About 2 billion people worldwide lack access to clean and safe drinking water, which also affects the sanitation and hygiene of a community. About 1.3 billion have a significant disability. People who live in rural and hard-to-reach places are especially at risk of suffering from preventable diseases and other health problems related to unclean water, while people with disabilities in these areas are among the poorest and most vulnerable. Mercer professors have been working on solutions to these pressing issues caused by lack of water and lack of accessibility by bringing clean water and improved accessibility to communities in need.
Students will spend most of their time working in the El Cercado area of the San Juan province. There, they will work with a rural community group to improve a water supply system, which may include system construction.
Students will work with local stakeholders, such as residents, technicians and government workers, on the development of maintenance and repair plans for the local water systems. They also will work with stakeholders to find ways to improve the environmental health conditions of households in the El Cercado.
In addition, students will conduct low-cost water assessments and collect hydrogeological data to better inform water resource management and improve the environmental sustainability of water supply systems.
They will interview people with disabilities and their caregivers to better understand their needs and carry out preliminary accessibility surveys in the community. They also will work with community members to improve accessibility through projects such as building ramps for public access or modifying mobility aids to make them more useable.
Living conditions in the Dominican Republic will be basic during most of the program. Students will have the opportunity to visit Santo Domingo and a coastal beach, practice speaking Spanish and enjoy local cuisine.
This program is supported by the Cecil Day Family Center for International Groundwater Innovation. The center’s goal is to help provide access to clean water to the world’s most water-poor communities by working with local stakeholders.
I’ve always prayed that I would have a job that would allow me to impact people, and I didn’t realize how civil engineering could help me do this. This trip helped me see that I could use my future career to help people in different communities and my own community.
Students are required to sign up for six hours of credit. The registrar will enroll you in courses for your program, including one class from each of the program's faculty.