Solving Problems, One Village at a Time

Earlier this year, Ayres Associates’ Ryan Pichler took a two-week hiatus from the harsh Wisconsin winter. His destination? The Central American country of Guatemala.

But Ryan, a water resources engineering staff member from Eau Claire, wasn’t there just to enjoy warmth and sunshine. He was part of a nine-member delegation from the University of Wisconsin-Madison chapter of Engineers Without Borders, a nonprofit humanitarian organization. The team came to the rural Guatemalan community of Pajuya to design and install a drinking water system that now serves 48 families (about 285 individuals).

These families had not previously had access to water at their homes, and other water sources within the community were frequently at risk of contamination. The new system captures clean water from a tested spring and uses source boxes, storage tanks, and a pipe network to provide clean drinking water while protecting the spring from contamination.

Ryan said he found the experience tremendously fulfilling. “This is why I went to school,” he said. “Here at Ayres, we help people every day, but this is helping people who don’t have access to a basic need.”

Local residents held a gathering the last night of the trip to thank the team for their service, and Ryan found it rewarding to “look around and see everybody affected by the project – and know that the families could now live healthier lives.”

For more information about Engineers Without Borders, visit www.ewb-usa.org. Click here to view slides from a recent PowerPoint presentation Ryan delivered to co-workers.