Annual Report 2002 a New Development
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Annual Report 2002 a new development Congolese refugee Joseph Chabamba stands proudly a new development with EWB overseas volun- teer Benji Plener at a refugee camp in Zambia. Table of Contents Chairman’s message 3 Letter from the co-CEOs 4 2002 Year in review 5 Projects 10 Highlights 11 Education 12 Volunteer Awards 2002 12 Financial summary 13 Financial statements 14 2002 supporters, donors, and partners 18 Advisory Board, Board of Directors, and EWB Canada Executive 20 2 Annual Report 2002: A new development Chairman’s Message I take great pleasure addressing you boards. This provides us with a wealth this year. Engineers Without Borders of experience and different styles from has made impressive progress in which to draw. 2002, and we thank each and every Second, in 2002 the board worked one of you for your support. We owe to improve the governance of EWB. our gratitude to the individuals who We instituted improved financial continue to make it happen: our com- reporting so that we get timely mitted and energetic chapters, our updates from EWB’s excellent finan- sponsors, our voluntary executive staff cial team. We assessed EWB’s risks members, our advisors, and our board — legal and otherwise — and members. But for their dedication, addressed the issues that arose. commitment, vision, and hard work, Third, the board began to engage EWB would not be where it is today. in strategic development of the organ- I know that many people in EWB ization. We helped the management are unfamiliar with the role of the team push their strategic thinking on Board of Directors, so let me highlight operations, which resulted in an our role. Board work is rarely glam- improved focus. We ensured the qual- orous: we are elected and appointed ity of safety procedures with overseas members who are officially responsi- volunteers, who seem to be caught in ble for the organization. We delegate the inevitable upheavals of developing the day-to-day running of the organi- countries. And we endorsed the zation to the management team, and Canadian Centre for Philanthropy’s they periodically report to us. We Code of Fundraising ethics to protect ensure that they are on the right our donors’ rights. course. We also bring to the fore and Drawing on my past board experi- examine issues that affect the entire ence with more than a half-dozen organization. organizations, I can tell you that In 2002 EWB’s Board of Directors EWB’s strengths are many. When you began to assert ourselves as a board look at what the management team that is directly responsible to you, the has accomplished with few resources; members, but more importantly, one when you look at the enthusiasm of that is responsible to the developing our members across Canada; and communities with whom we work. I when you see the support of the would like to highlight three mile- Canadian engineering community, you stones for us. know that EWB will thrive in the com- First, we can now draw on our ing years. diverse experiences to help EWB Thank you for helping to make grow. Every one of our board mem- EWB what it is. bers brings a great deal of current and past experience with board gover- nance to EWB – corporate, interna- Ravi Seethapathy P.Eng. tional development, and non-profit Chairman Engineers Without Borders Ingénieurs sans Frontières 3 Letter from the co-CEOs When we look back over the past 12 help us next year?” months, it’s hard to know where to But our obligations begin. By almost any measure, 2002 don’t end in the village. was a banner year for Engineers Canadian engineers who Without Borders. Operationally, we volunteer with EWB want grew by leaps and bounds. In 2000 we greater skills and opportu- had no operations overseas; in 2001 nities to have a positive eight volunteers worked overseas; in impact in the world. And 2002 there were 32 overseas volun- our funders want to know if teers. their investments been Behind the scenes we were busy used to have the maximum too. In January, our McGill chapter impact. brought EWB members from across This report answers Canada together at our first national their questions. For the conference, where 200 participants mother in the village, and learned about engineering in interna- for the Canadian engineer, tional development. EWB chapters we will evaluate our are now established at 20 Canadian progress, and discuss universities. To guide them, volunteers where we plan to be next year. standing of development and what at EWB Canada wrote an 140-page role EWB should play to have maxi- chapter manual. Where might we be? mum impact, form improved proce- These successes need to be cele- From our perspective, 2002 was the dures and create a culture conducive brated, and as you browse through first step on a long journey. A journey to having development impact. This is this annual report, we hope that you to make a difference in the world. To the foundation for future successes. get a flavour for the scope of EWB’s build an organisation that will have In the past four months, we began growth in 2002. The appeal and lasting and meaningful impact reduc- this process. We refined our mission impact of EWB has far exceeded any- ing hardship in developing communi- to reflect our understanding of devel- thing we imagined when we first ties. Engineers Without Borders has opment; we moved out of a basement thought of the idea almost three years the chance to do something new. We and opened our first office; we built an ago. think so; the executive that dedicates even stronger management team, their time towards building the organi- including the full-time return of Parker Our most important stakeholder zation thinks so; our board and advi- Mitchell in August; improved our proj- There is one stakeholder that comes sory board think so. We hope you ect and internship quality control and before all others. She is our boss, and agree. grew the board of directors and advi- she lives in a tiny village in the dry When you look at our accomplish- sory board. heat of Burkina Faso, in the altiplano ments this year, what you don’t see is EWB has been successful so far of Bolivia, or in the slums in India. This what’s beneath the surface. Our suc- because of the dedication of many report is our commitment to her – the cesses in the first eight months belied committed volunteers. Their energy mother in the village. She struggles the relatively thin infrastructure sup- and enthusiasm is, and always will be, every day against countless chal- porting them. George Roter, as EWB’s a great strength. As we move to bal- lenges like unsafe drinking water and CEO for the first eight months of the ance chaotic energy with thoughtful poor harvests. Our job is to help miti- year, drove these accomplishments process, we can have even more gate those factors and give her a with a team of five core volunteers impact. We look forward to the next 12 chance to improve her livelihood. who put their own lives on hold to help months. Put yourself in her place. She build the organization. would ask us: “How has EWB’s work We know, though, that to have real helped me and my sisters this year? impact we must build capacity — Parker Mitchell and George Roter How has EWB improved its ability to attract good people, refine our under- EWB co-CEOs 4 Annual Report 2002: A new development The year in review increasing our understanding of devel- 2002: The year in review opment impact. We produced the new thinking that is reflected throughout this EWB’s self assessment the two can easily be confounded. document. In particular, we changed Successful organizations need clear For example, if we work with a part- our mission statement to incorporate goals, and must return to those goals ner organization to design an improved our commitment to improving access to to measure success, learn lessons, shea nut grinder — as our overseas technology. Our strategy shifted to and refine future plans. volunteer Christian Knapp did — is the reflect this change. This simple refine- We have succeeded in bringing new improved design our “impact?” Or is ment will have a profound impact on resources to development. New people our impact how widely used this grinder how EWB views its impact. and new donors are now focused on becomes? If the latter, we must recog- helping communities around the world, nize its spread will be greatly influ- 2003 Commitment: Deepening our and our bosses in their villages are enced by other factors, including the understanding of impact. happy with this. availability of funding from other agen- At this point next year we will have a But many challenges remain. cies, the quality of the local NGOs and much deeper understanding of EWB’s Primarily, we must focus these new the political leadership. If the former, true impact, and how we will measure resources to ensure that they translate we are doomed to failure, as “improved it. We will produce a white paper on into the greatest possible impact. We design” means nothing without impact that will outline the challenges must continually increase the quality of increased use. and how EWB will overcome and our projects and build on the abilities of attempt to measure impact by well-cho- our members. 2002: Improved thoughtfulness sen proxies. Part of this will be to solic- We know we had development Unfortunately, there are no easy it formal and better feedback from our impact, but we need to push to quanti- answers to these questions.