From Uganda to Northeastern: How a Student Engineer Is Building Clean Water Access for 4,000 People

About this episode

Ravi Kurani interviews Dhwani Bhatt about her efforts to build a solar-powered water distribution system in Uganda.

What does it actually take to do charity work that lasts? Ravi Kurani sits down with Dhwani Bhatt, a fourth-year chemical engineering student at Northeastern University and President of Engineers Without Borders, who grew up in Uganda and returned as a student engineer to build a solar-powered water distribution system for the village of Nakyenyi. In this episode:→ Why EWB surveys 50+ households before touching a shovel→ The 3-phase build: hand pump → solar pump → gravity-fed distribution→ The borehole siltation crisis that forced the team back to the drawing board→ The 5% community contribution model that creates real ownership→ Why broken, abandoned NGO boreholes line the same village roads→ Imposter syndrome as a second-year student presenting designs to a community in need→ Book pick: "Not the End of the World" by Hannah RitchieThis episode is sponsored by HASA, the leader in water treatment solutions. Learn more at hasa.comConnect with Dhwani Bhatt on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dhwanikalbhattEngineers Without Borders USA: ewb-usa.org Follow Ravi Kurani:→ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kuraniravi→ Website: liquidassets.cc

People in this episode

Host: Ravi Kurani

Guest: Dhwani Bhatt

Topics covered

• clean water access
• charity work
• engineering
• community contribution
• NGO challenges
• imposter syndrome

Keywords

• clean water
• charity
• engineering
• community ownership
• NGO
• solar pump
• borehole

Sponsors

HASA

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Engineers Without Borders

Products: solar-powered water distribution system

Books & works: Not the End of the World

Places: Uganda, Northeastern University, Nakyenyi

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