HELP, run out of the Thayer School of Engineering, work to try to help people with their innovative solutions.
Amidst the legions of student groups on campus, there are few who truly stand out for their devotion to philanthropic issues. Humanitarian Engineering Leadership Project—HELP, for short—is a group comprised of both engineers and non-engineers striving to bring widespread electricity, clean water, and reliable sanitation systems in various African nations.
The organization is entirely student-led out of Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering. Although it is led by the graduate school, there are about 30 core undergraduate members. HELP aims to partner non-governmental organizations with interested students and find applicable and practical solutions to their projects.
Currently, HELP is working on two ongoing projects: the Tanzania Global Health Initiative and the Rwanda Micro-Hydro Project.
They also recently completed three projects: the Rwanda Biogas Project, the Kipingi Water Project, and the Nyamilu Clean Water Project. The Tanzania Global Health Initiative, in collaboration with the John Sloan Dickey Foundation at Dartmouth, is researching to find better ways of producing clean water and sanitation systems in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania’s capital.
The Rwanda Micro-Hydro Project designed their first hydro-electric system during the summer of 2008, aiming to create an inexpensive and sustainable solution to the lack of electricity in many Rwandan areas. Turbines propelled by running water are connected to battery sources that manufacture energy. While overall a simple concept, its implementation requires months of research and testing before taking the plane ride over to Rwanda for trials.
The Rwanda Biogas Project,in collaboration with Comprehensive Community Health Initiatives and Programs gives Rwandans gas for cooking, reduces the environmental damage of constant wood burning, and better sanitizes animal waste.
In Kipingi, Kenya the dry seasons leave many citizens without adequate sources of water. HELP is trying to solve this by planting a powered water pump and a large holding tank. The Nyamilu Clean Water Project, originally formed by Dartmouth Engineers Without Borders, built a solar-powered water pump and a temporary holding tank in yet another part of Africa in dire need of a reliable source of clean water.
Recognizing their immense humanitarian efforts, the Justmeans organization recently awarded HELP $200,000 to further their research and projects. With increased visibility on campus, HELP has seen greater turnout this year. “Although HELP consists primarily of engineers, implementing a project reaches beyond purely engineering solutions… HELP relies on students from multiple disciplines in order to approach every project from an environmental, anthropological, and economic perspective,” says Annie Saunders, an executive member of HELP.
With a promising future ahead, this seven-year-old student group is filled with students eager to dedicate themselves to complex causes with no easy answers but extremely rewarding results.
