Karen Kase (Hampton, Lenzini and Renwick, Inc.) and Julie Lomax (Village of Downers Grove) are members of the Chicago International Affairs Committee. They have been working with Engineers in Action (EIA) a n-profit for the past year. EIA is dedicated to providing public works in rural and unserved communities in Ecuador, Bolivia, and Eswatini. Most of the communities they work in are somewhat inaccessible either due to geography or seasonal issues, like flooding. Projects often include efforts to provide clean drinking water, create wastewater management, and build pedestrian bridges. The rural and isolated communities that EIA works in do t have any public works professionals to help design and oversee these critical infrastructure projects. In each country, EIA has one civil engineering project manager who helps coordinate these projects and assist with their success. Karen and Julie will travel to Ecuador in March 2024 to see these projects in action! Everyone kws about the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders, but there are life-changing volunteer opportunities for public works professionals, from entry-level to retirement. The presenters’ goal is to provide opportunities to APWA membership, so they can see how to help provide these critical public works services, either by international volunteering onsite, or volunteering in the United States.
At the conclusion of this session participants will be better able to:
• Define international volunteer opportunities for public works professionals.
• Explain the challenges that extremely rural and isolated communities face to get safe water, wastewater, and transportation services.
• Discuss several specific projects being conducted in Ecuador right w.

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Julie Lomax

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