This paper presents a systemic methodology by which engineering is put to use in vulnerable communities through applied technological research and the main results of its application. The methodology presented corresponds to one implemented and designed by two groups of Engineers without Borders in Europe and Latin America, to integrate technical know-how with local context in communities with water problems in Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The main results of this methodology are related to the improvement of the living conditions of vulnerable groups thanks to the integration of\ud
the communities’ knowledge with engineering know-how, leading to autonomous communities and engineering professors and students learning from real life problems to enrich applied sciences
The decision-making process to select the best alternative for solving a social problem in a project, which involves vulnerable communities, must be carried out in a structured way. It is important to take into consideration the preferences and perceptions of all the beneficiaries and stakeholders with their many different competences and interests as this may increase the probability of successful solutions. Thus, this paper answers the following question: How to design a methodology that incorporates different points of view in order to reach solutions with vulnerable communities? Starting from this question, this paper presents a decision-making model for social systems incorporating conventional decision-making methodologies such as the Analytic hierarchy process to systemic methodologies like syntegration through the Conceive, Design, Implement and Operate project framework (CDIO). It also presents a case study developed by the organization Ingenieros Sin Fronteras Colombia (ISFCOL) -Engineers without Borders Colombiawhere this model has been applied for solving problems related to the contamination of water sources in vulnerable communities.
This article results from a process of self-assessment within Ingenieros Sin Fronteras Colombia (ISFC). The activities usually referred to as humanitarian engineering, assistive engineering, engineering for aid, and/or engineering for development are increasingly involving educational frameworks, activities, and institutions in service-learning schemes. In this article, we discuss the issues and challenges that arise from this combination of objectives, activities, and institutional settings, especially when these approaches are implemented in the Global South. To do so we reflect on the type of service learning we are conducting in Colombia. We develop a general service learning in engineering typology to situate our work. We find that our Local Learning in the South collaboration makes the work of ISFC both different than and similar to other service-learning engagements. It is different in the sense that local engagements do not experience the cultural and language barriers faced by cross-cultural projects. It is similar in the sense that, with the exception of the cross-cultural challenges, our projects run the same risks as any other service learning in engineering projects in the world. To reflect on these risks we propose a set of five questions to self-assess our work. Thinking about the choice of naming our work "ingeniería sin fronteras" (engineering without borders), we consider what kind of borders we are dealing with and propose five: financial, epistemic, engineering educational, knowledge, and reputation. We invite other organizations to question the kind of borders their work aims at eliminating but risks replicating.
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