Every year at EIA, we invite you to join us as we celebrate what we accomplished together over the past year and build support for what we aspire to accomplish in the year to come. That has never been more important than in 2025, which is why we’re converting our “Year END Campaign” to a “Year LONG Campaign” by opening it up for donations all year long.

While water, sanitation, hygiene, and bridges have always been at the heart of our mission, so has digging. Regardless of the project at hand (wells, latrines, water distribution networks, bridges, etc.), digging is nearly always one of the first and most important parts of our work. So it is only fitting that, as we aim to continue deepening our impact on the communities and volunteers we serve, we are also looking for ways to dig a little deeper.

This is especially true given the troubling times affecting so many of us, both at home and in the countries where we work. In the US, we’re facing uncertainty with our economy, education, healthcare, cuts to foreign aid, and more. Bolivia and Ecuador are struggling with economic crises, including high inflation, shortages of hard currency, depleting natural resources, and nation-wide fuel shortages. HIV and tuberculosis rates remain high in Eswatini. And all of this is likely to be exacerbated as countries around the world scramble to find alternate funding for programs that used to be funded by foreign aid.

These are just some of the reasons why Engineers in Action is remaining deeply committed to our mission of working with underserved communities and global partners to execute sustainable engineering projects that build local capacity and improve access to essential resources. And why, in the face of mounting global uncertainty, we are challenging ourselves and our supporters to dig a little deeper, so that together, we can do even more.

What will this look like in practice? To start, increasing both the duration and the scale of our 2025 crowdfunding campaign. We came into 2025 knowing that we would need to raise $100,000 from our generous supporters to help ensure we could complete the 40+ water and bridge projects we committed to executing with our in-country partners in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Eswatini. Those projects will change - and even save - lives for over 20,000 people in our partner communities, while inspiring over 800 new volunteers to join the next generation of global change-makers. And while that goal feels very achievable, we now feel compelled to up the ante in 2025.

Firstly, instead of waiting until the end of the year, we are running the campaign all year long. This gives our supporters the opportunity to give at a time and frequency that makes most sense for them and their commitment to our work, and also gives us the opportunity to get an earlier start on future plans to benefit even more underserved communities. Secondly, we’re increasing our target to $150,000. This will increase our flexibility and preparedness to bridge any gap that may be left by any of the uncertain situations facing all of our countries. To read more about some of the most likely ways we can use this extra funding, visit our website at engineersinaction.org.

Like digging, our partnerships with the local communities and governments in the countries where we work have always been at the heart of our model. So if you’re looking for something you can do to make a real difference during these uncertain times, help us dig a little deeper to raise funds that will help us ensure we can support those partners through whatever may come and bridge the gap to more certain times and deeper impact for all. Dig a little deeper today, and donate to EIA to support life-changing water and bridge projects all over the world.