Jascika Maclean, age 20, grew up in Accra, Ghana, where many people rely on fishing for their livelihoods. She recognized the ways pollution was destroying the fishing industry in her community. She also recognized the opportunity to help solve this problem while building a career path for herself.
“I want to treat all waste so that environmental pollution can be reduced and create an avenue for employment,” Jascika said. To achieve this, she chose to attend Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana and major in civil engineering with a wastewater concentration.
At school, Jascika found herself one of the few women in her engineering program. KNUST, like many institutions around the world, include a disproportionately low number of women in their Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum. Only 14 percent of KNUST’s 5,772 engineering students are women.
Targeting Inequity
Engineers Without Borders USA (EWB-USA) is participating in a unique partnership that targets underrepresentation in STEM fields in Sub-Saharan Africa. SEESA (Strengthening Engineering Ecosystems in Sub-Saharan Africa) provides students with the chance to work with local professionals to implement engineering projects.
The three-year program unites EWB-USA, Safe Water Network (SWN), Feminist Data Research (FDR), Inc., KNUST, and AECOM. It is made possible through the generous support of Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
SEESA’s five pilot projects promote gender equity in both their impact and their structure. The student teams are often led by women, and students were encouraged to look at their projects through a feminist lens. For example, if women and girls were responsible for drawing water from a community well, then having taps in individual households would give them more time to pursue jobs or education.
Student Projects, Real-World Impacts
Jascika joined a SEESA project team during her junior year at KNUST.
Her team envisioned real-time monitoring of water contaminants using remote sensors. Their project received an IDRC research grant. Other projects included the development of a centralized bank of sanitation data along with a demand-side smart domestic electrical energy-management system.
Jascika also attended a three-day workshop led byAECOM professional. It addressed project management skills as well as safety, health and environment issues. Her team also received assistance in preparing proposals and presentations.
The teams had to present their project outcomes to a panel of experts at KNUST for evaluation and feedback.
Cathy Leslie, EWB-USA’s chief executive officer, said she enjoyed seeing how the program benefits both the students’ career paths and the local communities.
“It was wonderful to see the students working with industry partners to create solutions which not only benefit the partner but will make a real difference in the lives of communities,” said Cathy. “ We were honored to be a part of this program and to support the students in becoming more skilled in their projects.”
Women in Leadership Roles
Rosemond Ocansey leads another SEESA team at KNUST. When she first began developing the project, her initial team was unprepared for the commitment and abandoned the project. Passionately wanting to participate in SEESA, she chose another student to assist her. With only her and her one teammate, they were able to present their project and get it approved.
She later grew her team, carefully balancing the technical knowledge and skills among the group.
Elvis Yeboah-Duako, one of the male members of Rosemond’s team, said he wondered how a woman would lead four strong-willed men and successfully coordinate their activities.
“But she did it with so much ease,” Elvis said, “more than I could ever imagine.”
Women Working Together
SEESA participant Edumaba “Gloria” Graham said women work together on projects and make teams stronger.
“[Women] considered project criteria that men may have skipped over,” she said.
SEESA’s long-term objective is institutional change, with an equal number of women and men engaged in innovative applied learning.
“Innovation and good community design requires the perspective of people of all kinds — gender, cultures, backgrounds,” said Leslie. “A successful project is one that can satisfy the needs of a diverse population.”
Jascika is completing her senior year at KNUST. She worked on her SEESA project and her senior academic project at the same time.
“The girls helped each other to finish their projects and even helped one another during the defense,” she said. “We killed it.”