Analyzing Social Justice Issues in Timor-Leste: EWB Challenge Essay

This sociology essay examines social justice issues within the context of the Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Challenge in the Manufahi district of Timor-Leste. It focuses on the challenges of providing better water supply, improving living conditions, and building resilience to climate issues, particularly highlighting health and hygiene. The essay explores the root causes of social injustice, such as the lack of safe water and inadequate health management, and the role of foreign aid in addressing these problems. It discusses the impact of the EWB project, including efforts to improve menstrual hygiene, sanitation, and promote handwashing. The essay also analyzes the perspectives of local communities, influential figures, and the importance of empowering women. The essay concludes by emphasizing the significance of sustainable development, international partnerships, and the overall impact of the EWB Challenge in improving the well-being of the people in Timor-Leste. The essay also covers the impact of social media and the effectiveness of foreign aid.

Running head: SOCIOLOGY
Sociology
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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The aim of the following essay is to discuss upon the social justice issues regarding the
EWB Challenge that has concerns regarding the well being of the common people in Suco
Holarua in the Manufahi district of Timor-Leste. This EWB Challenge of 2019 had been
launched in order to provide the common people of those areas to provide better water supply,
give them better opportunities to live in this society and make them resilient to climate issues
within their society. One of the challenges regarding their project topics is better health and
hygiene for those people.1 The engineers have identified that there are high needs for those
people to be provided with better systems for keeping better hygiene. The impact of foreign on
improving the life of community will be discussed. The ways they suffer can get rid of these
problems will be assessed by finding out the root causes of the system.
The social injustice that has been chosen in this paper is the health management. The lack
of proper opportunities for maintaining health and hygiene was one of the biggest issues for the
community in Timor-Leste. The lack of safe water has been regarded as one of the most
influential issues that should be resolved by any means. This injustice is prevalent in most cases
as of now. So it is quite clear that EWB Challenge 2019 has opted to make the required changes
within the community so people of the community can be provided with better water quality and
hygiene management. The engineers without borders have taken up the responsibility to provide
the common people of this region to provide with all necessary facilities that will cater to their
benefit. The beneficiaries of this problem are the powerful and influential people in the country
who look to alienate the poor people from the mainstream society. This is why it is highly
1 Ewbchallenge.org. 2019. "EWB Challenge". Ewbchallenge.Org. https://ewbchallenge.org/.

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needed to provide the best resources to these unfortunate poor people so they could thrive in this
severe condition and go through a sustainable development.2
The root causes of this injustice might be due to the geographic location of this region.
The economic distribution and welfare has not taken place at this place properly as critics have
assessed the situation. Therefore, proper measures should be taken to ensure that reliable supply
of good quality water can be provided to the common people to maintain a better hygiene. This
EWB project will alos be able to provide better infrastructure for securing environment-friendly
hygiene management practices. So, experts have felt that engineers of the project will look to
analyze the situation properly and stop embarrassment of women. This can be achieved by
providing women to manage the proper menstrual hygiene to keep women safe of infected
diseases. Engineers have focused on the fact that they should make arrangements for the
distribution of the hygienic sanitary pads to the women. This should keep out the infection.
Engineers in this project are also given with the responsibility to make people understand
that hand washing is an important process through which many infections could be spread. So,
experts are of the opinion that people in this region of Manufahi district of Timor- Leste should
be given opportunities to use the toilet block structure. This will give it a better cope for
development and maintain better hygiene among people. On the other hand, some critics have
opined that influential people and some political leaders have planned to keep this region
secluded for their political benefits. They view the people of this region to be unproductive hence
they should not be given proper opportunities for development. The matter of fact is they belong
2 Klotz, Leidy, Geoff Potvin, Allison Godwin, Jennifer Cribbs, Zahra Hazari, and Nicole Barclay. "Sustainability as
a route to broadening participation in engineering." Journal of engineering education 103, no. 1 (2014): 137-153.

