Challenge program is delivered

The EWB Challenge:
Innovation for sustainability, access, and opportunity
2018 Design Brief
O Kreang Commune, Kratie Province, Cambodia
Contents
Introduction 3
Design Area 1 – Water Supply 4
Design Area 2 – Sanitation and Hygiene 6
Design Area 3 – Energy 8
Design Area 4 – Agricultural Systems 10
Design Area 5 – Waste Management 12
Design Area 6 – Information and Communication Technologies 13
Design Area 7 – Conservation and Livelihoods 15
Outline of Design Considerations 17
Further Resources Available 18
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Introduction
The 2018 EWB Challenge program is delivered in partnership with the Cambodian Rural Development Team
(CRDT), a local NGO focused on community development and natural resource management throughout the
northeast of Cambodia. The EWB Challenge design brief focuses on CRDT’s work with three adjacent
communities along the Mekong River in the Sambo District of Kratie Province: Ksach Leav, Koh Khnear, and
Puntha Chea.
CRDT at a glance
As a local NGO, CRDT staff are highly skilled at working directly with communities and implementing projects
in an appropriate manner for each particular community context. CRDT brings local expertise to
collaborations with a variety of international organisations and government agencies; many of these
collaborations have been around conservation initiatives in Cambodia’s northeast provinces, such as
interventions in Kratie and Stung Treng to support the critically endangered Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphin.
In 2006, CRDT established a Social Enterprise program with the aim of diversifying the organisation’s income
streams and linking communities to the opportunities afforded by access to larger markets. CRDT currently
supports three social enterprises: CRDTours, Le Tonle vocational training centre, and SHG Finance PLC.
Underpinning all of CRDT’s work is a recognition of the links between sustainable livelihoods and the wellbeing of rural farmers, and environmental conservation. More information on CRDT’s recent projects along
with a selection of case studies can be found in their 2016 Annual Report.
The EWB Challenge Design Brief
The projects outlined in this document were developed by EWB and CRDT through workshops and interviews
with CRDT staff and local community representatives. Conversations investigating themes such as current
and completed CRDT projects, the community vision of the future, and the strengths of past projects were
key to developing the content shared in this 2018 EWB Challenge Design Brief – an outline of priority issues
and opportunities as identified by residents and those working in the community.
Students are asked to develop a design concept which addresses one or more of the project areas detailed in
this document. The EWB Challenge is an open-ended learning experience, and thus the breadth and depth of
design is left to individual universities and design teams to scope within the context of the submission
requirements. Design ideas which consider links between the individual project areas listed in this design brief
are welcome. All reports submitted to the EWB Challenge Program will be shared with CRDT to support their
work.
Further detail around the EWB Challenge program rules and submission requirements as well as many more
contextual supporting resources to supplement this design brief can be found on the EWB Challenge website:
www.ewbchallenge.org.
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Design Area 1: Water Supply
Water for household use can be obtained from a variety of sources. Accessibility and quality are dependent
on factors such as a household’s location, ability to pay, and working routines.
The Mekong River
Ksach Leav, Koh Khnear, and Puntha Chea are adjacent villages along the Mekong River. The river provides
a consistent source of water for a variety of household uses including drinking, cooking, cleaning, and
watering small gardens. The water level varies significantly from wet season to dry season.
Water from the river is distributed to households by a middleman. The middleman will fill up a large water
tank placed on the bed of his vehicle with water pumped from the river, and drive around each village
distributing this water to households and shops. The water is then pumped from the mobile water tank into
each household’s storage device. Most community members will pay for a water supply from the
middleman.
Households with direct access to the river and ability to pay for pipe, a pump, fuel, and other costs, also
have the option of pumping water directly to their homes from the river.
Rainwater Collection
A majority of households collect rainwater via roof guttering and a system of storage jars. The storage jars
are not large, so if there is no consistent rain the stored water will be used up over the course of a few days.
