Providing a Safe and Reliable Water Supply and Building a Bridge for Access in Rural Communities – 2025

Overview

Eswatini is a landlocked country in Southern Africa bordering South Africa and Mozambique. Based on information provided by the World Bank, the population is approximately 1.2 million, with just under 40% of the population estimated to have been living under the international $1.90 poverty line in 2016 and 2017. The goal of this project is to partner with the community to catalyze the construction of both a water system and a suspension bridge to meet the health and mobility needs of multiple communities in the Manzini Region.

The community in the Manzini Region has a population of under 2,000 people and is primarily subsistence farmers. The projects will benefit the townspeople and the nearby villages and businesses (small shops, markets, primary school, etc.).

Community Partnerships

Students in this program will be divided into two teams – one for the bridge and one for the water/sanitation project. Each team will work in collaboration with the staff of Engineers in Action (EIA), local masons, and construction workers to build the water system and a suspension bridge. Duke Engineers for International Development has teamed with EIA for multiple years in Eswatini, Rwanda and Bolivia, designing and constructing bridges in similar settings in each of those countries.

Student members will select (and work on) either the Water project or the Bridge project (but not both). Please specify in your application which project you are interested in, or whether you are interested in both.

The student designs will be conducted during the spring semester (as part of CE315/PPS211/ENV365 or an independent study project). All accepted DukeEngage team members will be expected to participate in the design process (with guidance from Dr. Schaad).

Once complete, the water supply project will contribute to the public health of the community. The suspension bridge will be constructed to empower local farmers to get their crops to market, enable local school children to access educational opportunities, and allow efficient and safe transport for health emergencies..

Program Requirements

Coursework: The design for the projects will be developed by students enrolled in the spring course CE315/PPS211/ENV365: Engineering Sustainable Design and the Global Community. Enrollment in the class is recommended, but not required, to be part of the DukeEngage program during the summer of 2025. Students not enrolled in the class must participate in the design effort, either on a volunteer basis, or as part of a (group) independent study overseen by Dr. Schaad.

Personal Qualities: A willingness to work hard and live in Spartan conditions.

Logistics

Housing, meals, and transportation: Each team will live on a homestead in their community in one or two simple houses (concrete floor, CMU walls, thatched roof, pit latrine typical). Upon arrival in Mbabane or Ezulwini, the teams will do their initial grocery shopping and orientation before heading to the site. Local transport will most often be on the public transportation system (passenger vans, small buses, etc.). There will be sufficient cell service to communicate via text and calls on WhatsApp, as well as check emails.

Local safety, security, and cultural norms: We encourage students who have questions or concerns about health or safety in international programs to check Duke’s International SOS (ISOS) portal for relevant information. If you have special needs related to health, culture, disability, or religious practices, please contact the program director(s) or the DukeEngage office to discuss whether your needs can be accommodated in this program.

Academic Connections

This program is open to all, and might especially appeal to students who want to fulfill requirements associated with the Global Development Engineering Certificate, or their Grand Challenge Scholar Program.

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