuss at the end of each day

of the co-design workshop which options seem to best suit the findings. Thus far, progress

on this activity is limited to identification of possible technology types and elimination of

those which will not be suitable. Support with this formulation will come from the PN

mentor, Manolo Bedran.

Ethiopia-based activities

1. Research in Addis Ababa: It is intended that time spent in the Ethiopian capital can provide

further information into the types of sanitation technologies used in the country as a means

of finalising the portfolio of options formulated prior to the visit. The further purpose of the

research here would be to establish links with key actors in the city, following up with

contacts provided from Manolo Bedran, and the Development Planning Unit, among others.

This is also intended to serve as a key moment to network with additional people or

organisations that might be interested in the co-design process, or are doing advocacy work

in relation to disabilities.

2. Co-design workshop: This strategy has to allow the aspirations of the children at the school

to be the primary influence in the design of sanitation provision, and must therefore be

allocated a sufficient amount of time for all participants to be given the opportunity to

engage and get all opinions across to the team. It is expected that this process will take

between one and two weeks where students will be taken in small groups to avoid too much

disruption. Although the portfolio should be extensive and detailed by this stage, it is

important that the co-design workshop does not lead participants to any of these options; the

workshop should be carried out as though there is a ‘clean slate’ for possibilities, and it is the

responsibility of the team to tailor the options to the aspirations identified by the process. As

far as possible, it is also considered that feedback of the design phase should be incorporated

in this process, such that students are able to recognize the importance and impacts of their

inputs.

3. Finalisation of sanitation design based on co-design workshop: Following the completion of

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the co-design workshop, all team members will be responsible for finalising a design for a

sanitation technology to be implemented at the school in sufficient detail that it can be

passed to an NGO for completion. It is intended that up to five toilet units are to be

constructed for the school, to fully serve the maximum capacity of 100 students; although

the design should be replicable, the intention is that all five units are delivered

simultaneously, rather than in an incremental process.

4. Short-term improvements to current situation: As the goal of the team is to finalise a design

which can be constructed by an agency subsequent to the visit to the school, if possible any

short-term improvements to the current situation may be carried out (either in addition, or in

lieu of the larger project, if it is deemed unfeasible). The scope of this improvement will be

limited to small changes such as hand-rails to help children find their way easier; in response

to information given by Henry. Based on the site investigation, this activity will be planned

or maybe omitted from the schedule, depending on the current state of sanitation as of

January.

OR

Construction of the co-designed sanitation technology: The intention is that the construction of

the design presented by the team can be completed by an NGO working locally. The team will

explore the option of mobilising support from the Mekelle University, or tapping into ongoing

projects that are taking place in the city. If partner organisations cannot be identified for this

year, the team will consider fundraising options for implementation in the following year. If this

also appears unrealistic, the team may instead opt to scale down the project to focus on short-

term or smaller improvements to the existing sanitation system. These strategies will be better

refined in the early months of 2014, following the EWB-UCL trip in January, and identification

of possible project partners.

Additional Activities

1. Advocacy: The team considers the co-design process to form one element of this

intervention. It is hoped that the reflections emergent from this process (perhaps in the form

of a video) can also be used to support ongoing advocacy in the region related to disabilities

and rights. One potential platform is through the Leonard Cheshire network, which is active

in both London and Ethiopia. The team will also host a final workshop that will bring

together key actors in Mekelle discussing education, sanitation, or disabilities, to provide

further reflections on the process.

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V) RISK ASSESSMENT

1. The primary risk for this project is its ambitious scope. Advice from the PN mentor has indicated

that it’s best to build a block of toilets (rather than adopting a more incremental approach), which

will significantly raise the costs of operation. Following an initial sanitation assessment in January,

as well as a process to identify project partners, this strategy will be refined and/or scaled down.

2. Interacting with the blind children could present challenges if not dealt with in the right way. It is

possible that they would get emotional when discussing about their life or aspirations. We intend to

approach Royal National Institute of Blind People in the UK or a School for blind children to discuss

this issue with them and to learn how to deal with such situations. We also intend to undertake an

outreach workshop in London, to become more familiar and comfortable with modes of engagement.

3. A further challenge emerges from the necessity of designing toilets ‘in the field’ in response to the

aspirations of the students. This will be supported through the development of a ‘portfolio of

options’ prior to travel, to understand the potentials and barriers the team might encounter. Support

will be sought through the London PN, as well as with experts in Mekelle.

4. Since the blind children will not be able to help us build the toilets, we will approach volunteers

from local organisations or Mekelle University to help us out in terms of labour for building the

toilets. Potential partners will be identified, and an MoU drawn up. Insufficient materials and

equipment would slow down our process and make it harder in the transition from the design to the

construction phase.. To avoid this we intend to identify through our local contacts the most

appropriate building materials and their availabilities.

