Engineering has a long history but it was not until recent times that it has taken a whole new twist. In recent times, the United Nations has set their Millennium Development Goals and as such, many developing and 3rd world nations do not have the capabilities of even coming close to meeting these goals for the betterment of their own people. As a result and new type of engineer has stepped foot into this world known as an Engineering Philanthropist.
The concept of this international development engineering starts in the Universities all over the world. Not a single month goes by without hearing about MIT in the news having developed a new form of technology for a 3rd world or developing nation. From the windbelt to solar thermal energy production by using spare car parts, all of these have an important thing in common and that is it is engineering technology for the use of the general populous in a way that virtually anyone can do it. Whether it is energy production, cooling, cooking or even creating clean water and safe homes, Engineering Philanthropists are doing this every day all over the world.
There are now several organizations devoted especially to this concept. Engineers can even graduate college and get a job working for these not-for-profit organizations and travel the world while at the same time solving issues like power, clean water and the like. One of the oldest of these such organizations though has been around a lot longer then the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. The United Engineering Foundation Inc. is a successor to the United Engineering Society which was established back in 1904 thanks to the support of one of the world’s most famous philanthropists, Andrew Carnegie.
You also have the World Federation of Engineering Organizations which is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to the advancement of engineering technologies the world over. Furthermore they focus particularly to the various aspects of the development of the engineering studies as well as sharing and exchanging ideas as well as technologies especially in the 3rd world and developing communities of the world.
The most well-known of these organizations devoted to Engineering Philanthropists is that of the Engineers Without Borders which was specifically developed to help make sure the various nations of the world are able to meet the millennium goals through the strengthening of institutional, human as well as infrastructure capacities. This is done through the development and utilization of technologies to help 3rd world and developing countries to develop stable and secure, sustainable environments in such a manner as the average person would be able to participate in. The concept of their vision is the old saying, “Give a man a fish, feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and your will feed him for a lifetime”.
Ultimately the goals is to give the masses the tools and ability to make their own lives better rather give them an overpriced item and hope that it will last them their entire lifetime.