3SOCIOLOGY
to the federal structure of the country and them, too, have the right to be provided with several
facilities and opportunities that native people get.3
The EWB engineers are always up for this challenge to make the proper betterments in
this region and they will look to confront all of these injustices. This might have been caused or
this situation might have come up as an attempt to repress the minority groups within the
country. This is why critics are of the opinion that this challenge has been taken up by the EWB
engineers will be helpful for those numerous minority people in distress. The local communities
have been interested to send the aid to these regions but they have not been able to do so because
of lack of interest of Government. However, it is sure that better opportunities would surely have
made this region flourish properly. This could have resulted in economic growth of the country
as well.
In these circumstances, one of the most effective things for the success of this project is
foreign aid. One of the foreign aids came from BHP Billiton as they provided natural resources
to provide the distressed people of the region with the opportunity to make the most of the
situation.4 Therefore, their contribution is definitely commendable in all sorts. Another aspect
can be put up in this discussion is not giving women with proper power. This is why proper
health and hygiene standards have been a challenge for those engineers. If the menstrual hygiene
3 Ecu.au.libguides.com. 2019. "Libguides: Engineers Without Borders Challenge 2019: EWB
Challenge". Ecu.Au.Libguides.Com. https://ecu.au.libguides.com/ewb-challenge/information.
4 Carroll-Bell, Sam. "Development alternatives in Timor-Leste: recasting modes of local engagement." Bijdragen tot
de taal-, land-en volkenkunde/Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences of Southeast Asia 171, no. 2-3 (2015):
312-345.

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management can be made better, it would give away to empowerment of women. Gender
equality will also be provided through this step.5 Therefore, critics have opined that it is very
much necessary to promote the empowerment of women through those projects. If women are
empowered and they are given proper health and hygiene facilities, the mortality rates of
children would also decrease. So, it will be highly important in all aspects. There are manifold
benefits if these changes are practiced properly.6 Health experts have opined that this will be
highly beneficial for the development of maternal health as well.
All other diseases could be combated through these changes and projects as implemented
by the EWB engineers. The global partnerships with multinational companies will urge for the
foreign aid in these communities. The effectiveness of this foreign aid depends on the ways This
non-profit organization Engineers Without Borders (EWB) will construct this team with more
than 3000 members who will ensure the success of these projects properly. As per the critics, if
their projects are successful, it will be a huge step towards contributing to the well being of the
people of Timor-Leste and Manufahi village.7 The proper sustainable development of this region
5 Mercer, Mary Anne, Susan M. Thompson, and Rui Maria de Araujo. "The role of international NGOs in health
systems strengthening: The case of Timor-Leste." International Journal of Health Services 44, no. 2 (2014): 323-
335.
6 Ecu.au.libguides.com. 2019. Ecu.Au.Libguides.Com. https://ecu.au.libguides.com/ld.php?content_id=46942045.
7 Mercer, Jessica, Ilan Kelman, Francisco do Rosario, Abilio de Deus de Jesus Lima, Augusto da Silva, Anna‐Maija
Beloff, and Alex McClean. "Nation‐building policies in Timor‐Leste: disaster risk reduction, including climate
change adaptation." Disasters 38, no. 4 (2014): 690-718.

5SOCIOLOGY
will be the main purpose of these projects. The engineers will try very hard to accomplish their
aims. As the critics have highlighted, these social injustices of lack of health and hygiene and
providing less facilities to women of the community have worked as a pivotal battier for the
growth of the communities. The disadvantaged communities residing in the Suco Holarua will be
highly benefitted with the overall success of these projects by EWB engineers.8
This EWB challenge will surely address these issues within the community. If they
provide proper sanitation facilities and water supply to the people in those communities, it will
cater to the needs of those poor people as they do not get any facilities within their region.
Various other international organizations have come up to meet the needs of these disadvantaged
communities.9 The use of the social media is also one of the biggest platforms through which
foreign aids have been sought. Critics have argued that the developments in the sanitation
programs will go on to provide poor people of those communities with what they need. This is
why engineers without borders would like to make the most of the situations in this scenario.10
The foreign aid from the outside communities like many Australian companies will provide
8 Niner, Sara, Jotham Lay, Narelle Warren, M. I. C. H. A. E. L. O'CONNELL, and D. A. N. I. E. L. EDGINGTON ‐
MITCHELL. "How development happens: Safe and sustainable energy, community development projects, and
implementation challenges in Timor‐Leste." Annals of Anthropological Practice42, no. 2 (2018): 68-80.
9 Dibley, Thushara. Partnerships, power and peacebuilding: NGOs as agents of peace in Aceh and Timor-Leste.
Springer, 2014.
10 Barma, Naazneen H., Elisabeth Huybens, and Lorena Viñuela, eds. Institutions taking root: Building state
capacity in challenging contexts. The World Bank, 2014.