Thus, the current method of rainwater collection provides a stable source of water for household use during
the wet season (from approximately June to October), but households are required to access water from
other sources during the dry season. For example, when the rainwater storage jars at the pagoda are empty
the Pagoda Committee will pay the middleman to fill them up with water from his truck.
Potable Bottled Water
Treated drinking water is available in 20 litre blue plastic bottles for purchase from shops. In Ksach Leav, a
20L bottle costs approximately 4000R, whereas filling up a typical rainwater storage jar with river water
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from the middleman costs about 2500R. The cost of water varies, and is higher for villages further from
towns.
While some households will boil water that has been pumped from the river before drinking, this is not the
routine for everyone in the community. A key acknowledged barrier explained by CRDT staff is the time
required to boil water, especially when people are frequently moving between their homes and their farms.
Most daily routines do not involve people staying at home, and it can be difficult to access water that has
been treated by boiling when you are not in your house.
Design Project 1.1 – Optimising rainwater collection systems: supply
Rainwater is commonly collected in jars via roof guttering, for use at a household level. CRDT recognises
that there are opportunities to improve the consistency and affordability of a quality water supply through
innovations around the current method of household rainwater collection. Students are challenged to
generate design ideas that might stretch the availability of rainwater to provide supply through a portion of
the dry season, or when rainfall is inconsistent.
Design Project 1.2 – Optimising rainwater collection systems: water quality
While some households in the community will boil water from the river before drinking, there is no common
form of rainwater treatment. In this project, students will investigate the collection and storage of rainwater
to ensure it meets safe drinking water standards.
Design Project 1.3 – Treatment of river water supply
This project will investigate the design of an appropriate water treatment method for the water that is
pumped from the river for household use. Projects might consider how a safe drinking water standard could
be monitored to ensure the system is performing as expected (see design project 6.2) and CRDT’s work with
communities around the links between drinking water quality and health (see design area 2).
Design Project 1.4 – Decentralising water supply systems
Potable and non-potable water is more accessible for homes closer to town than those on the outskirts. In
addition to physical distance from a distribution hub, residents on the outskirts of town also tend to have
less money, and therefore ability to pay for water, than those in town. CRDT is interested in a decentralised
approach to water supply provision that could enable access for all residents across a village, irrespective of
distance from the community centre. Projects looking at potable water, non-potable water (such as small
garden plot irrigation), or both are welcome.
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Design Area 2: Sanitation and Hygiene
One of the key ways in which CRDT is engaging with communities in the rural areas of Kratie Province is
through projects focused on sanitation and hygiene. The work is focused around three themes: latrine use,
hand-washing, and drinking clean water.
CRDT and partner organisations are working to support communities to become Open Defecation Free
(ODF) through improving awareness around the importance of using latrines and access to affordable
latrine installation options. Both pieces of the puzzle are important: awareness workshops focus on making
the health impacts of open defecation visible to everyone in the community so that individuals are
motivated to invest in the purchase of a latrine, and connections to an affordable, experienced contractor
enables interested individuals to take easy action once they are motivated to do so.
As part of this larger project, CRDT and partner organisations have been investigating affordable, locallyavailable latrine options that would be both feasible and desirable for members of the community. There
are rarely community members who have experience building latrines and most find the options they have
seen previously to be very expensive, so the current program proposes an option that is approximately
USD$80 built by a skilled contractor. To keep the price down, the toilets are relatively small and households
are responsible for constructing the latrine walls and roof separately.
The key to the sanitation and hygiene awareness training currently run is providing community members an
evidence base when speaking about healthy behaviours. For example, one workshop on the importance of
latrines uses activities and visual representations to connect open defecation to river water, which people
might drink. This workshop makes the links very clear, so that participants understand the importance of
latrines and are motivated to build one in their home. This understanding and community ownership of the
construction process is important – there are a few examples of old latrine facilities installed by external
organisations which may have been used previously, but are not currently and have not been maintained.
