Engineers Without Borders to Work in Zimbabwe

We are pleased to introduce our readers to an organization called Engineers Without Borders (hereafter, EWB). For over 10 years EWB has been working in remote places of the world to implement sustainable engineering projects like providing clean drinking water, sanitation, and building structures where needed. In the fall of 2013, EWB and Empty the Orphanage Ministry began discussing how we could collaborate together on the construction of the New Hope Home in Binga, Zimbabwe (to learn the background of the New Hope Home, read here). Empty the Orphanage Ministry is thrilled to announce that we will be working together with EWB in providing structures that will ensure housing, medicine, and education for homeless orphans with the ultimate goal of transitioning them into permanent families.

Adam Schoch will be leading the efforts of EWB in Zimbabwe. He is the President of the EWB Akron chapter at the University of Akron in OH. Adam agreed to answer a few of our questions about how he began working in Zimbabwe and what EWB will be doing at the site of the New Hope Home.

Q: How did you first learn of Engineers Without Borders, and what led you to become President of your University’s chapter?

EWB was established as a student chapter at the University of Akron in 2010. Before moving to Akron, God had already begun to place the thought of church planting on my heart. I first heard of EWB in 2012. I saw the organization as a great way to combine what God was placing on my heart with what I was learning in class as a construction engineering major. I became involved during that year and was helping with advertising and fundraising within the organization. It was then that I really discovered the gifts that the Lord had given me to evangelize and serve. I began leading Bible studies on campus with my classmates, and following my first semester at Akron, the Lord began to open up more doors for me to step into leadership positions. EWB was one of those opportunities since the former president was graduating. In the spring of 2013, I became the third president of EWB at the University of Akron.

Q: Currently, you’re working to implement an EWB’s project in Zimbabwe. What is your connection to Zimbabwe, and specifically the New Hope Home in Binga?

In 2009, I had the chance to go on my very first mission trip out of the USA. Our trip was organized through Multi Ministries located in South Africa. Our team spent time in Kariba, Zimbabwe and traveled to isolated fishing villages located on Lake Kariba. During this trip, I developed a friendship with Jabulani Mudenda, who served as our guide and translator on the trip and who is now overlooking the progress of the New Hope Home in Binga. Shortly after becoming president of EWB, I reached out to Dr. Mudenda in an attempt to locate a project for our chapter to adopt. Dr. Mudenda and Multi Ministries was able to provide me with a list of needs in many Southern African countries. After discussing each option with the EWB team, we decided to move forward with assisting in the construction of the New Hope Home in Binga.

Q: What will be the next steps for EWB in Zimbabwe, and what do you ultimately hope to accomplish there?

While it was our hope to travel this August (2014), the team decided that it would be best to postpone the trip in order to allow time to secure grant money this fall. It is also our hope to capitalize on our growing support from the university and local organizations to bring more attention to the need in Binga for the New Hope Home. The team hopes to travel to provide technical assistance in the construction of the New Hope Home either at the end of 2014 or in the spring of 2015. We are very excited to connect with the community in Binga and look forward to working alongside of them. I am also equally thrilled to watch as our EWB’s team learns and grows from interacting with such a unique and loving culture. Ultimately, it is our goal to help provide the community with a completed New Hope Home from which orphans as well as others in the community may find their identity and discover a promise for new hope.

Empty the Orphanage Ministry extends our sincere thanks to Adam and the EWB team for their leadership and interest in the care of orphans and the people of Binga. We pray for the Lord’s blessings and guidance as they begin and progress through their work at the New Hope Home. If you’d like to know more about Adam and his work with EWB, you can visit his blog at: http://abschoch.wordpress.com

Sincerely,

Empty the Orphanage Ministry

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