Solidarity Engineering

Solidarity Engineering  is a humanitarian response organization primarily based at the US/Mexico border, but also does work in Guatemala, Panama, and domestically in the United States. Our mission is to reduce human suffering by applying community-driven engineering in places where existing systems have failed. 

Please consider donating. The people that we help are victims of disasters and traumas, and are located in areas with very low-resources and high-risks. These communities have been abandoned, and need our help. But providing aid costs money.  

OUR PROJECTS; 
Your donation helps us work on projects in Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, and domestically. The types of projects we've completed, and plan to continue to work on include; Covid 19 response, school infrastructure, playground construction, stormwater management, flood analysis and hurricane response, water filtration, showers, GIS mapping, electronic surveying, general WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) infrastructure and workshops, and more!

Check out our website  for more information.
 

HOW WE FORMED;
Solidarity Engineering's three founders - Erin Hughes, Christa Cook, and Chloe Rastatter - met at the US/Mexico border after all hearing the same podcast in November 2019 about an unrecognized refugee camp that had formed in Matamoros, Mexico. When they learned about the camp's limited access to clean water and sanitation, the three individually decided they needed to do something and each reached out to see what they could to help. They were told there was no formal engineering presence at the camp, but that they could come and see how they could help. After working together for months, completing projects in partnership with the asylum seekers, Global Response Management, and Resource Center Matamoros, the three engineers decided to formalize and founded Solidarity Engineering in November 2020.

Inherent in our work is the recognition that humanitarian crises are products of complex global relations, historic power imbalances, and environmental injustices. Thus, our organization is built on three main pillars: working in solidarity with communities, working in accordance with the four humanitarian principles, and applying a holistic public health approach.



OUR PILLARS; Working in Solidarity, Following the Humanitarian Principals, and Using the Public Health Approach

IN SOLIDARITY...
Recognizing equal humanity amongst all groups, Solidarity is committed to promoting human rights and dignity with the people themselves. Community members are given the means to determine their own needs, and how and when services are provided. We believe in a mutual responsibility to better conditions and any project completed without direct and continuous integration of the community is inappropriate, unethical, and potentially harmful. ​

Our model includes: working hand in hand with community members, providing volunteer stipends to community members who work with us, holding community meetings, and incorporating feedback loops before, during, and after a project is complete.

HUMANITARIAN PRINCIPALS;
Solidarity Engineering is committed to the promotion of equitable access to services, and we are guided by the four humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence. These principles have long guided the work of the Red Cross and are internationally recognized by the UN.

PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACH; 
It is Solidarity Engineering's mission to help promote the dignity, wellness, and humane treatment of all. This mission cannot be accomplished without considering and applying a public health approach that addresses both physical and mental well-being.

Lack of clean water and sanitation in places of conflict or displacement is a “crisis within a crisis”. Poor conditions can cause diarrheal diseases such as cholera, which has been cited as one of the leading causes of child mortality in refugee camps by the WHO.

In 1990, the UN declared access that to recreation and play is a human right for children, as it is critical to healthy brain development. As such, implementing projects such as STEM education outreach and park and school construction are key components in Solidarity Engineering’s public health approach.

While we are predominantly guided by the community and Sphere standards, working alongside healthcare professionals gives us the chance to broaden our perspective and tackle problems collaboratively. Medical professionals often treat the symptoms of disease. Engineers can treat the cause. Only together can we solve health-related problems and achieve our joint goal of reducing suffering.


THANK YOU!