We are just 2 weeks into our campaign and we are happy to report we have raised $5,145 from 46 donors. We are 25% to our goal of $20,000 and we have 23 days left. We extend a great big THANK YOU to our generous donors!
We received a phone call from the US Embassy in Togo. The Economic and Commercial Officer heard that we are coming in January and congratulated us on our great work. He invited us to visit the embassy and learn about funding for community projects, the embassy’s activities with building schools and clinics, and even job opportunities for students! It is so heartening to know that our work is worthy of this recognition!
In 2012 the Ole Miss chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) made a commitment to work with rural villages in Togo, Africa, to improve community infrastructure and health care. Togo is a distressed country in West Africa with a population of approximately 6.7 million people. Around one half of the population lives below the international poverty line.
With four trips conducted since then, the EWB-Ole Miss team has constructed a school building that provides a safe and comfortable place for dozens of children to benefit from educational opportunities.
The next step in the team’s commitment to rural Togo is to provide clean water to a children’s hospital that is being built by a non-profit organization.
The hospital is almost complete but has no source of water. The goal of EWB-Ole Miss is to drill a well, build two water towers, and install a distribution pipe and a public tap stand. For these complicated tasks to be carefully planned, the team must travel to Togo in January 2016, anticipating a deep water well installation in the summer of 2016.
Having traveled to Togo as part of the EWB-Ole Miss team, we know the needs are dire. Rural villages have few school buildings, no piped or clean water to drink, and no health care. Our team has been performing meaningful work that gives much-needed hope for the future! Please help continue our dedicated team’s mission to effect positive change in the lives of rural Togolese. Make a donation today!
In addition to your financial support, you can help by becoming an ambassador for our campaign. Share our crowdfunding project with your friends and family via email or social media! #OleMiss4Togo
Sincerely,
Jamie Douglas
EWB-Ole Miss President
Cris Surbeck
Associate Professor of Civil Engineering
