Wichita State’s student chapter of Engineers Without Borders will be taking their expertise elsewhere: the small, rural community of Choestancia, Guatemala.

The 140 families that inhabit the area have just enough resources to educate their children through sixth grade in a local elementary school that is overcrowded and dangerous. The school, built more than 40 years ago, has dangerous wiring problems, leaky roofs and many other issues that need to be addressed.

That’s where Engineers Without Borders has stepped in and joined with Wichita’s Professional Engineering Consultants (PEC).

“Essentially, we’re in charge of everything,” president Michael Oum said, “including inspections, designing…we’ll oversee construction, handle the funding, as well making sure it is sustainable so that the community members are able to maintain the school once we’re gone.”

Earlier this month, a group of about ten WSU students and faculty traveled to Guatemala to survey the school they will remodel, which serves more than 200 students. 

“It was enough that we were able to establish a relationship and element of trust. We went ahead and even did some official paperwork,” said faculty adviser John Harrison.

Historically, groups have traveled to third world communities and introduced new technologies that do not mesh well with the culture, Harrison said. The technology is actually rejected and sits useless. But Engineers Without Borders emphasizes not only strong relationships with the families there, but also teaching them how to maintain the structure.

“There is at least as much focus in how do we educate the community, but also develop connections with the culture,” Harrison said.

Oum, a fifth-year senior, is getting to work with engineers in Spain, Guatemala and other countries from around the world.

“It means a lot,” he said. “This is like first-hand experience with real engineering…I encourage anyone to come join us because this is experience you won’t get with any other organization.”

Through the course of five years, Engineers Without Borders will continue to work with Guatemalan engineers to make sure the building is built to last and also has the resources to educate students. 

“They already have an appreciation and a thirst for education,” Harrison said, “so we don’t need to work on that part of it. It’s more just about the space.”

The group will begin working on preliminary designs for the school as early as spring break. If the job is done the right way, Oum said, then the lives of the Guatemalan families will be greatly improved.

“It’s easy to say we can change the world,” he said, “but we want to change someone’s world.”