Sustainable poverty alleviation - changing role for engineers

A significant proportion of volunteer engineers are involved with poverty alleviation in the developing world. Such work invariably involves a contribution from professional engineers, whether voluntary or otherwise, However there is an increasing clanger of using good engineering to support pool policy. The role of engineers Is important, but they must work in collaboration with other professionals If long-lasting solutions are to be achieved. As illustrated by the case studies in this paper, sustained alleviation of poverty through implementation of infrastructure solutions requires careful attention to under-lying social, economic and political influences.