Engineers without Borders University of Arizona

Community Development Exercises

By Joshua R Campbell, MS, EIT

Purpose
The Community Development Exercise (CDE) is intended as a structured problem-solving and design challenge for
Engineers Without Borders (EWB) chapter members. With stated initial conditions (the community description) and
problems, the chapter members must develop a design solution. These solutions can be as detailed as the facilitator
wishes.

Instructions
The CDEs are intended to be run in a workshop format. A facilitator (or group of facilitators) will introduce the problems
and be available to answer questions about the community.
Participants should have access to the internet, as well as drawing and writing materials. An overhead projector is
suggested for presentations. Each group is provided with copies of the community description and the problem theyll
be working on. Groups of 3-5 are suggested.
The time limit can be changed to achieve a desired level of accuracy. For example, rough ideas can be brainstormed and
fleshed out in about an hour, while a generally-accurate, working solution to each problem is definitely achievable in
four hours.
The scenarios can be run competitively (each group working on the same problem) or concurrently (different problem
for each group). Each group should present their work (5-10 minutes) at the end of the session. Some kind of prize,
voted on by the facilitator or a board of non-aligned individuals, should be awarded to the winning group in a
competitive scenario. Coffee coupons would be awesome, here.

Engineers without Borders University of Arizona

Community Development Exercises

Community Description
Geography
Santa Ana is located in the Ngabe-Buble Reservation in western Panama. It is located in the nations central mountain
range. The community can be accessed from the Interamerican Highway by 4-wheel drive taxi truck (1.5 hrs), on foot or
by horseback (3 hrs). The exit to the community is 1 hour from the provincial capital (David) or 6.5 hours from the
national capital (Panama City) by car or bus.

Natural Resources
The community is situated in a rain forest at approximately 1500 feet above sea level. The forest has long been
cultivated, and numerous fruit trees and manioc plants are harvested from family plots. The forest also has a number of
primary and secondary growth soft- and hardwoods which provide fuel wood and timber. A man from a neighboring
community has a chainsaw and can provide shaped lumber for a price.
A river flows in a mountain valley less than mile from the community and a small stream flows through the
community. During the rainy season the river swells to the point that crossing is dangerous; the community becomes
inaccessible for up to a week at a time. Some parts of the village flood when the river is high. The river provides trout
and sand for construction. Below the live soil (1m deep), a thick layer of clay is available.

Community Size, Structure, and Demographics

Approximately 25 families have homes in Santa Ana. On average, approximately 100 people live in the community. This
number varies seasonally as teens attend secondary outside the community, and young men pursue work harvesting
agricultural products in nearby, larger communities. The pillar of each household is the mother. Each household has one
to four children under secondary age. Men typically live in the community, though they occasionally travel for periods (1
week to 3 months) in pursuit of seasonal work.
There is a small elementary school in a neighboring community, which children whose family can afford attend with a 30
minute walk each way. There is a loose parent-teacher organization of which many adults are members.
The village has little governmental representation; the elected head of the local district lives in another village 15
minutes away. He makes occasional visits to promote government initiatives. Any connection to government goes
through him.
All families in the community are ethnically Ngabe, members of the largest indigenous group in Panama. Community
members are native Ngabere speakers, though everyone under the age of 45 also speaks Spanish. Most families identify
as Pentecostal Christians, with the remainder identifying as Methodist. There are no churches in Santa Ana.

Health, Sanitation, and Cooking

The nearest health care facility is at the highway entrance; a nurse is generally available. The health ministry does
semiannual health workshops in the community to address chronic sicknesses in those who cant travel.
Most community members practice open defecation in the forests around the village. Toilet paper is generally not used.
Hand-washing is not common after excretion or before eating.

With one exception, all households use three-stone fires to cook on. These fires are in cooking ramadas, having only a
roof with no walls. Firewood is collected among fallen deadwood in the nearby forest. A family generally has one pot,
plus a kettle.

Construction, Communication, and Technology

Homes in the community are built on poles from wood and bamboo, using nails. Rooves are thatched with palm fronds.
None of the homes have electricity. PVC piping is used in most homes to gravity-feed stream water for cooking and
washing.
There are no phone or internet lines into town. Weak cellular signal is available on a nearby hill.
Commonly available tools in the village include picks, digging bars, shovels, and machetes. Carpentry tools are available.
Masonry, mechanical and electrical tools are not available.

Economic Activity
Families tend small plots in the hills around the community; corn and beans are the primary crops. Many families also
have wild plots where some coffee, cacao, avocados, mangoes and manioc are harvested. Most of these wild products
are consumed in the household. Migrant labor in larger farms and ranches, closer to the highway, provides a source of
some cash income.
Of the crops grown in Santa Ana, only the coffee is sold outside the community. A cooperative group of growers pool
their harvests to negotiate with buyers as a block. The co-op has a small facility for de-pulping and drying beans. The
same facility can also be used for drying cacao.
Most families keep chickens for eggs and, occasional meat. One family has a cow that they use for milk, and are able to
sell about one calf per year.
A small store in the community is owned by a local family and supplied by the pickup-taxi. The store sells rice, oil, salt,
beans, coffee, and canned sardines. Additionally, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and junk food are on offer.

Engineers without Borders University of Arizona

Community Development Exercises

Problem #1: Structural Design
Santa Ana community leaders need a public space for community meetings. A small plot of land (~1/4 acre) is available
near the center of town. The plot has a gentle slope (0.5%), and a small stream runs through it at certain parts of the
year. The community space needs to shelter up to 75 people from rain and sun. The space will largely be unoccupied
outside of meeting times.

Problem #2: Power Design

The owner of the store in Santa Ana recently won a national lottery. She has decided that she wants a
freezer/refrigerator combination for the store so that she can sell cold soda, meat, and ice cream. She has commissioned
you to figure out a way to provide her store with enough electricity to run the refrigerator. The model she wants
requires 300 kWh/yr.

Problem #3: Cooking Design

Santa Ana community leaders want catering at their community meetings and events. One of the women in the
community, Luisa, has been retained as the community cook. She has access to a 24-inch, 10-gallon pot for cooking
chicken and rice. The community leaders commission you to design a small kitchen facility at the community center. It
must have preparation space and a means to cook in the large pot. Cooking smoke is an issue here, since the community
leaders dont want to be choked out as they are meeting.