SOURCE:Eastman Chemical Company
DESCRIPTION:
In partnership with Eastman Corporate Responsibility, the Engineers Without Border (EWB-USA) Tri-Cities Chapter is making a difference in Peru.
A team of Eastman employees and regional EWB members recently traveled to Samne, Peru for the third assessment trip. This time, the chapter had five objectives, all of which they were able to complete during the eight-day trip.
“The objectives were to secure community and governmental commitment to support the project, assess feasibility of different reservoir alternatives for Phase 1 implementation, collect critical data for refining Phase 1 design, collect critical data to assess supplemental water sources for Phase 2, and continue community education and outreach efforts,” said Jacob Bubalo, civil engineer.
While the team was focused on their overall objective to improve the water situation in Samne, they also gained a great deal of cultural experiences through outreach and community education and learned just how important this effort is to the Samne community.
“We explained in detail what we were planning to do and how the project would improve their water supply, responded to the community’s questions and concerns, and asked them for support for the project. Those in attendance voted unanimously to support the project with household contributions totaling to 5% of the total project cost. The community members’ attendance, participation, questions, comments, and willingness to contribute all demonstrated a high level of engagement in this project,” said Kristin Porter, chemical engineer.
As part of the community education and outreach objective, two of the chapter members taught classes at the local high school to explain how the water system works, demonstrated water quality testing, discussed the project, and helped with the school’s English class.
EWB Tri-Cities will continue working with Samne to further develop solutions based on the assessments and completed objectives during their recent trip.
“I really believe that these experiences will develop strong leaders for Eastman’s future,” added Kristin.
At Eastman, we look to invest in initiatives and partnerships, such as Engineers Without Borders, that align with our four corporate responsibility focus areas of empowerment, economic development, education, and environment. We look for those opportunities that create a collective impact for our communities and stakeholders, at home and around the world, and we are excited to see the progress our local EWB chapter is making in Samne.
KEYWORDS: Philanthropy, Business & Trade, Eastman, Corporate Responsibility
