Humanitarian hngineering Opportunities and Challenges in Rural Dominican Republic: A Case Study of El Cercado

In developing countries, there are many humanitarian engineering opportunities ranging from healthcare to agriculture, water, sanitation, and energy. The governments in some developing countries, including the Dominican Republic, often focus on industrial and economic development in larger cities. Consequently, remote villages become more isolated, relying on limited local resources and traditional practices to sustain daily living. The situation, however, creates opportunities for non-profit groups to support the ongoing work of organized community initiatives and begin new regional developments. This paper reports a partnership model and project implementation strategy employed in a case study for El Cercado, a rural town located in southwestern Dominican Republic. Over two years, the engineers from the University of San Diego had partnered with El Cercado community to establish more fuel efficient and safe cooking methods, improve drinking water sources, provide an affordable solution to water heating for sanitary purposes, and invent ways to minimize fuel costs. The next challenge is to transfer these technologies to local Dominicans, and assist them in developing business models for long-term sustainability. Advantages and challenges to local development initiatives such as cultural barriers, social acceptance, community leadership, and economic certainty are also presented.