NSBE - Convention 2010 - (Page 22)

internAtionAl NEWS Service Beyond Borders By Michael kwadwo Bosompra his past summer was one of the most intensely challenging of my life. I’ve never been so far out of my comfort zone or been forced to learn so much in such a short time, not even in engineering school. But to fully understand what I’m talking about, we have to rewind the clock another five months to October 2008. That’s when I was selected to be a Junior Fellow (JF) with Engineers Without Borders Canada. Being selected as a JF was no joking matter. I was going to be posted out to rural Northern Ghana to work on the organization’s Governance and Rural Infrastructure strategy for four months. After that, I would return to Canada empowered and inspired to become an agent for positive change, an advocate for a world without poverty! Through the organization, I got access to a wealth of resources and engaged in intense conversations, all geared toward pushing my thinking and challenging me to understand the connections between the society I was part of and the one I would soon be joining. The five months leading up to that epic summer were tough. The learning curve was steep, and the material complex. It made thermodynamics seem like a walk in the park. Right up until the day I left, despite all of that preparation, I still felt horribly unprepared. I mean, what if I made a mistake? What if I did something wrong or couldn’t figure out the answer?... But the reality was that I would definitely make mistakes, and there certainly weren’t any answers. Instead, there were groups of incredibly passionate people doing some amazing work in different parts of the country, and I was going to be fortunate enough to plug in with some of them and, I hoped, add value. I would be working at the Zabzugu/Tatale District Assembly, which is analogous to the Mayor’s Office in my home of Toronto — specifically with the District Planning and Coordinating Unit. My job would be to support these people and promote evidence-based decision-making where possible. Through my involvement in that unit, I would get the opportunity to work on an interesting array of projects. I would support the planning officer and budget officer in creating the year’s Annual Action Plan and beginning the Medium Term Development Plans. I would also work with the District Water and Sanitation Team, looking at effective ways to store and analyze data collected from the field. I would also lend a helping hand to anyone else in the office who needed it. The four months of the placement went by like a flash of lightning. And the whole experience was quite significant, and possibly life-changing. I’m still trying to figure out what exactly I went through and what it all means. What I can tell you is that the world is not as big as we think it is. The actions that you and I take have implications beyond ourselves. We’re all accountable to each other, and we have to make sure we never forget it. To get a more in-depth look at what I experienced while in Ghana, check out my blog, at www.ewbnmkb.wordpress.com. I tried to take snapshots during my placement to illustrate what rural life was like for me and to highlight some of those passionate people I mentioned. Hope you enjoy it. ■ T “…The world is not as big as we think it is. The actions that you and I take have implications beyond ourselves.” NsBE member Michael Bosompra spent last summer working in Northern Ghana for Engineers Without Borders canada. 22 • nsbe magazine • convention 2010 www.nsbe.org http://www.nsbe.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NSBE - Convention 2010

NSBE - Convention 2010
Contents
Get Involved
What Makes Us Great
Sandra Edmonds of Intel
Dr. David Freeman of MIT Lincoln Laboratory
Dwayne James of Jacobs
Jean Paul of Philadelphia Gas Works
Ernest Levert of Lockheed Martin
Bryan Agard of ITW
Bettye Moddy of Navair
International News
Chapter News
Region I Jobs Outlook
Engineering a Global Impact
Things To Do In Toronto
Career Fair Recruiters Speak
Golden Torch Award Winners
Save Our Kids 2010
CE Cover: Advanced Degrees
Employer Profiles
AE Members On the Move
Advertisers Index

NSBE - Convention 2010