It was electrifying. The sheer intensity of the energy and passion in the room permeated through the crowd as the final session of the conference came to a close. Allstream Center, Toronto. January 15th, 2010. Nearly 1500 people: politicians and members of parliament, thought leaders from Europe, Africa, and America, 19 delegates from four African countries working for various governments and organizations, businessmen and corporate leaders, development workers from diverse initiatives, and Canadian students. Students spanning all levels of education: undergraduate, masters, and PhD. Students spanning across disciplines: engineering, political science, economics, law, commerce, international relations, development studies… This was one special group of people. All brought together at this conference bound by a singular common interest: international development and poverty.

The title of the 2-day event: Kumvana. A word that in the Chichewa language (commonly spoken in parts of Malawi) means “unite so we may discuss and understand.” And that was exactly what this conference was. Multiple disciplines, multiple stakeholders, people who don’t interact on a day-to-day basis but play interlocking roles in the fabric of global society, all brought together in real, honest, pragmatic conversations about the dysfunctional development sector. And how we can change it.

The What and the Why

Put on by Engineers Without Borders Canada (EWB) – an organization I’ve been working with for nearly 3 years now, both here in Canada and in Ghana (West Africa) – Kumvana was an amalgamation of EWB’s 10 years of experience learning and growing in the international development sector. In honor of EWB’s 10th Anniversary, Kumvana was a bold step to bring together people who EWB believes should really be learning from and talking to each other.

After working, learning, and growing with EWB in the past couple of years, and especially after spending four months in Ghana in the past summer working with local government to improve public service access, I strongly believe that the siloed nature of how society is structured is hindering us from tackling some of the pressing problems the world faces today. One key example of this is the way departments are divided and specialized in the university education system. Globalization may be a buzz-word, but it doesn’t make it any less powerful. The social, economic, technological, and social systems of the world are so interconnected that they cannot be worked in isolation. Thus Engineers Without Borders is one organization that is really pushing interdisciplinary thinking, learning, and collaboration.

So… Where does U of T fit into all this?

EWB has an active chapter here at U of T that sent a sizable delegation of 28 students to attend the conference this year. Being one of the first arms of the organization, the U of T chapter has a large member base of students from engineering, political science, commerce, and arts and science. So no, EWB is not just for engineers! The chapter focuses on building members’ knowledge of the realities and complexities of international development. Through running workshops, providing students with leadership opportunities, asking critical questions, and working with faculty to incorporate global issues into core courses, we hope we are slowly building a new generation of multi-disciplinary problem-solvers. In addition, the chapter also has a focus on public outreach to the Canadian public, and working with Members of Parliament to advocate for improved Canadian foreign policy such that Canada’s international development programs are more beneficial to rural communities. There are also opportunities to work overseas with EWB, and the chapter generally sponsors two students to work in Africa every summer. Learn more about the U of T chapter at www.utoronto.ewb.ca, or by dropping by the office (GB 131), or email me at amirallana[AT]ewb[DOT]ca.

The Bigger Picture

Looking more broadly, EWB started off in 2001 as a very small group of people: engineers with a preconception that a community-based approach to appropriate technology was an effective way to combat poverty and inequality. Over 10 years, the organization learned from its failures, questioned its approach, and asked tough critical questions that catapulted it to the forefront of the international development field.

Today, with 36 chapters across Canada and 4 strong sector teams working in Zambia, Malawi, Ghana, and Burkina Faso, EWB is a completely different entity. Working with partner governments and organizations in Africa, EWB is helping build the capacity of local institutions to serve rural communities. From public services such as education, water/sanitation programs, to business, entrepreneurship, and agricultural extension, EWB brings technical knowledge/expertise to strengthen systems in developing countries.

In Canada, EWB is pushing for practical changes in Canadian foreign aid practices, working with university curricula to bring globally-minded thinking and problem solving to the stagnating engineering discipline, and empowering Canadians to make smart, strategic choices that have a positive impact on poverty reduction.

EWB believes that innovation and dialogue is desperately needed to combat the inefficiencies that come with working in international development. One way EWB has been operating differently is the release of an annual Failure Report that outlines how EWB failed in the past year and what was learned to improve existing programs. This speaks to the nature of the organization, that is built on strong values and constant humility.

Kumvana had up to 17 different workshops, sessions, panel discussions, and talks occurring at any given time on January 14th and 15th. Topics ranged from agricultural business models to Canadian foreign policy to broader concepts such as systems thinking and taking projects to scale. There were round-tables and cross-disciplinary collaboration that I hope is just the beginning of longer-lasting partnerships.

Interested in learning more? Check out www.ewb.ca and www.conference2011.ewb.ca. Like I mentioned before, please free to email me in person at [email protected], or get involved with the U of T chapter of EWB by visiting www.utoronto.ewb.ca.

I’ll leave you with a quote from Rural Development: Putting the Last First, a book by internationally-known development expert Robert Chambers:

“A nutritionist may see malnutrition but not the seasonal indebtedness, the high cost of medical treatment, the distress sales of land, and the local power structure which generate it. A doctor may see infant mortality but not the declining real wages which drive mothers to desperation, still less the causes of those declining real wages. Visibility and specialization combine to show surface symptoms rather than deeper combinations of causes. The poor are little seen, and even less is the nature of their poverty understood.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 25th, 2011 at 10:55 pm and is filed under Clubs, Events, On Campus. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.