ENGINEERING
PONT’s Engineering volunteers find sustainable engineering solutions to needs we’ve identified with our partners in Mbale. We work with the Education, Community Health, Ambulance, University and Hospital teams to alleviate poverty.
We’ve set up a mechanical workshop that provides training and jobs. We put renewable electricity into schools and build, maintain or repair equipment for the health teams. We’ve provided clean water for 8,000 people.
The need
Poverty in Uganda impacts people’s health, livelihoods and education. It takes away opportunities we would take for granted in Wales.
Our projects
Early PONT visitors to Mbale who had engineering backgrounds spotted the potential to use their skills to do something about this. We work with people in Mbale to help give back opportunities, so they have tools to improve their own lives.
Engineers have continued to make visits each year. Volunteers pass on their expertise, troubleshoot problems and oversee projects. Importantly we also raise funds in the UK so that local Ugandan people can be employed, benefiting them as they help their communities.
Engineers have contributed to many projects but perhaps the biggest impacts have been:
Lighting up Lwandubi
Heavy rain used to stop classes at Lwandubi Primary school. Classrooms in the school now have lights, and there is power to operate laptop computers. Read more
We’ve worked with local organisation JENGA to provide rainwater harvesting solutions and repair a gravity flow system that brings clean water to over 6,000 people.
We support a mechanical engineering workshop which trains apprentices and provides employment opportunities, taking orders from across Uganda for repairs and providing new equipment.
Thanks to PONT engineers, three PONT schools now have solar panels and one has a micro-hydro system. They can now have lights and use laptops in classrooms and offices.
Engineers have also supported the hospital link. We’ve helped with installing the Endoscopy Suite, internet access and a washing machine (the hospital’s first) and we’ve carried out repairs to equipment and facilities.
Along with the university we have investigated what local materials in Mbale might be used to build better roads and make compressed bricks that require less energy than conventional bricks.