5. Language barrier while communicating with the locals and the children would prove to be a major

issue. We intend to have local support preferably from Mekelle University helping us communicate

with the locals.

VI) PROJECT COST ESTIMATES

1) Provisional Budget

Item Cost (£)

Flights (4 people) 3617.84

Hotel 960

Vaccines 200

Visas 52.32

Ethiopian SIM 10

Transport (local) 50 (TBC)

Meals 840

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Facilitator/translator 300

Total 6030.16

Flights: Based on flying out Wednesday 2nd July, return Monday 21st July- 18 nights Mekelle (2nd -19th), 3

nights in Addis Ababa (19th – 21st). Quote for flight includes converting from GBP to ETB, so may change

in accordance to exchange rates

Vaccinations: Yellow fever should be the only one we have to pay for. Obviously this could vary depending

on what vaccines everyone has already. Suggested vaccines are Cholera (free), Diptheria (free), Hepatitus A,

Hepatitus B, Meningoccal Meningitus (charge), Polio (free), Rabies (charge), Tetanus (free), TB, Typhoid

(free). NB: Malaria not required

Visas: The quote is for single entry 30 day visas. NB: Have to include passports valid for minimum 6 months

from when application of visa is sent. NB: Indian national has to apply through Ethiopian embassy in New

Delhi rather than London at a cost of Rs. 1040 (£10.32, subject to exchange rates). This is a 30 day visa from

date of issue.

Calling card: Based on the calculation that a sim with enough credit for a week is £5

Hotels: Addis: 2 nights at £20 per person / Mekelle: 13 nights at £10 per person

Meals: A conservative estimate of £10 per person per day

Translator/Facilitator: Ideally we would recruit a student from the university, but it would be a good gesture

to be able to compensate them. Based on 30 pounds per day for 10 days

Not included: building materials: dependent on project scope, hire of venue for workshop.

VII) NEXT STEPS AND CONCLUSIONS

Refinement of the project scope will continue following the sanitation assessment in January, and in the

search for additional project partners. Networks within DPU, with Practical Action, and through the team’s

PN mentor are hoped to facilitate this process. In the meantime, the team will continue to familiarize itself

with the context, particularly in relation to disability. A number of activities are planned to this effect,

including holding an outreach workshop within a London-based school for visually-impaired children. This

is expected to support the discussions of activities to facilitate the co-design workshop.

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PROJECT MEXICO

I) INTORDUCTION

In Mexico it is common to find big, wealthy and touristic cities with all the services people need.

Nevertheless, it’s also common to find rural areas surrounding the cities were the population do not have the

basic services such as potable water. In Mexico, according to INEGI, there are almost twelve million people

that do not have access to potable water.

For this reason, between 2007 and 2009, twelve rural rainwater-harvesting systems were installed in ten

different communities surrounding San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The systems were installed by IRRI

Mexico. These systems supplied with potable water to schools and clinics in these communities, benefiting

more than 450 people. Nevertheless, today these systems are damaged and 5 of them were totally out of use by

October 2012.

1) The Project

This project proposes both a technical and social approach to solve this problem. In the engineering part, the

aim is to fix and improve the water harvesting systems so that the people from those communities can get back

the service. The existent systems would be put back in track and improved using a model developed in the

engineering laboratory of UCL. In the social part, the aim is to create a sense of ownership within the

community. In most of the cases the systems stopped working due to damages caused by lack of maintenance

from local communities or abandon from the users, even if the potable water service was needed. The

objectives are to get the community involved in the repair of the systems, to provide training to maintain the

systems and to make people aware of the benefits of the systems, e.g. the prevention of serious health issues

such as fluorosis.

2) Project Objectives

• To repair the twelve water harvesting systems within the defined time slope.

• To train and organise people from the communities to give maintenance to the systems.

• To raise the awareness about the lack of basic services in surrounding areas of main cities in Mexico,

specifically in the case of the touristic city San Miguel de Allende.

• To make a professional video documentary about the project development in the field to rise the

awareness about this issue (if the budget allows it).

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II) PROJECT PARTNER

1) Partnership Background

IRRI Mexico is a Mexican NGO who’s focussed in the way energy and natural resources are used. Its aim is

to create economical independency and sustainability for Mexican communities through research and the

implementation of new technologies (for more information visit http://www.irrimexico.org).

Even though this is the first year EWB UCL work in partnership with this NGO, the relationship is strong

thanks to the direct involvement of the IRRI president and founder, Ilan Alder, on the organization of the

project. During January 2014, one of the team members will go to the field with the following objectives:

- To meet the local IRRI Coordinator, Rachel Smith and discuss further aspects of the project.

