The Engineers Without Borders UK Placement Programme develops lasting solutions to challenges of poverty around the world. By placing the best young engineers and technical professionals with poverty-fighting local organisations in Africa, Asia and Latin America we are at the forefront of the race to a more sustainable world where everyone can live well and in freedom.

As a 4th year Environmental Engineering student coming up to the end of her academic life, I am thrilled to have been selected as one of EWB UK's placement volunteers! I will be working for 3 months with their partner NGO CATIS in Mexico. CATIS-Mexico works in partner-ship with economically-limited communities to build solid economies that achieve ecological stewardship, economic development and social equality. The communities' access to clean safe water is at the center of CATIS's mission. They have already achieved the development of a safe, economic ceramic filter that people can use in their homes that successfully rids the water of turbidity and pathogens. However, rising pollution issues means dangerous levels of other contaminants such as fluoride are present in the water and have no means to be removed. I will be putting my newly acquired engineering skills to the test, helping to try and adapt the filter, combining it with fluoride removal options, exploring those methods, in order for it to remove the contaminant to safe levels for people to drink.

This is just one of the ways I will be helping CATIS and EWB UK to achieve their missions. I would like to thank you for any donations you can make in the aim to make a more sustainable world where everyone has access to clean, safe water.