Engineered Water Solutions
Duncan McNicholl – Engineers Without Borders 
Before this article I wasn’t too familiar with the work of Engineers Without Borders. Now, I couldn’t be happier that I know more about this organization. They have a great representative in Duncan McNicholl. I wish I had the experience, humility and wisdom McNicholl has at 23. Needless to say, the UBC civil engineering graduate really impressed me in our short conversation.
He’s currently on a year-long contract with EWB working on water issues in Malawi. McNicholl seems to really love the land. He plans to extend his stay if he can and he has prior experience in the area, as he completed a four-month term in Malawi with EWB in 2008.
You can read his blog about his experiences in Malawi at http://www.waterwellness.ca
UL: Tell me about Engineers about Borders
DM: It’s an organization based out of Toronto and there are chapters all across Canada. We’re working in four countries in Africa; Ghana, Burkina Faso, Zambia and Malawi. Here in Malawi I’m a part of the water and sanitation team and we’re generally focused on access to water and improving access to sanitation as well.
UL: How did you get involved?
DM: I was pretty good at math and science so I felt that with engineering I might be able to design something that could be really helpful. That’s why I got into engineering and from there I got involved with Engineers Without Borders. As I got more involved I realized the complexity of all of these problems and EWB puts a lot of focus on these with workshops. It became very apparent that just engineering wasn’t enough and that the complexity of thought needed to match the complexity of the problems.
UL: While you can approach the problems from a civil engineers viewpoint you’re saying it’s much more of a whole system design problem?
DM: Absolutely. I think where engineering fits in for me is just being able to look at a problem and frame it and look at the constraints and the opportunities. I can look at a hydraulic model and set up that kind of system and I can make certain assumptions, run some models and see how it’s going to work. That can be analogous to working in the context of international development.
We’re really trying to set up work as a means of leaning. We’re constantly trying to understand the systems that we work with to improve our assumptions. That iterative approach is also analogous to engineering. You understand what went wrong and you integrate that solution into the next time.
UL: What have been some of the most notable engineering related things you’ve done in Malawi?
DM: One of the interesting things is that the projects I worked and consulted on in Canada are in many ways similar to the challenges that the district water offices face here. Data management, being able to capture data on their assets; bore holes, shallow wells and taps and then being able to turn that into useful data for planning. Obviously the environment is a lot different than Canada but the nature of the challenges is the same.
UL: What it’s like to be in Malawi
DM: There are so many stories it will take a moment to pick one. I continue to struggle with how I saw Africa portrayed back in Canada. You see these images of helplessness and despair and these really clashed with my memories of Malawi in 2008. These are amazing, warm, friendly people who are really struggling to get by.
When I arrived in Karonga I took a walk down to Lake Malawi and I was just kind of taking in the town and this woman called out to me from the front porch of her hut and invited me in for lunch. I came and had lunch with her and I told her I was looking for a place to live and now I live with her and her daughter. This is a complete stranger who called out to me and invited me in for lunch. These kinds of things challenge the way I define and think about poverty. It’s amazing how similar people are around the world.
UL: What should people do who are interested in Engineers Without Borders?
DM: There’s a lot of dialogue that needs to be had on the role of Canadians and how we’re going to engage on these problems. I definitely encourage the public and engineers to check out Engineers Without Borders website. There is also a campaign that was recently launched called Engineers Serve the World, a take on the traditional slogan that Engineers Rule the World, that’s something they can check out. Just get involved in any way you can and have those critical discussions and create avenues for change that you can be a part of. Coming over here has been the most life-changing and life-enhancing experience of my life.
Category: Work
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