- To meet local government authorities of San Miguel de Allende.

- To make a detailed report about the actual state of the systems.

2) The Role of the Partner

The original system model was installed by IRRI Mexico. This system and the way people was organized at the

beginning has been shared by the NGO with the EWB team in order to make the needed improvements.

A joint effort between IRRI Mexico and the Team is being done to get all the human resources (see human

resources section) and materials that will be needed on site for the project.

IV) PROCUREMENT

For a full description of the materials and equipment needed see Appendix 2.

V) IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

1) Timeline

From now the timed objectives are the following:

• January 2014: Field trip (Team Leader Gabriela May Lagunes' visit in Mexico)

(For project objectives of this trip see section I, point 2.)

• From January to early May 2014: Fundraising

(For details of fundraising plans see section VII, point 2.)

• On the field: For the project, 6 weeks of time on-site are being allowed. During the first 3 weeks it is

predicted that time will mainly be spent fixing problems with the sites, repairing physical

components and related problems with the mechanical operation of the systems. In the last 3 weeks it

is planned to work more with setting up community fixing regimes and committees. An effort will be

made to plan this and optimise effectiveness of the implication of maintenance committees. An event

36


shall be planned for our departure in which a promotion campaign on the function and use of the

water harvesting systems shall be made.

2) Human Resources

For human resources our project will require much thought to be made in this sector, we shall require the

services of local tradesmen including plumbers, welders and electricians and also need to build relations with

the community for two main reasons: Firstly, to promote and extend knowledge of how and why the use of

rainwater harvesting systems are beneficial; and secondly to found the previously mentioned maintenance

committees. For our project, local contacts are being sourced through a local NGO, Origen (Verna).

The outsourced human resources will be established during the December field trip on person and defined

from January to April 2014.

VI) RISK ASSESSMENT

Potential risks that we predicting on this project may relate to health and safety issues including dengue fever,

risk of injury through field work, weather related risks (flooding and disruption of service routes) and social

communication problems with communities. Mechanical failure of components in the water harvesting

systems are expected too, as well as fatigue related failure.

Risk Management: Communication between sites shall be built to help us maintain a level of understanding of

situations on site. A spread sheet of all project information, contacts, materials, site conditions and progress

shall be created to improve the level of understanding of the progress of the project and any problems that are

to arise.

Risk Mitigation: For health and safety the team shall be taking the necessary travel vaccinations (including

rabies, tetanus and yellow fever) and mitigation methods such as insect repellent to avoid infection. A site visit

shall be conducted during January 2014 to inspect the equipment and see the extent of the repairs that shall be

required. Concerning local communities, a concerned effort shall be made to progress with the correct manner

and take advice gained from EWB seminar sessions regarding conflict.

VII) PROJECT COSTS ESTIMATES AND FINANCIAL PLANNING

1) Cost Estimates

The preliminary budget for the project stands at £10,000. This figure is said to be more than necessary but

after the site check in January it can be updated. It includes flights, gasoline and transport costs, outsourcing of

labour, materials and repairs, accommodation and living costs for three people.

2) Fundraising

During November and the beginning of December Grand applications were started and the first fundraising

37


events were organized.

Current Grand applications:

• ICE Quest Travel

• Atkinson Group for water- related projects in South America

• Chadwick Trust Travelling Fellowship

Further applications will be sent out over the course of the Christmas holidays. Additional fundraising will

include social events such as:

• String Quartet at UCL in March. (This event will have the objective of present in an organized and

appealing way the project to possible sponsors)

• EWB parties at Hoot n Annies (Kentish Town)

• Bake sales around UCL

• Kickstarter donation webpage profile: We have designed and completed a Kickstarter webpage for

our individual project; this is accompanied by a video explaining how we will organize and complete

our project over there, in order for others to comprehend the complexity. This webpage will be

updated continuously on our project progress. By pledging certain amounts donators will receive in

return the final documentary that will be done throughout the time in Mexico.

During the Christmas Holiday the final list of possible sponsors that would be approached from January will

be defined.

In addition, audio-visual material with information about the project is being prepared to be sent to IRRI

Mexico, who wants to start an independent fundraising in Mexico for the project.

3) Budget

For the provisional budget spread sheet see Attachment 1. This budget will be adjusted with the results from

the field visit.

4) Contingency Planning

The communities will be classified according to the amount of work and material they need.

In case of not gaining the whole budget:

The work and time slope will be reduced to repair as much systems as the budget allows it.

In case of not getting the needed materials on site:

The team will use the non-technical time of the project to work directly in the organization of the users of

the systems.

If the materials do not arrive on time, that time would be used to train the community to maint ain the

systems.

