It was a proud day for the students of Sri Sri University (SSU), Cuttack to have the event of changing of the Office bearers of the Engineers without Border (EWB) chapteron February 28th , 2015. EWB is an international NGO focusing on areas of sustainable development in the 4 areas Sanitation, Drinking water, Energy and Waste management.
The session began with auspicious Guru Pooja followed by the Vice-Chancellor Dr. KC Mishra addressing to the students. He opened his speech with a good news that the Bhalunka village which the students of Masters in Good governance and Public Policy had adopted is amongst the 20,000 villages included in the Model Village list of the Government of India as stated in the budget today. He also advised the students the necessity of empowering the people along with the right intentions and commitment. He said that social work is not about charity but is about empowerment. He further explained that how empowerment can be brought about not only giving assets to the needy but also by giving them proper skill and intention to use them for their livelihood. He shared a beautiful algorithm to structure the un-structure and then do a DENT (Discuss, Evolve, Negotiate and Train). Lastly he emphasized the need of committed Micromanagement of social projects for their sustenance.
Then Dr. Ashok Agarwal, Director of EWB India was fascinated by the passion and enthusiasm of the students. He appreciated the culture of the university which is the integration of ancient values with modern management. He introduced how EWB started its journey in India with its prime motive as empowering, as he believes teaching how to fish is more important than just feeding it. He expressed his concern over lack of proper sanitation and drinking water facilities still existing in many rural areas in spite of India being one of the fastest growing economies. He encouraged students to start by initiating small projects and ensuring sustainability for at-least 3 years. He emphasized on winning the trust of the villagers as the key for operation and sustenance. He threw lime light on Social Entrepreneurship and inspired students to take up projects in this line and ensuring a balance between, being structured and innovation. He inspired student by saying that regardless of background, the level of experience and expertise one has, if you have an idea that has a big impact and a passion to pursue it, there is some out there fund you.
He measured his success by his ability to change the mindsets of young Engineer and MBA graduates to make them empathetic and socially conscious.
Later the EWB team of SSU with Dr. Ashok Agarwal visited the Bhalunka village to discuss the future plans and strategies