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Design Project 2.1 – Appropriate, affordable toilet design
The primary design considerations for the latrines in use in CRDT’s current projects are affordability and
simplicity of construction and maintenance. This project challenges students to design a low-cost, simple
but effective toilet for households that either: further decreases cost, is suitable for families who divide their
time between village houses and farms, and/or is inclusive for all types of users. Projects might address
improvements to the existing systems or propose a new appropriate design idea.
Design Project 2.2 – Sanitation education and awareness programs
CRDT is currently taking a ‘community-led total sanitation’ (CLTS) approach to sanitation and hygiene
awareness with these communities and others in the region. As an organisation that is always learning and
iterating, CRDT is interested in what other best practice sanitation and hygiene awareness initiatives might
look like in a rural Cambodian context.
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Design Area 3: Energy
Electricity Access and Use
The Rural Electrification Strategy and Implementation Plan has set ambitious targets for expanding access
to electricity for rural Cambodian communities. The government aims for grid-equivalent supplies to be
provided to 100% of villages by 2020 and 70% of rural households by 2030. While Ksach Leav, Koh Khnear,
and Puntha Chea are not currently connected to an electricity grid, power lines are being installed on the
road to Ksach Leav and residents have been informed that installation will soon be complete. Ksach Leav
will shortly have access to a grid power supply.
Currently available options for accessing electricity include rechargeable batteries, generators, and solar
panels. Batteries might be used to power small appliances or charge mobile phones, while solar panels are
mainly used for lighting and the charging of these batteries to store power for later use. Generators will be
turned on for specific periods of time, such as for a few hours in the evening or a few hours while power is
required on a building site. For example, a generator at the pagoda in Ksach Leav is used approximately four
times per month to provide light and music during community celebrations.
While the most common method of accessing electricity is via batteries, household solar panels have been
identified as the preferred option and are increasingly in use in the community. Access to solar panels is
dependent on a household’s ability to pay up front and systems are available in a range of sizes, though
none in use currently exceeds the needs of a single household or shop. The solar panels operating in the
villages at the moment were installed by professionals from town (either Kratie or Stung Treng). When
maintenance is required, the owner will ring for assistance from a business in town to get it repaired.
Fuel Access and Use
Fuel for cooking requirements is either wood or charcoal. While charcoal has many benefits in terms of
cooking efficiency and reduced smoke, the cost of purchasing it from town can be a burden. Households
and restaurants who cook with wood collect it at no cost from around the village.
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One restaurant owner in the centre of the village in Ksach Leav shared that she does like her cookstoves
which use charcoal, especially because the lack of smoke means the pots stay clean and require less
scrubbing. However, she is planning on returning to wood-fuelled cooking methods because it is not
profitable enough to continue paying approximately 20,000R per day for her charcoal requirements.
Design Project 3.1 – Optimisation of cookstoves
Simple cookstoves are readily available for purchase across most all markets, including at shops in Ksach
Leav. While these cookstoves are relatively affordable, the long-term challenge which is reducing their
popularity is the ongoing expense of purchasing charcoal. This project looks at small, creative innovations
to either the cookstoves available in communities, the fuel sources being used, and/or the cooking tools in
use which might result in significant positive economic and environmental impact through lower cooking
costs and lower fuel consumption.
Design Project 3.2 – Training packages for small electronic equipment
While small electronic devices, such as mobile phones, are common across the villages, there are limited
channels for a community member to source information about how these electronics operate and how
they might be maintained or fixed. In this project, teams will investigate content and delivery mechanisms
for skills training, with a specific focus on common popular items such as solar panels and mobile phones.
Proposals should consider in detail the stakeholders involved, how potential students might input into the
content over time, and mechanisms to further disseminate knowledge across the community.
Design Project 3.3 – Low cost, low energy refrigeration
While some shops in Ksach Leav will keep drinks cold in large coolers with ice, refrigeration of food or at a
household level is not common. This project looks at opportunities to build on the momentum of CRDT
vegetable production and animal raising projects in the agriculture and livelihoods space by enabling access
to and awareness of affordable, low/non-energy consuming, safe food storage methods. Projects should
also consider communication plans around the topics of safe food handling and storage.
