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The Architects of EWB

Only eight years ago, Engineers Without Borders was little more than a name and an idea scribbled on a napkin. Because of the dedication and passion of the volunteers involved early on, EWB is now one of Canada's most respected development organisations and is having impact overseas.





Parker Mitchell and George Roter

Developing the concept and the name was the easy part. The real challenge for Parker and George, two engineering graduates from the University of Waterloo, was making that concept a reality. They spent the first year asking questions, gaining support, preparing volunteers and building partnerships. In 2001, when Parker headed to Cambridge University to learn more about development, George took the plunge, becoming EWB's first CEO. Under his guidance for the next year, EWB launched its first National Conference and sent more than 20 volunteers overseas, providing the foundation for EWB's continued growth.

Shubha Balasubramanyam

Shubha's bubbling energy was immediately apparent: "Hi. My name is Shubha, I want to go overseas to Gujarat. I've heard a lot about the culture and I'm really excited to learn more. I've researched a partner organisation and the role of information technology in development. When is the application going to be posted?" Two interviews later and after arranging to take a year off school, she was off to Gujarat. Upon her return, she applied the same focus and energy by taking on EWB's entire overseas sending program. She designed EWB's first pre-departure training session—a two week course to prepare volunteers for work overseas.

Sara Ehrhardt

An undergraduate in Systems Design Engineering at the time, Sara heard about two Waterloo graduates who were starting an engineering-based international development organisation. 'Crazy' she thought, having been overseas and returning cynical of the role of westerners in development. She went to a meeting and decided 'they are still crazy... but they could sure use some help.' And help she did, building EWB's overseas sending program almost single-handedly while completing her degree. For her work through EWB and elsewhere, Sara has been recognized by a number of awards including the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers Student Gold Medal, the University of Waterloo's John Fisher Leadership Award and an Action Canada Fellowship.

Sara Kime

Sara founded the Guelph University Chapter—a chapter with tremendous energy that was dedicated to learning about the complexities of development. As a leader of the chapter, she foresaw the challenge of chapter turnover and focused on cultivating young leaders. After graduating in 2002, she became VP of Chapters. She helped shape the chapter reporting processes and provided support for new chapters while in their formative stages.

Mac McArthur

After reading a feature about EWB in a newspaper, Mac called us up. "I'm an accountant," he said. "You guys are doing great work and will need my help one day. Give me a call when you do." As our numbers became increasingly complicated we heeded his advice. His experience working with a younger Médecins Sans Frontières and Free the Children quickly became an asset to EWB. His contributions span far beyond number crunching with his countless emails to volunteers abroad, helping many adjust to the rigours of life overseas.

Ryan Merkley

In 2001 Ryan took one look at EWB and decided we needed help communicating our goals and activities. He brought invaluable experience, superb writing skills, great layout techniques and tremendous knowledge of the media. Whether coaching chapters on media relations, writing the annual report or laying out a brochure, he leveraged his experience editing a school newspaper and working at the Canadian Centre of Philanthropy and Manifest Communications, improving the way we talk about what we do.

A Special Thanks

From Halifax to Vancouver, EWB has been fortunate to have attracted talented and committed individuals who founded our first chapters. They became impassioned by the idea, and with little support, reached out to others in their universities to form the nucleus of what EWB is today. The incredible energy that students across Canada place on human development is inspiring. Though they are too numerous to name, we thank them all.

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