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Video: Cameroon Catalyst leads the next generation of engineers

Cameroon Catalyst: Former Southampton University students help graduates gain globally transferable skills to drive diverse career opportunities.

Update: Cameroon Catalyst founder Claire Gott of WSP awarded MBE in the Queen's 2015 New Year Honours.

In an age where industry experience is a key driver for the success of the next generation of engineers, a charity set up by former University of Southampton students may have the formula to ensure graduates gain globally transferable skills and more diverse career opportunities.

Cameroon Catalyst is an international development charity which has been inspiring engineering students for the past five years. This week it launched a new video designed to inspire support for its vital projects.

Cameroon Catalyst impacts the quality of life of villagers in Cameroon and is helping to inspire the next generation of engineers here in the UK – as well as making them more employable." Claire Gott, Cameroon Catalyst co-founder.

The charity is predominantly run by current and former civil engineering students. The charity’s main aim is to deliver community-led infrastructure development projects to end extreme poverty and create lasting change for rural communities in Cameroon.

"It’s something I’m very passionate about," explained charity co-founder, WSP engineer Claire Gott.  "Both because of its impact on the quality of life of villagers in Cameroon and also because it is helping to inspire the next generation of engineers here in the UK – as well as making them more employable."

Cameroon is located in the western part of the Central Africa region.  It’s environmental, epidemiological and geographical challenges, including low-productivity of agriculture, a high disease burden and high transport costs, render Cameroon vulnerable to persistent extreme poverty.

Each project carried out by Cameroon Catalyst uses a bottom-up approach to deliver interventions spanning six key sectors: health; education; business; energy; water and sanitation and roads.  Phase one of the project has already been implemented in the village of Bambouti, in the North East of Cameroon.

At the project outset, Bambouti, was experiencing levels of extreme poverty, underdevelopment, and poor health.  Child mortality rates were over 40% and at least 20% of children were undernourished, placing the village far below national averages. 

There was no mains running water, electricity or waste disposal. Recently recognised by the Institution of Structural Engineers for demonstrating best practice, the transformation of Bambouti has reduced the child death rate to just 1 per year and a 60% increase in school attendance. 

Cameroon Catalyst’s work in Bambouti implemented since 2009 has shown that the basic concept of an integrated approach to community-led design and infrastructure development is realistic.

Cameroon Catalyst has so far attracted industrial sponsorship from partners including WSP, Costain and Arup

The benefits of such projects have not gone unnoticed by industry leaders; Cameroon Catalyst has so far attracted industrial sponsorship from partners including WSP, Costain and Arup; which not only helps ensure that projects are funded sufficiently but also encourages engagement between industry and academia. 

The engineering students, who are involved in the projects from cradle to grave, get hands on experience in technical and project management tasks, developing both design and construction skills and the ability to work in varied working conditions.  

Working in partnership with Article 25, Cameroon Catalyst has now embarked on the next five year model with an additional new student chapter at the University of Birmingham and will spend the next 10 months delivering water and sanitation projects across three new villages in North East Cameroon.

http://www.camerooncatalyst.org

If you would like to contact Antony Oliver about this, or any other story, please email antony.oliver@infrastructure-intelligence.com.