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Design Area 4: Agricultural Systems
Rice Farming
Most families grow rice on relatively small plots of land adjacent to the villages and away from the river. A
typical farm might be an approximately 5-minute walk from end to end, and the rice produced on the plot is
consumed by the family rather than sold commercially.
Rice is planted each year at the beginning of the wet season, and takes about 6 months to grow to the point
at which it can be harvested. Planting and harvesting are done by hand, then machines separate the rice
from the straw. The straw is considered a waste material and is generally left on the farms where either
cows eat it or it can be burned at a later time. The rice farms rely on rain; no irrigation systems are in use.
Climate Change
Rainfall patterns have been noticeably varied in recent years, which has impacted the ability of rice farmers
to predict when to plant their crop. When the amount, duration, and timing of rainfall is different than in
previous years, farmers are unsure about when the wet season has begun, and hence when to begin clearing
farms and planting rice.
Community members noted that while the weather has always been very good in this area, last year there
was not much rain and so many people did not plant rice at all. In that case, one option for people who did
not have their own rice was to catch and sell fish to get the money needed to buy rice from outside the
community.
Many of CRDT’s projects involve working with farmers in rural areas to learn about and share knowledge
that can support agricultural resilience and adaption in the face of a changing climate. For example, CRDT
specialists are promoting ‘smart agriculture’ techniques to grow vegetables; techniques such as drip
irrigation, the use of certain types of fertiliser, and an understanding of flexible growing seasons that can
produce crops across wet and dry periods. These projects aim to increase the variety and supply of food
available (for nutrition and food security outcomes), protect against events such as drought or flood, and
increase the economic benefits of farming activities for communities.
The Model Farm Initiative
The CRDT ‘model farm’ on the neighbouring island of Koh Dambang has also been called a ‘learning farm’.
It is a place where CRDT staff, community members, and specialists from relevant government
departments can access and spread new knowledge, and test new methods in a supportive environment.
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On this particular model farm, seven community model farmers are responsible for different types of
vegetables. These farmers were nominated by their community and are expected to share the skills they
learn at the model farm within the community more broadly. A farm manager oversees all plots,
coordinates training opportunities, and connects the growers to markets.
The intent of the model farm is to encourage learning by doing and the testing of new ideas. For example,
attempts at growing lettuce have so far been relatively unsuccessful, so CRDT and the model farmers are
testing new methods each time and seeking advice from agricultural specialists, such as government
employees from the Department of Agriculture. As another example, members of the community noticed
that young crops were consistently being attacked by insects, so began hanging up mosquito nets around
them as protection. Mosquito nets are available at stores in the village, and have been a successful method
of protecting the growing plants from bugs.
Innovative farming techniques to build climate resilience
CRDT is interested in agricultural production techniques that might be tested on a community model farm
such as the one in operation on Koh Dambang, and shared with villages across Kratie Province. Projects
which look at systems at a community level or individual household level are both welcome.
Design Project 4.1 – Crop Irrigation
While the model farm on Koh Dambang is connected to a water supply system that serves the community,
most homes in Ksach Leav, Koh Khnear, and Puntha Chea do not have direct access to the river or a
household water supply. This project looks at innovative ways to irrigate small-scale vegetable gardens so
the available water is used most efficiently.
Design Project 4.2 – Vegetable production via greenhouses
In this project students will design a low cost, effective greenhouse system which provides a controlled
environment to grow vegetables. The design should allow for appropriate temperature requirements, and
provide protection from heavy rain, intense sun, and insects. Appropriate consideration of local materials
should be made to reduce cost and transport requirements.
Design Project 4.3 – Vegetable production via hydroponics
CRDT are interested in how c0mmunity members might use hydroponics to grow vegetables for household
consumption or for sale to markets. This project explores existing knowledge around hydroponics systems
and asks teams to propose how these systems might be appropriately translated to the rural Cambodian
context.