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better options for the sustainable development of the communities. Some of the factors that will
ensure that foreign aid will be effective are interest of the local communities, efforts from the
society and other sections. This is why engineers will have to put more effort into this so they
can be highly successful in this matter.11
In the concluding section, it can be said that the EWB Challenge 2019 has been a great
challenging task for the engineers because the main purpose of the engineers would be to provide
the better facilities to the poor and disadvantaged people of Manufahi village in the Timor-Leste.
The poor people there have been deprived of the facilities in the region. This is how the poor
people can be provided with all the facilities and women empowerment could be aggravated. It
has been observed that women in this region have been suffering from menstrual hygienic
problems. Their efforts will surely cater to meet the requirements of these people. Engineers will
be able to solve the issues like child mortality and other hygienic issues in this situation.
11 Neely, Kate. "Developing A Systems Understanding of Rural Water Supply in Timor-Leste." (2016).

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Reference List
Barma, Naazneen H., Elisabeth Huybens, and Lorena Viñuela, eds. Institutions taking root:
Building state capacity in challenging contexts. The World Bank, 2014.
Carroll-Bell, Sam. "Development alternatives in Timor-Leste: recasting modes of local
engagement." Bijdragen tot de taal-, land-en volkenkunde/Journal of the Humanities and Social
Sciences of Southeast Asia 171, no. 2-3 (2015): 312-345.
Dibley, Thushara. Partnerships, power and peacebuilding: NGOs as agents of peace in Aceh and
Timor-Leste. Springer, 2014.
Ecu.au.libguides.com. 2019. "Libguides: Engineers Without Borders Challenge 2019: EWB
Challenge". Ecu.Au.Libguides.Com. https://ecu.au.libguides.com/ewb-challenge/information.
Ecu.au.libguides.com. 2019. Ecu.Au.Libguides.Com. https://ecu.au.libguides.com/ld.php?
content_id=46942045.
Ewbchallenge.org. 2019. "EWB Challenge". Ewbchallenge.Org. https://ewbchallenge.org/.
Klotz, Leidy, Geoff Potvin, Allison Godwin, Jennifer Cribbs, Zahra Hazari, and Nicole Barclay.
"Sustainability as a route to broadening participation in engineering." Journal of engineering
education 103, no. 1 (2014): 137-153.
Mercer, Jessica, Ilan Kelman, Francisco do Rosario, Abilio de Deus de Jesus Lima, Augusto da
Silva, Anna‐Maija Beloff, and Alex McClean. "Nation‐building policies in Timor‐Leste: disaster
risk reduction, including climate change adaptation." Disasters 38, no. 4 (2014): 690-718.

8SOCIOLOGY
Mercer, Mary Anne, Susan M. Thompson, and Rui Maria de Araujo. "The role of international
NGOs in health systems strengthening: The case of Timor-Leste." International Journal of
Health Services 44, no. 2 (2014): 323-335.
Neely, Kate. "Developing A Systems Understanding of Rural Water Supply in Timor-Leste."
(2016).
Niner, Sara, Jotham Lay, Narelle Warren, M. I. C. H. A. E. L. O'CONNELL, and D. A. N. I. E.
L. EDGINGTON‐MITCHELL. "How development happens: Safe and sustainable energy,
community development projects, and implementation challenges in Timor‐Leste." Annals of
Anthropological Practice42, no. 2 (2018): 68-80.