Clean water is without a doubt one of the most essential resources for the maintenance of a healthy and stable community. The lack of access to clean water in the developing world is one of the issues with which Columbus Council on World Affairs member and volunteer Dave Pritchard is most concerned. Pritchard discovered his interest in international development while volunteering for the Peace Corps in the ‘60s. Not only did he find the adventure that he sought overseas, he also learned how to adapt to different cultures and living environments. To date, Pritchard has done volunteer work in Iran, Trinidad, Romania, Mali, Cameroon, and El Salvador.
Dave Pritchard has been volunteering for the Council and attending its events for over a decade. What makes the Council so intriguing, he said, is that it provides an opportunity to network with people who share common interests. He added that it can sometimes be difficult to generate much interest in international issues in the Midwest, but the Council provides a convenient forum for discussion, helps build interest in international matters, and markets the need for a global understanding.
On a local scale, interest in international issues can have an impact on Ohio’s future, says Pritchard. If community members pressure their representatives in Congress to work harder to solve international issues and draw national attention to the development of third-world countries, this would create additional markets in newly-thriving locales. This would lead to expanded business opportunities for Ohioans and all Americans. “We have to make [the change], not hope for it,” said Pritchard.
Today, Pritchard dedicates most of his time to international development through Engineers Without Borders (EWB), an organization that works to assist developing countries in resource application for better transportation, sanitation, and general community infrastructure. With better technology, communities can make the most of their own resources. Many developing nations rely on NGO funding to improve sanitation, but EWB works to help train and educate community members so that they can be self-sufficient in the future. We can also help these countries by exporting manufacturing and building tourism, where applicable. It is not sustainable for these countries to rely on loans that they may never be able to repay; in reality, they need to be building a community that can help itself.
Oded Shenkar, a friend of Pritchard’s and business professor at Ohio State, has addressed CCWA members as a keynote speaker. He told Pritchard of his concerns with the lack of demand for international business classes. It is vital that future generations develop an interest in international development issues, stressed Pritchard, and this speaks to the importance of the Council’s youth programs. It is through organizations like the CCWA that an interest in international issues can be built in junior high and high school students and they can learn how to seize the opportunities to work in international business, even in the Columbus area. “Optimism is what groups like the Council can make happen,” Pritchard said, explaining that the future lies in the hands of these students.
This summer, Pritchard volunteered with CCWA to help deliver a Culture Camp session, where he spoke to middle school students about the importance of fresh water and international development and demonstrated how a water bottle can serve as a rudimentary water filter. Students were able to do hands on activities and learn for themselves how inexpensive and easy it is to filter out sand from drinking water.
Pritchard has worked extensively with college-aged students, as well. A student branch of Engineers Without Borders was created two years ago at Ohio State and now comprises about 100 engineering students. Their biggest project to date has been the construction of latrines in a small village in El Salvador. It is their enthusiasm that inspires older working or retired engineers to commit themselves to international projects, Pritchard noted. The organization has grown drastically over the last few years due to the upsurge in interest from young people.
Student involvement in international projects not only helps to foster their interests in future work, it also builds a future workforce with international travel experience. It is important for Columbus to produce college graduates who are comfortable adjusting to unfamiliar and potentially difficult living accommodations, who know how to operate in a challenging environment and communicate with people across different cultures. If organizations like the Columbus Council on World Affairs and Engineers Without Borders continue to work together to foster local interest in international growth and sustainability, there is surely a bright future ahead for developing countries and their citizens.
- Justice Evelyn L. Stratton,
Ohio Supreme Court Justice