Written by students and recent graduates of École Polytechnique and McGill University, the article looks at development issues through three undergraduate projects led by students on EWB Canada internships. The work took place in 2004 in the Philippines and in rural regions of Cameroon and Ghana.

One of the interns is Lianne Cockerton, a mechanical engineering student at École Polytechnique. Populations of many developing nations across the world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, face serious drinking-water problems. Ms. Cockerton's project in Bafoussam, Cameroon, focused on helping improve hygiene habits, constructing latrines and improving water sources in rural regions.

"The work currently being done in Western Cameroon is very important." she says. "Hygiene is a major issue. Here, a simple action like boiling water or washing your hands can save your life. You just need to know it. These actions are taken for granted in Canada, because they're what we've always been told, but this isn't necessarily so for everyone."

The article is available (in French) on École Polytechnique's EWB-ISF Canada Web site at http://www.polymtl.ewb.ca/medias.php

"Bâtir un monde meilleur pour un développement durable," PLAN, Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, November 2005, pp. 31-32