ITT expands partnership with Engineers Without Borders for 2015
Company will help fund two vital infrastructure projects during upcoming year
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., – ITT Corporation (NYSE: ITT) has announced an expansion of the company's partnership with Engineers Without Borders (EWB) through a commitment for the 2015 year. Two separate donations will help fund the construction of a school in Camilo Ortega, Nicaragua, and the continued implementation of a modern irrigation system at the Santa Maria orphanage in Mexico.
The expansion comes after a successful year-long partnership between ITT and the University of Washington's EWB chapter helped fund an energy infrastructure project in Mekelle, Ethiopia.
"We are proud to continue working with Engineers Without Borders in order to help the organization's volunteers provide much-needed assistance to underserved communities around the world," said Jenny Schiavone, vice president and chief communications officer for ITT. "EWB's commitment to using infrastructure as a force for good resonates with the work we do every day at ITT, and we are grateful for the opportunity to grow this connection."
The Camilo Ortega and Santa Maria projects are led by EWB student chapters from California Polytechnical State University (Cal Poly) and Carroll College, respectively. Both teams have been working in their respective communities for a number of years and have built strong relationships with local residents and officials.
ITT was drawn to the Camilo Ortega project based on this overwhelming community support and engagement. Since the Cal Poly team first arrived six years ago, the need for a local, safe and affordable educational environment was clear, and now the student group and community members are building the village's first public school.
The second project, led by engineering students at Montana's Carroll College, will focus on installing a modern irrigation system for the Santa Maria orphanage in Mexico. With the goal of local sustainable development and economic empowerment, the irrigation system will allow the children to harvest crops and spices – for both use and sale. Through a partnership with Carroll called "Spices for College," spices harvested at the site will be sold on college campuses across the U.S. – providing the children the financial means to pursue an education themselves.
"ITT's grants will enable members of the student teams to continue providing critical services and infrastructure improvements, as well as allow our employees to engage and contribute to the important work being done," Schiavone said. "These philanthropic efforts resonate throughout the company and bring tangible examples of engineering's importance in all of our lives."
ITT launched its official partnership with EWB – a non-profit organization that supports community-driven development programs worldwide – in 2012. Since then, ITT has helped fund projects in communities around the world.
In 2012, ITT helped fund a project in Usalama, Kenya, led by the EWB-New York Professionals Chapter. The project included infrastructure improvements to provide basic human services to the village. In 2013, ITT helped fund a project led by students at the Washington University in St. Louis to provide energy infrastructure improvements at the Mekelle School for the Blind, located in Mekelle, Ethiopia.
"The growth of ITT's partnership with EWB exemplifies the positive impact that companies can have on disadvantaged communities around the world," said Cathy Leslie, Executive Director of EWB-USA. "ITT's support will help bring both of these projects closer to completion, and we look forward to working with ITT into the future."