Civil Engineering Volunteerism: Assisting Developing Countries Stem the Tide of Economic Migration

African economic migrants continue to pour into the European Union (EU) in huge numbers. News stories focus on their dangerous journey, burgeoning migrant camps, and the economic and political consequences to the EU. Little publicity is given to the devastating impacts on the developing countries contributing the migrants. These countries face enormous challenges including joblessness, abject poverty, and human suffering. The loss of educated and ambitious young people to economic migration only exacerbates these challenges, leaving a bleak outlook for the countries left behind. To stem the tide of migration requires economic opportunities for the youth, which in turn requires a resilient and robust infrastructure system (transportation, water supply, power generation and distribution, etc.) that will contribute to economic investment and expansion. Civil engineering volunteers have the skill set to contribute greatly to the development of these countries and help alleviate human suffering. Indeed, the ASCE Code of Ethics calls upon its members to promote the public welfare. The avenues for involvement are numerous, and the resulting benefits are immeasurable.

Farhan was one of the best students in his master’s program. He lived in an East African country and was totally engaged in his engineering management major. The goal of the program was to produce graduates who would open technical businesses and employ some of the many engineering and technology graduates that are unemployed in the country.

Unfortunately, that desirable scenario failed to materialize. Farhan fled the country within months of his graduation, heading for Europe. He is now in an Austrian refugee camp. The trip cost him and his family nearly $10,000: Payments to human traffickers and kidnappers along his migration route. The kidnappers often grab these migrants after a border crossing, make the abductee call their relatives on their cell phones, and extort a ransom for their release or risk torture, slavery, or death (“Raped, imprisoned, beaten: Migrants reveal their perilous journeys to Europe” 2016; Jacobsen et al. 2013). Farhan has a bullet wound in his leg from his attempt to flee one group of ransom seekers. His future looks bleak unless he can find a job as a construction worker, waiter, taxi driver, or factory worker (Houghtalen 2015).

This story is not unusual. Millions of people (often young, educated men and women) migrate from developing countries in Africa to Europe each year (Okello 2016; Kassar et al. 2014). The routes taken by the migrants are well documented as shown in Fig. 1. The reasons for the highly dangerous journeys are numerous: religious persecution, political oppression/instability, forced military service, corruption and tribalism in hiring practices, and reunification with family/friends already in Europe, to name a few. However, the most common reason is economic migration; to obtain employment, to advance their professional prospect, and to improve their standard of living (Ratha et al. 2011; Okello 2016; Kassar et al. 2014).

Many independent scholars believe that this economic migration is harmful to the countries they are leaving (Ratha et al. 2011). Okello (2016) states, “It is difficult to deny that migration to Europe is robbing Africa not only of its young but also its future. Some of the migrants are a highly-skilled labour resource that has been trained at a tremendous cost to the countries of origin.” Even South Africa is experiencing this problem (Bezuidenhout et al. 2009). Leaders of these African countries believe that it is detrimental to the future of their country (Deutsche Welle 2015). One may ask about the demographics of those who leave. Are they primarily the young, educated, ambitious, and risk-takers? If so, these are the type of people that you need the most to build a nation.

There is a significant amount of internal migration of Africans within the continent, but a huge number of Africans migrate to the member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). African immigrants comprise more than a quarter of the total number of migrants living in the European Union Countries (EU27). This can be attributed to the geographical proximity and cultural and colonial ties of Africa to these EU member countries (David and Jean-Noël 2016). Immigration into OECD countries has accelerated rapidly in the last few decades. A nearly 50% increase in the number of African immigrants to OECD countries occurred in the decade from 2000 to 2010 (Arslan et al. 2014). Furthermore, among the African immigrants to OECD countries, emigration rates of the highly educated are larger than the total emigration rates (Arslan et al. 2014; David and Jean-Noël 2016). In addition, the percentage of high-skilled and skilled immigrants, irrespective of their gender, is higher than that of the less-skilled or unskilled ones. On average, around 25% of the African immigrants to OECD countries are highly skilled. Fig. 2 shows the percentage of immigrants of age 15 years or older by education level for the years 2000/2001 and 2010/2011. It can be observed from this figure that the medium-to-highly educated immigrants make up about 55% of the total for both genders. In the figure, low education refers to less than upper secondary, medium education to upper secondary, and high education to tertiary or postsecondary education (Arslan et al. 2014). Clearly, immigration is draining Africa of its most valuable and precious development catalyst, which is its highly educated and highly skilled human resource.

