Border Infrastructure Program garners three first place honours

(L to R) Lester Marr, Ron Gratz, Norm D'Andrea, Shaun Bidulka, and David Harvey

The BC Ministry of Transportation has recognized Associated Engineering for our efforts on the Border Infrastructure Program (BIP) in the BC Lower Mainland. Associated Engineering shared in three of the four first place honours. Awards were presented to:

• Associated Urban Consultants (AUC) - First Place for Design and Contract Preparation - Structures Highway 91 in Lower Mainland, BC
• Associated Urban Consultants (AUC) - First Place Specialized Engineering Services Highway 91 in Lower Mainland, BC
• UMA/AE - First Place for Design and Contract Preparation - Roads Highway 10 in Surrey, BC.

These awards were presented by Minister Kevin Falcon and his Deputy Minister David Bing.

The BIP projects started in 2003. Most of the construction works are now complete.

Congratulations to staff who worked on the BIP program!

Garrett Schmidt helps improve water and sanitation in Malawi, Africa

(L to R): Garrett and 7 year old Titandizane, Community in the process of digging shallow well by hand, Garrett planting tobacco seedlings in Tenje Village, Fixing an AfriDev hand pump for a school, Investigating a broken hand pump, Garrett’s Malawian family in Tenje.

Five months ago, Garrett Schmidt was sitting at his desk in the AE Regina office contributing to the design and development of water and wastewater infrastructure projects. Today, he is sitting at his desk in the Ntchisi District Government Water Office in Malawi, Africa contributing to the design and development of their rural water point operation and maintenance system. The work he was doing in Regina is considerably different to the work he is currently doing, yet the objective is remarkably similar – to enhance the supply of water and wastewater services to the community. This is where the similarities end.

Malawi is one of the poorest nations in the world. Ranked 164 out of 177 countries by the United Nations Human Development Index, Malawi has the highest population density in sub-Saharan Africa. Rural Malawians are incredibly poor with high prevalence rates of HIV/AIDS, malaria, chronic hunger, and water-borne disease which destabilizes their livelihoods and makes people vulnerable to the slightest of life’s shocks.

Garrett’s focus is to assist the Ntchisi District Government to improve the operation and maintenance system of rural water point facilities such as shallow wells, boreholes, spring boxes, and small gravity-fed water schemes. The work he is accomplishing in Ntchisi is complementary to the work of other Engineers Without Borders’ (EWB) volunteers also working with district governments in Malawi. Their findings will soon be incorporated into a national framework for the operation and maintenance of rural water points, initiated by UNICEF and WaterAid International.

African woman with baby being carried in traditional chitenje cloth

Although work consumes the vast majority of his time, Garrett has been making a concerted effort to integrate into Malawian culture. Just before Christmas, he stayed in a rural village for five days, sleeping on a bamboo mat, helping to spread manure and plant tobacco seedlings in their fields, and generally trying to understand the complexities of their lives. This experience helped him gain insight into Malawian culture. Garrett says, “Without it, I would understand little of their extreme generosity, passion for life, and desire for opportunities to improve their livelihoods. This insight complements my work and ultimately inspires me to persevere when the challenges seem overwhelming.”

Garrett chose to volunteer with EWB because he believes in human development and that all people should be able to live a life they value. Garrett says, “I am grateful to AE for granting me a leave of absence and for the opportunity to be a volunteer with EWB. I look forward to contributing to the development of the Malawian water and wastewater sector through my placement.”

Garrett Schmidt graduated from the Environmental Systems Engineering program at the University of Regina in 2007 with a minor in Leadership and Dialogue. He worked as an Engineer-in-Training in the AE Regina Office Water & Environmental Group for one year before taking a leave of absence to volunteer in Malawi, Africa with Engineers Without Borders Canada. He was the recipient of the 2007 APEGS Gold Medal in Engineering and has previously worked inter- nationally in England and Peru.