Seven questions with Rena Seyidova

22 May 2015

This week we put seven questions to Rena Seyidova, Civil Engineering (BEng).

UCL Project: Sustainable Sanitation Chain (Engineers Without Borders UCL)

Department: UCL Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering

Members of team: Noor Mufeez and Rena Seyidova

Tell us more about your project:

The project I'm involved in is a student-led project called 'the Sustainable Sanitation Chain', which is part of the wider Engineers Without Borders UCL (EWB-UCL) project. We work to address pressing sanitation needs within rural communities in KaMubukwana district, in the peri-urban area of Maputo, the capital of Mozambique.

We work with a variety of partners including Estamos, a local NGO active in the field of sanitation and environmental hygiene, and ACRA-CCS, an Italian NGO.

The project contributes to sustainable economic and environmental development and to public health. Our overall objective is to increase access to sanitation services through establishment of a local social enterprise that will facilitate the sale of family toilets and hygiene products to low-income families in KaMubukwana district.

Part of this project involves designing the family latrines to be sold through the social enterprise. Our challenge is to seek ways to change and optimise an initial design so that the price is decreased by around 30% (from 98 euros to around 70 euros). This involves changing the materials; modules to match available and cost effective manufacturing techniques as well as the communities aspirations and needs.

What makes it so important (and interesting)?

This project, much like the other seven projects that EWB-UCL runs, gives students the opportunity to get involved in international development work, and develop skills that may not be covered in their respective degrees.

These projects give students practical experience in a context very different to what they are used to. If UCL aims to educate its engineering and science-based students to be global engineers and scientists, who have the ability to deal with cultural and engineering challenges at a global scale and in contexts with limited resources, the training gained through Engineers Without Borders UCL is vital in this development.

Not only are these projects directly benefiting the livelihoods of the communities with which we interact, but EWB-UCL aims to ensure that the projects implemented are as sustainable as possible in the long term.

Initial project work will include community engagement strategies and building relationships and networks with relevant local partners, communities and local and regional authorities, in order to truly understand the context and community in which we are working.

This way we can ensure that the technology or project implemented through the implementation phase is entirely suited to the context - this builds long-term sustainability.

Through these projects, EWB-UCL aims to change the way people think about development, and change they way people work with communities in need of development, while simultaneously building relationships to ensure that the work we do makes significant long-term impact.

What has been a personal highlight so far?

Becoming less ignorant and culturally aware. We all have preconceived ideas and prejudices regarding different countries, cultures, races and religions. However, they are a major obstacle in the international development field as well as in the wider human context and often lead to unsuccessful ventures.

Imposing our 'western' ideas of what communities in the developing countries want and need is different from their 'real' needs. So this self-revelation has really opened my eyes to what lies ahead of me in terms of the project implementation stage this summer, and I look forward to new learning opportunities, experiences and adventures as part of this international development project with EWB-UCL.

Explain some of the challenges involved in working on this project.

Although the project has been officially launched this year, a lot has been achieved in terms of setting up the project scope and establishing firm relationships with two partners, Estamos and ACRA-CCS, in Maputo, capital of Mozambique, as well as our sponsor and project advisor, Bechtel.

However, there have been various challenges, some of which we are still trying to resolve to this day. One of the biggest challenges is the difficulty in communicating with our partners as they have an intermittent internet provision due to periodical cuts in Maputo, as a result of flooding.

The other challenge lies in constant dedication and commitment that such a successful international development project requires. We are students and have a number of other commitments along with university workload, so at times it is incredibly difficult to keep the momentum going on this project, while having another 100 things on the to-do-list!

What advice would you give to an undergraduate student hoping to join an international development project with EWB UCL?

I would recommend that students interested in EWB-UCL shouldn't just apply because you are somewhat interested in the subject and would simply like to have an experience travelling to a developing country, or solely for your CV.

You really have to be passionate about the project and be able to commit yourself for a whole year to something that will eventually lead to a massive change.

Any idea what's next after the project finishes?

The project is very new and only in its grassroots, so I don't expect the project to finish any time soon.

The aim for the next year is to establish an independent EWB-UCL project with the support of our partners where we will implement the ACRA-CCS current project on a smaller scale and deliver sanitation based solutions, to be determined via needs-based assessment and co-design workshops this summer, within a community in a peri-urban area of Maputo.

We are a small, student-led project at the end of the day, not a massive NGO.

Describe your perfect evening (or weekend) after a long week.

My perfect weekend would be spent in the company of close friends, either sipping a cup of mint tea with dark chocolate while watching movies, or a fun-filled time with cheeky cocktails.

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