a great opportunity

Hello dear family, friends and fellow EWBers,

Welcome to my, for lack of better term, "blog." This is certainly a momentous occasion, because I who never thought I would have a blog, have succumbed in order to better share my upcoming summer. This summer, I will be going to Ghana with Engineers Without Borders for three and a half months to be one of many, working towards a vision of a prosperous Africa. Not only do I aim to have positive impact in Ghana while overseas, but I hope to share my experiences with everyone in Canada upon my return, thereby continuing and enhancing a chain of engaged, globally-minded Canadians! Such are the lofty goals of the Junior Fellow, and I have every intention of striving to meet them.

I have been granted this opportunity, but with like with all great opportunities, comes a great responsibility. A responsibility first and foremost, to the people I have yet to meet, but will be working for in Ghana. Secondly, to the McGill Chapter of EWB for putting some trust in me and packing me off to Ghana.

However, all great opportunities come with a need for great resources. Fundraising to send myself and two others overseas this summer has seen the McGill and Mac Chapters devoting countless hours of their time and energy this past year. The many fundraising have included all sorts of wonderful, globally minded initiatives including selling and promoting fair-trade coffee, a 24 Hour Fast, hosting a fair trade craft fair, organizing a Feast or Famine dinner and many many more! A lot of work has been done, and we're almost there...but not quite! The next mission on the agenda is a nationwide half marathon in which EWB chapters across Canada will be participating. We've even got a few of the overseas volunteers running!

If you would like to contribute towards our cause and help send me to Ghana for the summer, it would be hugely appreciated! You can email me at alinebennett@ewb.ca, call me up, stop by for a chat and a cup of tea (yes, all the way in Montreal) if this is something you are considering. If you want more information I would be more than happy to chat about the ins and outs of EWB and what I'll be doing this summer!

"One of our many fundraisers this year: the chefs decked out in Malawian cloth, preparing food for the end of the 24 Hour Fast"

However, before I get a flood of emails for more information, here's a little taste of the 'why' and 'what' of EWB:

Poverty is not about weakness. For the 800 million people who go hungry each day and the one billion who lack access to clean water, poverty is an absence of opportunity.

Engineers Without Borders is responding to this urgent need, helping people in developing communities gain access to technologies that will improve their lives. We believe that technology, when appropriately incorporated into each community's social, cultural, economic and political context, can drive extraordinary change.

The ways in which EWB is driving this change:

• Partnering with developing communities to help build their capacity
• Raising awareness among Canadians about how they can make decisions that positively impact communities overseas
  
• Encouraging the Canadian government to become a model global citizen by taking on a leadership role in poverty alleviation
  

Engineers Without Borders works to reduce extreme poverty by focusing on three main areas: agriculture, water and sanitation, and good governance. The reason for these focuses is the attempt to address 'root causes of poverty' while working closely with the people who face these challenges on a daily basis.

While in Ghana I will be working with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, (henceforth referred to as MoFA) promoting 'Agriculture as a Business,' aimed to build the capacity of subsistence farmers and create an environment for sustainable growth in the agriculture sector.

There are currently many long-term overseas EWB volunteers (OVS) in Ghana (as well as Burkina Faso, Zambia and Malawi) working 'round the clock driving some pretty amazing change. Here is an article written by one of the OVS in Ghana describing some of the work being done.

http://www.ewb.ca/en/enews/2009/03/1.html

I hope this first post wasn't terribly overwhelming and that you will continue to check back with me throughout the summer. I'll be continually updating this throughout the summer with thoughts, questions, experiences, pictures... I want to share with all of you. That being said, I would also love to hear your thoughts, comments, questions, news from home, a joke or two...anything goes really.

A bientot,

Aline