FemEng in Rwanda - 2019
FemEng in Rwanda 2019This was the fourth and final year of FemEng in Rwanda, with six Glasgow University FemEng members travelling to Kigali, Rwanda for four weeks. We worked alongside six STEM students from the University of Rwanda and six school pupils hoping to study STEM at university once they graduate. Delivering workshops in Civil Engineering and Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Software and Computer Engineering we reached over 2000 students across 12 schools – making this the most successful trip yet.
Once there, the FemEng team helped the Rwandan university students continue with their own STEM networking society, Future You. This also is about focusing on empowering women and linking together students, they now have a full committee with lots of events in the works. On the days where there were no school visits, the team visited many local engineering companies in Rwanda. Visiting the MASS Design group office in Kigali, the team learned about the current projects that the company was working on. Talking about Civil Engineering and Architecture, MASS told them about how they are working on natural solutions to usual machine-based jobs such as filtration and ventilation, all through the design of the buildings. The team were lucky enough to get a site visit on one of the MASS construction sites of their new project, designing and building the new agricultural university in Rwanda. This was a great experience for them to learn first-hand the full process of an engineer’s role. Another great company the team visited in Rwanda was Zipline in Muhanga, a company focusing on delivering blood and other medical supplies to remote areas and hospitals in Rwanda using drones. On the site, they were given a tour of the hub and shown the full process of a blood request coming into the company, packing it up and sending it away. They were also shown the technical side of how they operate the drones and how it all works through the network. This is one of the companies that were talked about in the Mechanical workshop to the Rwandan students, so it was a valuable experience allowing the team to fully understand the workings of the company. Finally, another engineering company we visited was Bridges to Prosperity. This company built over 100 bridges across rivers and cliffs to connect local communities together that previously would not have been able to be in contact. This connection allowed better communication and trading between villages in Rwanda, so it made a great difference to the people living in these remote areas. |