Afeka Student Delegation Changes a Daily Reality in Ghana

As part of Afeka’s international outreach, a student delegation from the college’s Engineers Without Borders club has recently returned from two exciting, intensive weeks of socially-oriented engineering work in Ghana.

The delegation visited the city of Winneba, collaborating with the local CBR organization to develop and integrate specially adapted feeding chairs for children with disabilities, built using local materials, in order to improve the children’s quality of life and their families’ independence.

The participants returned with a deep sense of mission, not just due to the engineering solution they had developed, but primarily due to the human connections forged with the local community.

Says Orit Zandberg Pe’er, head of Afeka’s student clubs: “Our students proved once more that engineering goes far beyond technology: it is a tool for change. Their encounter with the local community, the solutions they’ve developed, and the ability to leave behind knowledge that will continue to yield benefits – that is the essence of Afeka’s Engineers Without Borders.”

According to club chairman Roee Segal, “The delegation was an extraordinary experience. We discovered a strong team, with lots of humor, patience, and drive. Seeing the mothers using the chair we created was an extremely moving moment.”

Vice-chairman Ella Shimshon added: “From the very beginning we felt like part of something truly great, a combination of doing, learning, and challenge that united us as a group.”

Michal Leybzon summed up: “We’ve managed to leave behind something real and long-lasting: the community’s ability to continue building the chairs by itself. This is the greatest value of this endeavor.”

Pictures from the delegation