Community Infrastructure in Rural Nigeria
The bursary award funded a number of projects carried out by Engineers Without Borders volunteers who have researched, designed, procured and delivered projects ranging from stream crossings to wind turbines, overseen by Dr Heather Cruickshank.
The Nakwai Rural Development Agency (NAKRUDA) and EWB have been working together for a number of years to further the sustainable development in the Dadiya region of Nigeria.
One of the first projects for the team was the construction of an additional adobe building within the Nakruda guest compound to provide additional accommodation and space for the organisation.
The second project was the design and construction of sandbag ring culverts as a low-cost temporary solution to improve river crossings until the government's road building programme is progressed. Local labour was used so that the skills and methods were passed on.
Finally, it was decided that the local health centre could be powered by renewable energy, and a hybrid solar-wind renewable setup was designed by an EWB volunteer, and fabricated at a local engineering company. It now powers the health centre's 14 lights, microscope and computer.
See slideshows of the projects being carried out here, here and here.