Engineering students volunteer their technical skills for Samoa

14 May, 2007

Nine engineering students from the University of Auckland have joined PULSE ’07 to volunteer their holidays and skills towards the rural community surrounding Apia in Samoa this June.

The group of students, assisted by their professional mentor, Craig Omundsen, will be assisting the South Pacific Business Development Foundation (SPBDF), and the Programme Implementation Assistance Team working on the European Union funded Water Sector Project.

Last year the PULSE ’06 team partnered with World Vision to complete a successful aid trip on Tanna Island, in Vanuatu. PULSE enables University of Auckland engineering students to experience aid work first hand, therefore each year a group of different students work overseas.

This year the PULSE ’07 team will work with SPBDF will involve working with the rural community, meeting local entrepreneurs, visiting their businesses and writing up a brief to attract micro-financing loans through the website kiva.org. The kiva.org website allows people within developing countries to make a loan as small as $50, which will provide opportunities for entrepreneurs in developing countries to build a business that improves their situation and contributes to their communities’ local economy.

Their technical skills will be of value for the Water Sector Project, where the students will assist the Programme Implementation Assistance Team, compiling detailed technical evaluations, with recommendations for improvements, for five to ten water schemes in villages surrounding Apia.

Their evaluations and recommendations will be the beginning of the process for improving the rural water resources for each village.

The PULSE ’06 aid trip was a partnership with World Vision and the students traveled to Tanna Island in Vanuatu over their mid-year break to engage in a variety of significant and life changing projects, including the design of a water supply scheme to four villages and making recommendations and completing funding applications for small scale projects, such as rain water collection; water conservation education programs, and; an upgrade on the road to the Provincial Hospital.

The team also worked on other World Vision projects on the island – laying foundation for a pre-school, clearing bush for primary school gardens, assessing faulty solar panels for a local school, renovating a local Health Clinic, and assessing the Provincial Hospital’s faulty medical equipment. This year the PULSE ‘07 team will repeat last years’ successes. PULSE ’07 consists of Darren Alvares, Ross Copland, Laura Devcich, Jade Gibson, Kailin Lee, Zaver Sima, Andrew White, Joanna Woollams, team leader Holly Corbett, and mentor Craig Omundsen – a water and wastewater engineer for Metrowater.

Fundraising is the major priority of the team at present. Currently $10,000 has been raised through donations and sponsorship through the University of Auckland, John Filmore Contractors and the local Gisborne community. Another $20,000 is required for the team to travel.

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