Technology company Trimble has expanded its partnership with the Engineers Without Borders network to fund an 18-month infrastructure project in eastern Uganda.
The collaboration, facilitated by Engineers Without Borders (EWB) International, builds on Trimble’s existing support for the charity’s US operations, which has included technology donations to student chapters, and financial grants for disaster relief and climate resiliency work through the Trimble Foundation Fund.
The expanded partnership adds a monetary donation, hardware, software and training expertise for international projects, marking the company’s first major push beyond the US.
The first initiative under the deal is being delivered with EWB East Africa and centres on a specific problem: unlocking local government funds that district parishes cannot currently access.
Up to 70% of the population in the project area lacks access to safe water, quality sanitation, reliable energy and education facilities. Local funds exist to address this, but parishes lack the data, tools and engineering capacity to draw on them.
Peter Nzabanita of EWB East Africa said: “Working with Trimble can help unlock these funds and deliver essential master plans, financial models and engineering skills at the required scale. This scale is crucial for creating opportunities that lead to sustained impact, including training programmes that generate a local talent pipeline and government engagement for continued accountability and investment.”
The project runs across three phases. The first covers technical baseline surveys and infrastructure mapping using Trimble’s positioning and GIS software, along with drone support, alongside the recruitment and training of 40 local youth enumerators to carry out a population census.
Later phases will cover feasibility and technical audits, co-design with community leaders, and financial modelling and cost-benefit analysis, with the resulting data used in stakeholder presentations aimed at attracting commercial investment, including public-private partnerships.
The second phase also includes a ‘Buildathon’ event bringing together Trimble teams, customers and partners to provide practical, hands-on assistance. Trimble and education partner Panelle are also forming a working group of female leaders from construction and engineering to help shape the initiative.
Sumele Adelana, product marketing leader for architecture and design at Trimble, said: “The critical infrastructure project in Eastern Uganda marks an ideal commencement for the expanded collaboration between Trimble and the Engineers Without Borders network. By assisting local communities in developing engineering plans to secure funding, we can empower them to address their critical infrastructure needs both now and in the future.”
The global Engineers Without Borders network, established some 40 years ago, spans more than 50 organisations across Africa, Asia, the Pacific, the Middle East, Europe, and North, South and Central America.
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