Pride Without Borders

 

Three delegations, composed of Engineers Without Borders - Afeka Branch, took part in a volunteer mission with Ukrainian refugee children in Poland. The delegation included seven students from various engineering disciplines, led by Ilana Kolmin, a fourth-year Industrial Engineering and Management student. Preparation began well before departure as team members contacted the refugee community in Biała Rawska to understand their needs. Initial discussions revealed the community desired activities that would build self-efficacy and impart knowledge.

During their stay, the students successfully initiated three main projects:

  • Constructing a greenhouse to provide employment opportunities and fresh produce for the community
  • Creating a children's playground - a safe space to play and develop
  • Conducting daily coding lessons to expose kids to computer programming

The students created questionnaires about Israel and Ukraine, using them as an interactive way for the children to learn about their hosts and share their own culture.

"As a future industrial engineer, leading a mission of this scale was incredibly important to me," said Ilana Kolmin. "I witnessed how each of our initiatives strengthened the community, with everyone contributing their unique capabilities."

Ilana described the extensive two-and-a-half month preparation involving needs assessment and logistical planning. "We sharpened our problem-solving skills, which came in handy frequently, and our ability to adapt to constraints on the ground.""There's no better feeling than watching an idea become a plan and then seeing that plan become reality," Ilana added about the positive team dynamic.

Mechanical Engineering graduate Gal Ben Ami, who headed the greenhouse project, said the experience taught him immensely about end-to-end project planning and execution. "I learned so much about teamwork, fostering equality, and overcoming unexpected obstacles that required changing plans on the fly."

"This team set ambitious goals and achieved every one despite unanticipated challenges - and that's the best way to develop critical skills," said Keren Ben Chayim, Head of Ofek Skills Centers.

We take immense pride in this extraordinary team that came to the aid of a distant community, on behalf of a vulnerable population in a faraway nation investing their time and energy for the benefit of others while working tirelessly to solve the challenges faced during difficult times.