Design Project 4.4 – Reducing demand for chemical fertiliser
CRDT and community members would like to reduce the running costs of the farm and contribute to a
healthy environment through reducing reliance on chemical fertilisers. This project explores the making and
use of natural fertilisers from local available resources. Design ideas should consider how farmers might
know when the fertiliser has been created correctly, so it can have the most positive impact on crops over
time.
Design Project 4.5 – Best practice climate change education
CRDT is currently working with nominated model farmers to build and share knowledge around climate
change impacts and adaptation techniques. CRDT is interested in what best practice workshop, facilitation,
and knowledge dissemination methods could like around climate change education and how all community
members might be involved in these conversations.
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Design Area 5: Waste Management
Households and shops in Ksach Leav, Koh Khnear, and Puntha Chea will mostly manage waste
independently, as there is no centralised village solid waste management system in operation like in larger
towns such as nearby Kratie and Sambo. General practice is to collect waste into a pile, sort out cans and
bottles for recycling, and either leave the remaining waste in a pile in a discreet location or burn it.
Aluminium cans and bottles are separated out of the solid waste stream because they are collected by an
individual from an enterprise that purchases this recyclable material from villages to be recycled in Kratie.
Current recycling practice is limited to these items.
It is acknowledged that some community members are much more conscious of waste management than
others, and practice varies. Litter, especially in highly-trafficked areas of the Ksach Leav market, is a big
issue. The Chief of Ksach Leav has recognised links between waste management and a shared desire to
establish ecotourism in the community – he would like to build momentum around making sure the market
areas are clean and attractive.
Design Project 5.1 – Solid waste management system
This project challenges students to design a viable, environmentally-sound system for the management of
solid waste at either a household or village level. Projects should consider varying levels of existing
engagement with sustainable waste management practices.
Design Project 5.2 – Increasing opportunities for recycling
Recycling practice is currently limited to aluminium cans and bottles, which are collected in large bags to be
recycled outside of the villages. In this project, students are asked to develop a recycling system that will
build on current practice and increase opportunities for the recycling or re-use of other waste items.
Design Project 5.3 – Reduction of waste into water systems
The villages of Ksach Leav, Koh Khnear, and Puntha Chea are all adjacent to the Mekong River. There is a
high risk that when waste is not appropriately managed it ends up in the river, which damages this
ecosystem and is particularly harmful to birds and fish. This project addresses the issue of solid waste and
potential methods for reducing the amount of waste which finds its way into the river system.
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Design Area 6: Information and Communication
Technologies
Communication via mobile phones
Mobile phones are common across rural areas of Cambodia, and Ksach Leav has a small mobile phone shop
that serves the surrounding villages. The owner of this shop can assist customers with the purchase of a
mobile phone or general maintenance such as replacing screens or drying out devices which have dropped
in water. Other popular customer requests require the use of the shop computer, including loading music
onto a phone (2G for about 2000R) or creating a Facebook account (USD$1 for assistance creating an
account).
Communication across villages
There are many individuals who act as ‘middlemen’ to facilitate various economic transactions that happen
across villages. Community members will purchase items such as pork, chicken, vegetables, and water from
middlemen who are able to source these items in bulk and then distribute them to customers across
villages. For example, a household raising pigs might sell a whole pig to the middleman, who has the
knowledge around who would be interested in buying a portion of this pig and can sell it quite efficiently
without risk of waste. There are also middlemen who travel between larger towns, such as Kratie or Stung
Treng, and smaller rural villages.
It is common for families to have two homes they spend time at across the year: one in the village and one
on their rice farm. A family will go to their smaller home on their farm during rice season, and return to the
village after the harvest is done. This can make group communication difficult at certain times of the year,
because a large portion of community members will not be present in a village. For example, CRDT has
found it is important to schedule community workshops around rice season if they are to see good
representation from across a village.
