Community Engineering Corps (CECorps) works to build a future where everyone has access to the engineering resources required to live a life of opportunity. Currently, more than 11.6% (37.9 million) of the US population falls below the poverty line. These poverty-stricken communities are scattered across the country – from rural communities to urban environments - and face daily challenges associated with being ill equipped both financially and technically to address their failing infrastructure needs.
There are over 2 million Americans who live without running water and basic plumbing, and Black, Lantix, and Native American households are disproportionately impacted by this lack of adequate infrastructure. This challenge presents an opportunity for technical professionals to volunteer to work together with these communities on the development of solutions that help them secure their right to safe, accessible, and affordable drinking water and sanitation.
Community Engineering Corps (CECorps) is a partnership between the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Water Works Association, and Engineers Without Borders USA that utilizes a co-creation model where communities leverage the expertise and humanity found within our alliance partner organizations to gain access to improved infrastructure. This session features an informational presentation about the CECorps program and ASCE’s involvement, followed by a case study highlighting the work being done by CECorps volunteers in an effort to move the needle on water and sanitation justice for underserved communities in the US and bridge the infrastructure access gap.
