A Recap of EWB-SWE and openhack’s Advisory Board Meeting on October 4, 2021

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EWB-SWE and openhack’s advisory board met with representatives of both organizations on October 4 to take stock of the organization’s progress over the last year and discuss opportunities to improve our fundraising activities. This was the third meeting of the Advisory Board which was put together in 2020. 

The Advisory Board consists of Hans-Olov Olsson, Emma Rozada, Sofia Appelgren, Joakim Hedin, Carl Lindberg, Johanna Lakso. From EWB-SWE and openhack, Jan Burenius, Caroline Bastholm, Jan Byfors, Lukas Scheffer Leander participated in the meeting, held at Techno Creatives’ office in Gothenburg – a huge thank you to Emma Rozada for hosting us. 

Are we spreading ourselves too thin?

One central topic discussed during the meeting was if and how EWB-SWE could benefit from narrowing down the scope of our work to establish a clearer identity and avoid spreading ourselves too thin. 

Today, EWB-SWE works both within Sweden and internationally. In Sweden, we primarily focus on activities that serve to make the engineering sector more equitable, just and accessible. We also engage in capacity building activities. Internationally, we focus on providing know-how and hands-on assistance in primarily construction, digitalization, and water and sanitation projects. You can learn more about the different areas here.

In the next few months, we will continue to discuss how we can strengthen existing partnerships and initiate new collaborations that ensure our activities have a lasting impact in the communities they serve.

Strengthening our bond with openhack

EWB-SWE and openhack aim to work closer together in the future. How this can be achieved was another main topic discussed during the Advisory Board meeting. A concrete example of how the two organizations can collaborate is the upcoming Engineering for Humanity hackathon on November 12-14, 2021. The aim is to make the hackathon an annual event. The advisory board pondered how we can grow this event format through creative partnership structures. 

Beyond discussing concrete activities by the EWB-SWE team, the Advisory Board also examined how we can become better at communicating about our work to both partners and the general public. One question asked during the meeting was whether EWB-SWE should keep English as our main language of communication, or if we should instead communicate more in Swedish on social media and other external communication channels.

If you are a member of EWB-SWE and want to share your thoughts on how we can improve, please take five minutes to fill out our member survey (closing on October 31, 2021.)

EWB-SWE Announces Collaboration with Womengineer on the Day of the Girl Child

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Today on International Day of the Girl Child, October 11, Engineers Without Borders Sweden are pleased to announce a new collaboration with Womengineer, an organization working to inspire more girls, women, and non-binary people to explore a career in engineering. 

This year's International Day of the Girl, under the theme "Digital generation. Our generation,” aims to shine a light on the need to widen the pathways for this generation of girls to become a generation of technologists. 

EWB-SWE to participate in Womengineer Day 2021 and IGEday 2022

Womengineer’s work is centered around two major events each year, Womenginee Day on November 19 and IGEday (Introduce a Girl to Engineering day) on March 25. EWB-SWE will take part in the next editions of both events. 

Womengineer Day 2021 is an online recruitment and networking event where female or non-binary engineering students and early-career engineers are introduced to companies and organizations operating in the engineering field. More information about the event and how you can register for it can be found here.  

IGEday is an annual event during which companies and organizations in the technology and engineering sectors open their doors during one day to young girls and non-binary people aged 13-19 years. Participants are provided insights into the engineering profession and advice on how to choose and apply for higher education in the field of engineering. IGEday 2022 will offer both physical and digital company visits, more information about the event can be found here. 

EWB-SWE strives to make the engineering field more inclusive and diverse 

At EWB-SWE we work to support and inspire young people and early career professionals to engage with technology and consider a career in engineering through our programs Inspire Youth. 

Beyond inspiring younger generations to enter the field of engineering, EWB-SWE also works to support people with an engineering background or passion who are new to Sweden through the Engineer to Engineer program. The program supports this group to navigate the Swedish labour market and land a job in the field of engineering. 

 "I strongly believe that greater equity will improve the practice of engineering. Engineering solutions should be designed for everyone. Therefore they cannot and should not be developed by a homogenous group. Collaborating with Womengineer and participating in Womengineer Day and IGEday is a great opportunity for us at EWB-SWE to further our work with making the engineering sector more inclusive and diverse," says Caroline Bastholm, Secretary General of EWB-SWE. 

EWB-SWE strengthens its long-standing partnership with Build Up Nepal

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Today, we are pleased to announce that we are deepening our collaboration with our long-standing partner, Build Up Nepal, through a new initiative aimed at scaling the production of affordable, safe and eco-friendly bricks in Nepal. The three-year initiative is made possible by a new partnership between Engineers Without Borders Sweden (EWB-SWE), Build Up Nepal, and the Australian Government, supported by Business Partnerships Platforms (BPP.) 

Nepal is located in one of the most seismically active regions of the world, a matter that is made worse by the fact that over half of all buildings in the country do not meet safe housing standards. Build Up Nepal was founded after the devastating 2015 earthquake in Nepal, which cost over 9,000 lives and is estimated to have wounded more than 15,000 people. 

The organization aims to empower rural entrepreneurs and communities to build safe, affordable homes and resilient incomes. One way they do this is by providing rural entrepreneurs with brick-making machines, training, and support to start and build micro-construction companies.

EWB-SWE began working with the organization back in 2016 and the collaboration between the two organizations has grown over time. For more information about EWB-SWE’s work with Build Up Nepal, check out the project page.

Empowering vulnerable groups through inclusive training in brick-making 

In 2020 Build Up Nepal supported 65 micro, small, and medium enterprises and 20 communities, creating 348 jobs and building 272 houses. Having proven their model, they now need support to refine their approach further and find efficiencies to scale. 

Within the framework of EWB-SWE and Build Up Nepal existing collaboration, the two organizations now launch a new initiative with the Australian Government, supported by BPP. The new initiative aims to scale Build Up Nepal's operations through active collaboration between the partners. 

COVID-19 prompted a reverse migration of Nepali migrant workers from around the world. The flow of remittances has stopped, and unemployment and under-employment is on the rise. Meanwhile, the brick industry in Nepal is booming, creating a unique opportunity to create jobs for low-income families and support a green recovery from COVID-19. In the new initiative, a particular focus will be placed on empowering women, youths, returning migrants, people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.

Climate-friendly construction

Build Up Nepal’s operating model improves the environmental impact of the construction industry in Nepal. No fuel or burning is required, and less cement usage means 39 percent less CO2 emissions. By strengthening local businesses, this initiative aims to replace five percent of carbon-intensive fired bricks with Build Up Nepal’s bricks by 2024, saving 10,305 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

“This vital partnership is perfectly in line with EWB-SWE’s operational and strategic goals. Over the next few years, we aim to deepen and expand our collaborations with our core partners, of which Build Up Nepal is one. I firmly believe that our organization can have a more positive and lasting impact in the communities where we work when we collaborate with others that complement our strengths and share our values – Build Up Nepal fits perfectly into this description,” says Caroline Bastholm, EWB-SWE Secretary-General.

2021 Half-year review

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Summertime is here and we are already halfway through the year!
We want to take this opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate our achievements so far by sharing our 2021 half-year review video 🎉 We are proud of our achievements and our focus will remain on empowering the communities we engage in. We are looking forward to the next half year of 2021, which promises lots of exciting news and developments.