Catholic Engineering Corps

Catholic Engineering Corps Announcement

Finally, a Roman Catholic organization that has the technical expertise to ensure that development projects are done sustainably and collaboratively with communities served. Catholic Engineering Corps (CEC) brings the love of Christ while providing long-lasting engineering to those who need it in the U.S. and abroad.

For over half a century, the international development sector has poured billions of dollars into the developing world to improve the lives of the poor. However, according to the Water For Life Rating, 35-50% of these projects fail. Additionally, most of these infrastructure projects were never intended to bring the love of Jesus with their humanitarian aid. Catholic Engineering Corps (CEC) is improving people's lives in developing communities through participation in high-quality engineering projects, while intentionally providing the love of God to those who need it. Additionally, CEC volunteers meet the needs of Jesus’ forgotten while working alongside fellow disciples, and gain the skills and knowledge necessary to play a leadership role in 21st century society. Volunteers grow in their walk with God, increasing their evangelization skills, gaining technical proficiency, understanding the global environment, experiencing cultural diversity, learning how to lead and manage, and thinking holistically and sustainability. These fruits are demonstrated and verified by successful CEC project work in communities as well as in the spiritual development of both partners and volunteers.

There is a national and international need for this type of Christian engineering capable of addressing current and future global challenges, both spiritual and physical. Today, billions of people suffer without adequate water, sanitation, housing, and power. Many of these same people have lost their hope in God due to extreme poverty, war, and a lack of authentic Catholic evangelization. Envision a future where thousands of Catholic Christian volunteers undertake and successfully complete sustainable development projects while bringing Christ to others and drawing closer to Him themselves.

Why the Catholic Engineering Corps organization?

Currently, there are many humanitarian development organizations, some of which are Christian. Yet few, if any, of these development organizations have the technical skills to ensure that work is done sustainably and with the community. These organizations seek the expertise of the Catholic Engineering Corps for their projects due to our unique skills and Christian perspective. CEC volunteers are experts in engineering, are ethically grounded, have a service mentality, and take a collaborative multidisciplinary approach. They are self-starters who appreciate experience, are global in thinking, have cultural dexterity, and are team players. CEC is specifically designed to address the needs of humanitarian development with Jesus’ heart.

What does the Catholic Engineering Corps organization look like?

CEC consists of a small group of staff that coordinates development projects in the U.S. and abroad. Teams of volunteers, including engineers, architects, public health experts, sociologists, and anthropologists, travel to project sites to complete the work. This is an organization with a uniquely Catholic Christian perspective. It includes both student and professional volunteers. It includes structures to evaluate proposed community programs as well as designs for engineering projects. Projects include all fields of engineering, including water, sanitation, structures (buildings, bridges), civil works (flood control, road repair), agriculture, energy, and information technology. Projects consist of both long-term development and emergency aid.

How does the Catholic Engineering Corps organization work?

Community Request: A community or organization requests the assistance of CEC to meet a technical necessity in their area. This request is formalized with a completed Program Application which could include one or more projects.
Application Review: This application is reviewed by a committee to ensure that the proposed program and partner organization coincide with CEC’s mission and vision. The receiving community signs a letter of intent to provide financial and in-kind contributions to the program to ensure long-term ownership of the projects.
Partnership: CEC then signs an agreement with the community, the partner organization, and the local government to work with the community for an average of seven years to complete the project or projects within the accepted community program. Once the program is accepted, a CEC staff member is assigned to the first project to oversee the work from assessment to design to construction to monitoring to closeout.
Assessment: The staff works with a team of volunteers who travel to the site with local partners to assess the problem and check that the program is a good fit between the community and CEC.
Design: The team then designs a solution to the community’s problem. This process includes constant communication with the community and local partners to ensure that the design chosen is picked by the community from a range of options offered by CEC. Once the design is complete it is submitted to all partners for review.
Implementation: Once approved, the project is then constructed by the community and volunteer team with the necessary skills to complete the project.
Monitoring: The project is then monitored at least once a year following construction completion to check if it is still working according to design.
Evaluation: The entire program is evaluated from beginning to end to see what change has occurred in the community, positive or negative, how CEC has contributed to that change, and what can be learned from the program for the community to improve CEC’s work.

CEC is also called upon to provide technical expertise or disaster response skills to other development organizations. These organizations apply to CEC for assistance with a Technical Assistance Request. If the request is in line with CEC’s mission and vision, CEC puts together a team of volunteers and staff experts and completes the requested assistance.

Request more information on the Catholic Engineering Corps organization

Interested in learning more?

Contact Joshua Knight at Joshua.Knight@GlobalAssociates.org, +1-303-919-2872.