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CORVALLIS, Ore. - Imagine having a friend in a developing country who must walk for hours to collect water, then haul it back home over steep, rocky terrain - only to get sick after drinking or cooking with it. Now imagine you have the capability and knowledge to improve your friend's situation.

In late March, three Oregon State University engineering students and an industry professional traveled to the Ahuachapan region of El Salvador to begin building a water delivery and cleansing system for the rural communities of Las Mercedes and El Naranjito. The area is several miles from a reliable water source and village women and children spend much of their days hauling water for basic needs.

Freshmen chemical engineering student Kelly Wilson, from Aurora; Evan Miles, a junior in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, from Beaverton; Vanessa Varbel, a senior in the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, from Eugene; and James Nusrala, a professional engineer from the Water Quality Division of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, are performing an initial site survey and water sampling, and develop working relationships with the individuals who live in the affected communities.

Facilitating the project is the OSU student chapter of Engineers Without Borders, an organization that at the college level is focused on developing internationally responsible engineering students while undertaking sustainable engineering projects around the globe.

"This seemed like a community that could use our help, and a project that would allow us to use the skills we've built in our classes," said Beth McNair, president of OSU's student chapter. "The area has great potential for the establishment of a long-term relationship beyond a solitary project."

All three students traveling to El Salvador speak Spanish, and McNair said that played a large role in selecting the trio from the more than 30 students involved in the OSU chapter. "We'd like people to know that there are a large group of us here at Oregon State interested in doing community projects at home as well as abroad," she said. "We're here and we're ready to work.