Engineers Without Borders- McMaster Chapter is happy to announce the coming of Dan Olsen& Boris Martin- 2 Mac Alum and past EWB campus chapter presidents.
The two of them are currently working overseas in Ghana and Burkina Faso as long term volunteers and are here to share their experiences from overseas.
This presentation is something you won't want to miss.
Date: Thursday January 14th, 2010
Time: 7pm- 9pm
Location: ETB 126
"Why Leadership Matters?"
Why do small-town water systems in Africa break down two months after they're constructed? Why do new schools only educate children for 2 days a week? These are the tough questions that are not being critically analyzed in Ghana. Donors want to see new infrastructure. Politicians want to see new infrastructure. Nobody wants to tackle the complexity of developing systems that ensure the long-term sustainability of infrastructure. Who should lead this change?
Daniel Olsen, a former President of the McMaster EWB chapter and current Director of EWB's Governance and Rural Infrastructure program in Ghana will share his experiences in Africa.
"Innovation Capacity at the Heart of Development"
Who doesn't give money to charity? Now what does this money really do? Why, in Africa in the past forty years productivity has increased by 18%, when in Asia, it has increased by 270%? The number of projects and donors in Burkina Faso isn't small. Half of the country's budget is aid money. Yet, Burkina Faso is at the very bottom of the list in the United Nations' Human Development Index. Innovation in rural Burkina Faso is complex. It requires sturdy organizations, and talented leaders.
Boris Martin, a former President of the McMaster EWB chapter and current Director of EWB's Agriculture programs in Burkina Faso will share his experiences in Africa.
fb event page:
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