This is an Engineers Without Border South Africa (EWB-SA) blog, named “Tools and Tea.” Started by our current CEO, Irshaad, the blog is intended to explore how engineers and other professionals might build a better world (tools) by trying to understand each other better (over tea). This blog comments on the intersection of the “social” and the “technical” in building a better world for all. See this post for more.
Figure 1: EWB-SA
Irshaad is a fan of Edward Tufte’s book style, so this site is built on those principles, using sidenotes not footnotes (my favourite feature).
The site itself is build using the Tufte style in bookdown.
Things are very much still under construction. Thanks!
Irshaad: Design A Difference | 17 March 2021
Over the last few months, we’ve soft-launched a new programme at Engineers Without Borders South Africa (EWB-SA), called Design a Difference. For me personally, this is a significant milestone, and it feels like my best work yet in the “engineering/design for good” space.
So what is this new programme, Design A Difference?
Design a Difference is a new EWB-SA programme that brings experienced professionals - not just engineers - to work with under-resourced communities to help them solve their challenges. The programme will focus mostly, but not exclusively, on infrastructure related projects - water, electricity, transportation, buildings, healthcare and education infrastructure etc. The programme will also focus on innovative (new) ideas/solutions that have the potential to scale to other communities and simliar contexts.
The thesis behind Design a Difference is simple: South Africa can be divided into two groups: the resourced and under-resourced, and the imbalance between the two requires increased effort to correct11 We’ve used the term under-served previously, but have shifted away after learning about the connotations of the phrase. See here, here and here for example.. Design a Difference is one such effort. Let me expand a bit more. There are many, many under-resourced communities in South Africa. By under-resourced, I mean that these communities don’t receive the attention that they deserve from engineers, bankers, designers, sociologists and everyone in between, in order to solve their challenges. Inadequately serviced by people who have the appropriate training and experience, these communities are often left with serious challenges around basic rights like water and electricity. These are typically communities without (conventional, liquid)22 Many of these communities live in areas with deep mineral/agricultural wealth, and deep cultural wealth too wealth who are ignored by both business and government (for different reasons).
Irshaad: Tools and Tea | 5 March 2021
This piece was originally published on my personal blog, irshaadv.com, since it’s a fairly personal piece. When I had finished the first draft, I realised that it represents in many ways my current world view. I spoke about the post to a few friends, particularly those within EWB-SA, and the original post turned out to be the origin of this blog.
So I’m reproducing it here, as the first piece on this blog. A blog that I hope will grow to be a place of insight, from not just me but many others, around how we embrace the “socio-technical” to build a better world.