With a generous grant of around DKK 900,000, EWB-DK will increase the students' familiarity and knowledge of the UN's global goals and Danish development cooperation in the Global South at the engineering studies SDU and DTU.
At EWB-DK, there is great enthusiasm for the new project, which builds on ongoing good collaborations with SDU and DTU as well as Danish business collaborations and local partnerships.
"With this project, we will have the opportunity to create even greater engagement among Danish students about the World Goals, which will also benefit our partnerships in the Global South with sustainable solutions," says Dorte Lindegaard Madsen, secretary general of EWB-DK.
Through organized teaching courses at the two universities, the students will gain concrete knowledge and practical experience with the SDGs through university assignments and relevant internships, where they will work with product development and innovation as well as sustainable and technological solutions in developing countries.
This will take place in close collaboration with EWB-DK's partnerships in the Global South (NGOs and social economic enterprises) as well as Danish companies that make their knowledge available for the benefit of the students, partners and projects.
"The projects will have a direct effect on the recipients in the Global South and contribute to the green transition and local solutions, where Danish technical equipment will be implemented and used in green circular projects," says Dorte Lindegaard Madsen.
As part of their training, the trainees will help to install the donated equipment, in close collaboration with the partners and with ongoing advice from EWB-DK and Danish companies.
In addition to the fact that the used equipment from Denmark gets new uses and an extended lifespan in the Global South (including a donated waterworks), knowledge will be transferred from Danish universities and companies, which will benefit the local partnerships and local communities with know-how and technological solutions.
In addition, the students will be involved as agents of change and create a greater understanding of international development projects and contributions to the achievement of the World Goals.
The project is expected to start in January 2023 and the first interns will be sent off in the spring of 2023.
the average life expectancy in Sierra Leone is approx. 50 years - one of the lowest in the world