The United Nations and international nongovernment organizations (INGOs) continue in their efforts to thwart the trend, but the migration crisis is continuing to escalate. With so much at stake, a question needs to be asked, “Can civil engineers play a role in helping developing countries stem the tide of economic migration and the loss of their young talent and future potential?”

At the end of the 20th century, the United Nations recognized that not nearly enough progress had been made to eradicate extreme poverty in the developing world. At the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000, all 189 member nations adopted the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs, Fig. 3) with a target achievement date of 2015 (United Nations General Assembly 2000, 2015). While many of the goals are directly related to human health and primary education, Goal Number 8 (Global Partnership for Development) was the key to achieving all other goals. Development is not possible without engineering expertise in planning, design, and construction. The subsequent UNESCO (2010) report stated that “community infrastructure is key to alleviating poverty and thus engineers have a vital role to play in all the MDGs.”

By 2015, the United Nations, its member nations, and contributing partners had made progress toward the MDGs, but much was left unaccomplished. Thus, another set of goals was adopted to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all: the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, United Nations General Assembly 2015). There are 17 SDGs (Fig. 4), but again economic development requiring sustainable civil engineering infrastructure is necessary if these goals are to be met. Unlike the MDGs, the SDGs specifically identified an acute need for physical infrastructure to accomplish these broader goals: clean water and sanitation (Number 6), affordable and clean energy (Number 7), industry innovation and infrastructure (Number 9), and sustainable cities and communities (Number 11).

Clearly civil engineers must play a vital role in achieving the SDGs. In response to the engineering needs of developing nations, UNESCO (2010) produced their first international engineering report. It calls for significant investment in the infrastructure of these countries. This will require enhanced engineering capacity accompanied by related research and development. However, the needs are much greater than mere construction projects. College enrollment and interest in engineering, science, and technology in developing countries have declined among young people, particularly among women. When this is combined with the brain drain, young people with technical backgrounds fleeing to the West, the problem is exacerbated.

Harrison et al. (2014) agree with this dire outlook by stating that the lack of good infrastructure is a huge disadvantage to the developing countries in Africa. Fox (2015) states, “Everyone agrees that Africa desperately needs to build more and better infrastructure. A lack of energy, roads and railways holds back the continent’s people and businesses, reducing economic growth by 2% each year and productivity by up to 40%.” Kaberuka (2011) concurs with the great need for infrastructure, but says there is renewed hope because of African governments’ recognition and political will to attack the problem.

Canon 1 of the ASCE Code of Ethics states, “Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public and shall strive to comply with the principles of sustainable development” (ASCE 2016a, b). While this is familiar to most civil engineers, the focus is often on safety and health, but less so on welfare. These paramount objectives are directed toward the public that is often localized and rarely generalized. Friedman (2005) reminds everyone in his best-selling book The world is flat that global is increasingly local, outreach and economic interdependence promotes peaceful relationships between countries, and constructive collaboration is increasingly available to everyone through the Internet. In addition, sustainable development is arguably as much a global concern as it is a local concern.

Canon 7 of the ASCE Code of Ethics states, “Engineers shall continue their professional development throughout their careers…” As the world becomes increasingly flat, interdependent, and multicultural, the meaning of professional development broadens far beyond technical competence. Engineers need to become socially and culturally savvy to serve an increasingly diverse public. This includes recognition of the plight of people in the developing world. Montgomery et al. (2008) identify many examples of private infrastructure company employees engaged in voluntary, community investment programs in the developing countries. They are striving to promote economic development, reduce poverty, and protect the environment. Griggs (2013) exhorts civil engineers to become good leaders by first becoming good citizens and investing themselves in public welfare. He affirms that engineers are “now engaged in a global economy” and “in their careers must strive to do as much good for as many people as possible. In so doing, they will, ultimately, be rewarded appropriately.”