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Category Hazard RiskS

L R MitigationS L R A Comments

Prior to departure

VISA Application Process

VISA denied 6 4 24

Ensure all team members have the necessary/required documents for the application process and have correctly answered all questions on the application form.

6 1 6 Yes

Delay in VISA processing 6 4 24Ensure all team members apply for a VISA early, given sufficient time for any delays that may occur

6 1 6 Yes

Flights between London & Sao Paulo

Security at the airport UK

a) Loss of luggage/passport/ticket

2 8 16Aim for non-stop flights from London to Sao Paulo. In the event of stop-overs, aim for transit hours no less than two hours to minimise loss of luggage by airport personnel and no more than four hours to avoid loss of team members en route. Ensure all team members have all the documents required and keep hold of them at all times. Ensure all team members have contact details and emergency phone numbers. Ensure team members proceed with the necessary requirements before boarding the plane.

2 4 8 Yes

b) Loss of a team member en route.

2 6 12 2 2 4 Yes

c) Miss the flight 2 8 16 2 4 8 Yes

a) Missing luggage 2 8 16 2 4 8 Yes

Arrival to Sao Paulo

Security at the airport (Sao Paulo)

b) Not understanding Portuguese 2 8 16

Ensure all team members have contact details of the hotel/accommodation and have a phrasebook at all times. Ensure team members lock and label their suitcases and keep important/valuables in their hand luggage.

2 6 12 Yes

c) Missing team member 2 8 16 2 4 8 Yes

d) Mugging, robbery 2 8 16 2 4 8 Yes

e) Petty theft 2 8 16 2 4 8 Yes

Local Population

Political StabilityEndangered, interrupted/delayed or curtailed project.

4 4 16

Constantly monitor the political situation and pay close attention to local advice. Ensure all team members are aware of closest police station and embassy. Check with embassies and consulates for advice.

4 2 8 Yes

Should be prepared to leave the area should anything arise.

Attitudes to foreignersUnwanted attention personal attack

6 4 24

Advice team members on accepted behaviour and sensible precautions prior to London departure. Be aware of local attitudes and issues.

4 2 8 Yes

Disease Illness, death or interrupted/delayed or curtailed project due to contracting disease or infection.

10 4 40Ensure team is fully immunised for area located in. Take precautions when dealing with those known to be ill

6 4 24 Yes

It is not possible to fully prevent disease but by complying with all measurements the risk is reduced.

Attack Injury, rape, death or interrupted/delayed or curtailed project.

10 4 40

Take precautions in what areas you are entering. Ensure all team members are aware of areas to avoid, safe form of public transport and do not stay out alone until late at night. If possible, a local should accompany team

4 2 8 Yes

Iwona Bisaga

Appendix 1 Project Brazil: Risk Assessment

Iwona Bisaga

Iwona Bisaga

Iwona Bisaga

Location: Brazil -Jd. Gonzaga of Sao Carlos; S=Severity, L= Likelihood, R=Risk

Iwona Bisaga

Iwona Bisaga

39

members on any excursions. Be careful not to flaunt belongings or self.

Access to drugsIllness, injury death, arrest or curtailed project.

8 4 32Take special care of belongings to ensure no tampering. Ensure team stays away from certain areas that are known for drugs.

4 2 8 Yes

General

Behaviour

a) Inappropriate behaviour may result in UCL and UK's reputation being damaged

4 4 16 Ensure all team members are aware of the effects their behaviour will have on the local community as well as on the team. Brief all team members on respectful and acceptable local behaviour, etiquette, expectations, dress and customs.

2 2 4 YesEveryone watch over others and speak out if they are behaving inappropriatelyb) Inappropriate behaviour may

cause offence to contacts and/or local population.

6 4 24 4 2 8 Yes

Local Guides

Incompetent, negligent resulting in illness, injury, death or an interrupted or curtailed expedition.

8 6 48

Pay close attention to local advice, double check bookings and agree on payments well in advance. Ensure guide is licensed by government.

6 4 24 Yes

Ensure everyone has confidence in guide and follow closely the advice of the red cross

AttitudeMorale could be damaged and lead to behavioural or discipline problems.

4 6 24Ensure all team members are aware of the effects their attitude will have on the local community as well as on the team.

4 4 16 Yes

Training and Experience

Many types of problem may arise if the team is inadequately prepared before starting the project.

8 6 48Ensure all team members read through the pre-departure notes and attend all the pre-departure activities.

6 4 24 Yes

Iwona Bisaga

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Iwona Bisaga

Appendix 2 Project Mexico Rainwater Harvesting System Components

Iwona Bisaga

Iwona Bisaga

41

Iwona Bisaga

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