EWB-UCI partnered with Engineer Armenia to develop an interdisciplinary, multi-purpose program beginning in October 2018. Using their knowledge and acquired skills in various disciplines, our team of volunteers seek to help rural Armenian villages move closer to having reliable access to clean water and better waste disposal systems, as well as inspire local youth to pursue careers in STEM via educational seminars and engineering camp activities.

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In the Summer 2019, the program had its first implementation trip. After arriving in Yerevan, the Engineer Armenia team first visited the village of Meghrashen to evaluate their water distribution system. Upon doing so, they discovered that the water had high turbidity and was not safe for consumption. The team then proposed new design for their system which included a filtration system and a chlorination tank. In addition, a part of their pipeline was made out of metal and hadn't been serviced in decades so they included that it should be replaced with PVC to prevent harmful corrosion. 

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After leaving the village, the team hosted a three day STEM day camp for youth ages 9 - 15 in the Shirvanian Youth Center in Gyumri. With the help of volunteers/translators from the youth center, the day camp was a success with about 100 kids in attendance.

 

Once the day camp was completed, The Engineer Armenia team traveled to Tavshut. In Tavshut, they held workshops to teach the community about proper waste disposal and separation, as well as recycling, composting, and more efficient methods of heating households. After giving the workshop, we implemented several waste disposal bins throughout the village to ensure that they had a place to store trash as opposed to dumping it along the roads. 

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From there, the team went to Jrashen where we teamed up with the Fuller Center for Housing to help a family construct a new home since they had been living in a domik, which is essentially a small metal container since the 1988 earthquake had occurred. 

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Engineer Armenia is an ongoing program, that'll ensure new experiences, beautiful scenery, and lots and lots of lavash bread. More information about Engineer Armenia can be found at the website below.