Globalization at SFU
Robin Prest and Tommy Chiu

As a society, we are fatigued from seeing pictures of starving children paraded across our television screens, their redemption valued at a mere dollar a day. Abstract statistics simply serve to de-humanise the problems of real people, or worse, to portray problems as insurmountable. Thus, statistics reinforce our reflex to withdraw from the issues they represent.

So, everyone cares about international development, but is anyone willing to do something about it?

The quality lacking in the guilt-driven television commercials mentioned above is vision. Engineers Without Borders (EWB), a relatively recent addition to the Canadian NGO scene, is seeking to change attitudes within our society from passive to proactive by providing such a vision in the form of tangible, hands-on solutions to the problems of international development. EWB engages in overseas community-level development work, directly helping those who most need it. Through this work, EWB strives to have a sustained impact by identifying solutions that maximise the use of local resources, and by transferring skills and knowledge to the communities we work with so that projects are maintained after our departure. Here at home, EWB works to make Canada the most development-friendly country in the world through member education and public engagement. Our belief is that by making international development a priority on the public's agenda, our democratic mandate will pressure our governments to enact pro-development policies.

Overseas

One particular EWB project currently underway aims to the deliver a solution to the poverty in the Philippines by empowering out-of-school youth. First initiated by students at McGill University, the Scala Program attempts to make a difference by focusing on the education of disadvantaged youth. Filipino out-of-school youth are typically born into large, impoverished families in which the parents lack basic education. Children and teenagers are often forced to quit school and work to support their families. Yet, despite the adversity that these youth face, the majority of them hope for an opportunity to return to school.

The Scala Program seeks to address this problem by establishing self-reliant computer training facilities that will reduce social inequalities by providing out-of-school youth with access to education, thus increasing their employment prospects. Through a holistic approach, the Scala curriculum combines basic computer literacy skills with workshops on nutrition, life skills, and entrepreneurship. In the end, out-of-school youth are provided with encouragement to return to formal education.

In order to increase their self-reliance, the Scala Program seeks to build the capacity of each centre's host community. Community members are trained to teach at the centres, which are maintained by the Filipino Department of Social Welfare and Development. The centres are located in semi-urban settings, with the intention of bringing the opportunities they provide closer to the homes of those who need them while still providing a large enough setting to exercise the skills gained. A sense of local ownership is key to the project's success, and a student volunteer from Simon Fraser University will be traveling to the Philippines this summer to help implement the program and ensure its continuation through local staff.

Engineers Without Borders' mission is to "promote human development through access to technology." But the use of the word technology can be misleading. Technology is not an end in itself, but a means to enhance the quality of life of impoverished individuals. In the Scala Program, computer training and education are a means of increasing the choices in the lives of disadvantaged youth.

The philosophy behind EWB's international projects is to focus on integrating basic technological solutions within the cultural, social, and economic framework of each community, in order to address the root causes of poverty. This may range from basic hygiene education in rural villages to reduce the risk of waterborne diseases, to water quality improvement to ensure increased access to safe drinking water, to building a simple outdoor drying rack for food preservation. With such a basic definition of technology, the most important skills involved are not in technical know-how, but rather in critical thinking, problem solving, and, most importantly, the ability to work with the local population to ensure that projects are culturally sensitive and appropriate. As a result, students from any discipline have the capacity to actively participate in international development.

Closer to Home

Here at SFU, we have worked hard to have a measurable impact on the world around us, as well as in our own community. Local initiatives to help curb poverty include the implementation of an information technology teaching program at the Broadway Youth Resource Centre in Vancouver, which is a project run in conjunction with the Scala Program. Volunteers will be teaching computer skills in a peer-mentor setting at the centre, with sessions designed for different age groups ranging from teenagers to adults. SFU students have also helped in the construction of homes for Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit organisation seeking to provide housing for low-income families by utilising volunteers to assist in the construction process.

In addition to overseas development projects, public engagement is equally significant because of the belief that the passion of students and professionals will drive local Canadians to take action on international development issues. This is done through high school outreach programs that aim to raise awareness on world issues and encourage students to become active citizens in the global community. In addition, we worked in partnership with CARE Canada in January 2004 to present PhotoSensitive's HIV positive: AIDS Through a New Lens photo exhibit, a documentary of the AIDS crisis in Zambia revealed through fifty-one black and white photographs that are accompanied by stirring stories. All of these initiatives, both local and abroad, are undertaken by committed university students in the hope that their actions will help to improve the world in which we live. We invite you to be equally proactive in your choices and actions.

On March 5, a "Rock Without Borders" benefit concert and beer garden will take place at SFU. It will be held in the Convocation Mall, and it headlines the talent of the local music groups Means to an End and Electric Blues Euphoria. This concert will raise funds for the Scala Program, and you are encouraged to take the opportunity to come enjoy the night in support of this worthy cause.

Tommy Chiu and Robin Prest are members of Engineers Without Borders at SFU. For more information, visit sfu.ewb.ca, or e-mail sfu(at)ewb(dot)ca.

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