Design Project 6.1 – The connection of producers to markets
CRDT’s agricultural initiatives, particularly around vegetable production, have been seeing success. CRDT
recognises that these initiatives will be considered more sustainable over the long term when they can
operate without relying on CRDT or other external organisations to create links between producers and
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markets. This project looks at ways in which community farmers might access markets, and vice versa, for
the benefit of all groups. Projects should consider insights from current examples of businesses and
communication channels already in operation.
Design Project 6.2 – Water monitoring system
CRDT is working with communities to increase the accessibility and affordability of clean drinking water,
and have found the cost of currently available devices to measure water quality a barrier to evaluating
systems. In this project, students will investigate low-cost, reliable water quality testing devices that could
be used in the field, and propose how this information might feed into a larger data management system.
Design Project 6.3 – Methods to facilitate community organising
CRDT’s approach to working with communities involves consistent engagement between project
facilitators and community members in a variety of locations. This project invites to students to design a
communication tool that can function as a link between CRDT and the communities they work with, for
example, to share information regarding upcoming workshop dates and locations. Excellent projects will
consider how the tool could facilitate two-way communication – from CRDT to community members, and
community members to CRDT.
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Design Area 7: Conservation and Livelihoods
At the core of CRDT’s work with rural communities is the growth and continuing support of sustainable
livelihood opportunities. CRDT sees that supporting communities with the development of economic
opportunities outside of commercial logging and fishing, of which resource stocks are becoming
dangerously depleted, can both improve well-being and assist with achieving conservation goals.
Fishing and logging are currently legal within certain parameters; for example, fishing for household
consumption or small-scale timber trading with the appropriate permits. Constraints have been put on
these industries in an effort to curb the exploitation of natural resources, and both Fishery and Forestry
Patrols monitor the area for illegal activity. The Chief of Ksach Leav is eager for members of his community
to engage with new economic activities, but has noted that the distance of these villages from large
markets has been a barrier.
Examples of current areas of economic opportunity
Design area 4 explains a bit about the ‘model farm’ program currently coordinated by CRDT staff and
community representatives – a place where new agricultural techniques and products can be tested.
Farmers are practicing how to grow an array of produce such as longbean, cucumbers, bok choy, and
carrots, and the team involved are interested in testing new items such as onion, garlic, chili, and ginger –
most of which are not yet commonly available in the area.
One of the community members involved in the model farm shared that being involved in this initiative and
other community committees has reduced her worries about food security because she has many kinds of
work available to her. Over the past few years, she has earned money through selling vegetables, bananas,
chickens, ducks, and participating in the ecotourism homestays. She explained that she has fewer worries
now about a dependence on rice farming – if she is not able to farm rice, she has alternative ways of
supporting her family.
An example of one particular unsuccessful initiative of note is raising and selling pigs. Many community
members noted that pigs require a lot of resources and effort to raise, but cannot be sold for a price that
would justify this investment. Raising pigs is no longer considered a secure way to make money.
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Design Project 7.1 – Ecotourism Hub
Community members have expressed a strong interest in participating in ecotourism activities including
homestays and wildlife tours. One community in which homestays are already established has plans to use
a portion of this income to build a small facility for tourists, for example, to use as a meeting room. This
project tasks students with generating ideas for an ‘ecotourism hub’, which would support both community
members and tourists who are interested in participating in sustainable ecotourism. Projects should make
consideration of topics such as accessibility, functionality, sustainability, and the potential role of
CRDTours.
Design Project 7.2 – Appropriate, viable bamboo processing system
Bamboo is an abundant natural resource in the rural villages of Kratie Province that sit along the Mekong
River. CRDT is interested in what the sustainable, commercial use of bamboo might look like, especially
linked to existing markets for incense sticks, chopsticks, and other products. Past projects in this area have
been limited by the cost and complexity of large processing machinery – ideas in this design area should
have an especially strong focus on what an appropriate processing system might look like, including
consideration of inclusive participation from across the community.