Abi-Karam (2000) states unequivocally, “As humans first and engineers second, we must help our fellow humans to a better life. We must routinely volunteer our talents—not just in times of disaster—to help our local communities and the larger society. During the 1900s we (i.e., U.S. engineers) proudly built an enormous infrastructure of highways, airports, dams, and buildings in this country. It is time to help others in developing countries achieve the same milestones. This role is becoming more urgent as global boundaries are opening and we can see the magnitude of human suffering abroad.”

Clearly other civil engineers agree with the call for action so eloquently stated by Abi-Karam. This led to the establishment of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) and other organizations that serve the world’s poor using the technical skills of their members. Michigan Tech (2016) offers an intriguing engineering master’s degree focused on international development. The multidisciplinary program contains a 2-year Peace Corps (2016) experience sandwiched in between traditional classroom instruction (technical and cultural). So how can civil engineers plug into international service opportunities? In what stage of their careers are they the most useful?

A multitude of platforms are available for civil engineers to invest their time and talents to improve the plight of the world’s poorest and most desperate citizens. Interestingly, these platforms are available throughout their careers, from students to retirees. For example, civil engineering students can contribute to the welfare of the developing world through capstone engineering projects (Bristow et al. 2013; Marsolek et al. 2012; Aidoo et al. 2008, 2012, 2014) and student chapters of ASCE and EWB. Fresh civil engineering graduates are highly sought after by programs like the Peace Corps and INGOs (UNESCO 2010; Harrison et al. 2014). Civil engineers who are fully employed with limited time off may volunteer their time and expertise through organizations such as Engineering Ministries International (EMI 2016) and EWB (EWB-USA 2016). Retired civil engineers have more time for any of the aforementioned platforms along with an abundance of expertise that makes them extremely valuable and productive.

All of the authors have been involved in developing world outreach. Their platforms, timing, location, and type of outreach are quite diverse, but provide some insight into the opportunities available to those willing to engage in civil engineering volunteerism. They do not claim to have any special talents and skills other than their technical backgrounds. Table 1 provides a snapshot of the types of outreach that are possible and the great need for civil engineering experience that can be utilized to promote infrastructure development to a needy world.

Civil engineering volunteers, working in concert with local engineers and agencies in developing countries, will contribute greatly toward the achievement of the United Nations SDGs. In addition, technology and knowledge transfer to indigenous engineers provides long-range benefits toward future development and job creation. As this happens, more technical graduates will find work and slow the flow of economic migration.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of civil engineering volunteerism is to the volunteer. It is hard to measure the sense of personal fulfillment that comes with this type of community service. As previously mentioned, the ASCE Code of Ethics speaks directly to promoting the public welfare and much of the world is a victim of ravishing poverty. These conditions are directly linked to unsustainable or nonexistent infrastructure like water and sanitation systems. Civil engineers are ideally equipped to contribute to the solution of these problems while gaining the type of professional development that is as important as technical competence. It is gratifying to see international volunteerism being acknowledged by the National Council of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCEES 2016) and ASCE through their Committee on Volunteer Community Service (ASCE 2016a).

Solving technical problems while being immersed in a foreign culture provides many opportunities for a person to grow both professionally and personally. Removing many of the support structures that engineers rely on for design forces them to return to the basics of the creative, problem-solving process. For those in education, developing countries are very appreciative of visiting professors supporting their academic institutions with expanded technical topics, increased rigor, and applied research initiatives. Delivering quality instruction in an environment that has limited monetary and information technology support forces a person to sharpen their skills as a teacher. Whether in academe or professional practice, the expanded world view of the engineer returning from one of these voluntary experiences yields dividends in relating to Western society with its increasing multicultural co-workers and clients. There is a renewed appreciation for the resources engineers have in the West and a commitment to use them in a more sustainable way. Volunteering for a developing world assignment is often an intense experience, but produces lifelong professional growth and new friendships from a vast array of cultures.

Civil engineering volunteerism should not end upon your return home. To truly leverage the experience, volunteers should be willing to speak to civic clubs, at ASCE conferences, and most of all, to student groups. “As humans first and engineers second, we must help our fellow humans to a better life. We must routinely volunteer our talents—not just in times of disaster—to help our local communities and the larger society” (Abi-Karam 2000).

The authors would like to acknowledge ASCE, EWB, EMI, and many other organizations that have contributed opportunities for them to serve overseas and grow as professional engineers.