Design Project 7.3 – Value-adds to agricultural outputs
CRDT and community members across the Kratie Province have been working together to explore how
households might grow a more diverse array of products on household farms. CRDT is interested in building
on the success of these agriculture initiatives through ideas that could add value to the products farmers are
currently growing for sale to markets, perhaps through simple, low-cost processing techniques.
Design Project 7.4 – Road Management
The condition of both the main road into Ksach Leav and the smaller road between villages has been
identified by community members as a significant barrier to increasing access to new economic
opportunities. Large sections of road are thick with mud or potholes. While the construction of a new
roadway is a large endeavour not in the scope of CRDT’s work or a suitable community project, community
members have already devised a number of creative solutions to make sections of the road easier to
traverse – for example, laying down waste wood chips from a construction project on to the most washed
out sections. This project challenges students to design a system for small-scale road maintenance,
specifically with regard to drainage and access during the wet season.
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Outline of Design Considerations
Below are listed a few considerations we recommend you factor into your EWB Challenge design idea to
help ensure it is appropriate to the communities and the Cambodian context. You might ask yourself these
questions a few times throughout the design process – it’s okay if you don’t have all the answers in week
one!
• Sustainability of design – Consider the long-term sustainability of your project proposal. What
measures could be put in place to ensure the successful continuation into the future?
• Impacts to the community – What impact will your design have on members of the community?
Who are your key stakeholders? Is there anyone you haven’t included?
• Cultural and social factors – Is your design appropriate and aligned with the cultural and social
practices of people within the communities of Ksach Leav, Puntha Chea, and Koh Khnear?
• Community engagement – How would you propose that EWB and CRDT engage and consult the
community throughout the design project? Think about the initial design right through to
implementation. What avenues are there for community members to become involved?
• Environment – What impact, both positive and negative, will your design have on the local
environment? What measures can you put in place to mitigate any negative impacts?
• Cost and economic benefits – What is the cost of the project, i.e. initial costs, material costs,
implementation, operation/program delivery costs, and maintenance costs? Consider if there are
any potential economic benefits to the community which could result from the project.
• Technical design – Is the technical design the most appropriate for the community? Take the time
to show what alternatives were considered and why you are proposing your design as the most
appropriate. Previous EWB Challenges show that the most successful designs are often ones that
are simple in design and can be implemented / prototyped rapidly in the community.
• Materials – It is recommended to use locally available materials that are culturally acceptable and
environmentally friendly wherever possible. CRDT has noted that the cost of transportation for
project materials is a significant consideration for projects in rural Cambodia – where might your
proposed materials be sourced from?
• Construction / Implementation and ongoing running of the program – Who might construct
and/or implement the project? Where possible, make recommendations regarding how the project
might utilise local labour and program managers.
You are encouraged to include a response to each of the above in the design proposal submitted to EWB.
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Further Resources Available
The EWB Challenge Design Brief is a basis from which students can begin developing design ideas to
address the priority areas identified by our 2018 EWB Challenge Partners and the communities they work
with. Further resources available to support students with exploring the Cambodian context and the
development of a feasible, viable, innovative design solution are available on the EWB Challenge website,
including:
• General background on Cambodia’s history, economic development, and links to web resources
in this area
• Community insights provided by experienced CRDT staff
• Baseline data including community demographics, material costs, etc
• Photos and videos to build contextual understanding
• A student discussion forum moderated by EWB Australia staff
And more generally,
• EWB ‘knowledge hacks’ focused on the principles behind sustainable development projects
• Links to previous EWB Challenge award-winning student reports
• A downloadable ‘reviewer assessment criteria’, used by our external team to evaluate the top
submissions to be invited to the annual Finalists’ Showcase Event
Contact Us
Australia New Zealand
Alison Stoakley
EWB Challenge Program Lead
Engineers Without Borders Australia
Email: a.stoakley@ewb.org.au
Varun Parushotham
Learning and Change Manager
Engineers Without Borders New Zealand
Email: learningandchange@ewb.org.nz