Engineers Without Borders Malaysia

Our Story

Welcome!

We’re glad you found us.

Engineers Without Borders Malaysia (EWBM)

was co-founded by three young aspiring individuals, Latifah Hamzah, Lim Sze Wei and Sanjiv Indran in 2012 – and officially registered as a Non-Profit Organisation under Malaysian Societies Act in March 2013.

Engineers Without Borders Malaysia (EWBM) is a non-profit organisation that aims to harness the expertise of students, educators, academics and professionals in Malaysia for engineering projects that benefit local, underprivileged communities with an emphasis on environmental sustainability and community empowerment.

We are affiliated with Engineers Without Borders – International, a globally recognised international federation of national Engineers Without Borders/Ingenieurs Sans Frontier (EWB-ISF) Members Associations.

Our vision is for all inhabitants in Malaysia (and the world in general) to have access to the six primary basic needs, namely: water, food, shelter, energy, education and healthcare.

Our mission is to provide feasible assistance to all communities in need, as well as to connect, inspire and educate like-minded individuals. We are a social platform to encourage Experiential Learning, Appropriate Technology and Community Empowerment.

We are proud to be a part of a global network of other EWB groups through EWB International.

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Our Pillars

Vision

To inspire future generations for the betterment of mankind by:

Mission

Partner with student organisations and NGOs to provide basic needs to:

Core Values

Making a lasting impact based on the following ideals and beliefs:

Our Focus

Fields of Expertise

Rainwater Harvesting Systems
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Gravity-Fed Water Systems
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Pump-Fed Water Systems
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Micro-Hydroelectric Systems
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Solar PV Systems
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Recycling & Waste Management
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Aerial Mapping
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Community Mapping
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Knowledge Transfer
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Sustainable Development Goals

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Reduce inequality within and among countries

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

Quality Education

Achieving inclusive and quality education for all reaffirms the belief that education is one of the most powerful and proven vehicles for sustainable development. This goal ensures that all girls and boys complete free primary and secondary schooling by 2030. It also aims to provide equal access to affordable vocational training, to eliminate gender and wealth disparities, and achieve universal access to a quality higher education.

Affordable & Clean Energy

Between 2000 and 2018, the number of people with electricity increased from 78 to 90 percent, and the numbers without electricity dipped to 789 million. Yet as the population continues to grow, so will the demand for cheap energy, and an economy reliant on fossil fuels is creating drastic changes to our climate. Investing in solar, wind and thermal power, improving energy productivity, and ensuring energy for all is vital if we are to achieve SDG 7 by 2030. Expanding infrastructure and upgrading technology to provide clean and more efficient energy in all countries will encourage growth and help the environment.

Reduced Inequalities

Income inequality is on the rise—the richest 10 percent have up to 40 percent of global income whereas the poorest 10 percent earn only between 2 to 7 percent. If we take into account population growth inequality in developing countries, inequality has increased by 11 percent. These widening disparities require sound policies to empower lower income earners, and promote economic inclusion of all regardless of sex, race or ethnicity. Income inequality requires global solutions. This involves improving the regulation and monitoring of financial markets and institutions, encouraging development assistance and foreign direct investment to regions where the need is greatest. Facilitating the safe migration and mobility of people is also key to bridging the widening divide.

Responsible Consumption & Production

The efficient management of our shared natural resources, and the way we dispose of toxic waste and pollutants, are important targets to achieve this goal. Encouraging industries, businesses and consumers to recycle and reduce waste is equally important, as is supporting developing countries to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption by 2030. A large share of the world population is still consuming far too little to meet even their basic needs. Halving the per capita of global food waste at the retailer and consumer levels is also important for creating more efficient production and supply chains. This can help with food security, and shift us towards a more resource efficient economy.

Clean Water & Sanitation

More and more countries are experiencing water stress, and increasing drought and desertification is already worsening these trends. Protecting and restoring water-related ecosystems is essential. Ensuring universal safe and affordable drinking water involves reaching over 800 million people who lack basic services and improving accessibility and safety of services for over two billion.

Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure

Investment in infrastructure and innovation are crucial drivers of economic growth and development. With over half the world population now living in cities, mass transport and renewable energy are becoming ever more important, as are the growth of new industries and information and communication technologies. Technological progress is also key to finding lasting solutions to both economic and environmental challenges, such as providing new jobs and promoting energy efficiency. Promoting sustainable industries, and investing in scientific research and innovation, are all important ways to facilitate sustainable development. More than 4 billion people still do not have access to the Internet, and 90 percent are from the developing world. Bridging this digital divide is crucial to ensure equal access to information and knowledge, as well as foster innovation and entrepreneurship.

Sustainable Cities & Communities

The rapid growth of cities—a result of rising populations and increasing migration—has led to a boom in mega-cities, especially in the developing world, and slums are becoming a more significant feature of urban life. Making cities sustainable means creating career and business opportunities, safe and affordable housing, and building resilient societies and economies. It involves investment in public transport, creating green public spaces, and improving urban planning and management in participatory and inclusive ways.

Climate Action

There is no country that is not experiencing the drastic effects of climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions are more than 50 percent higher than in 1990. Global warming is causing long-lasting changes to our climate system, which threatens irreversible consequences if we do not act. Supporting vulnerable regions will directly contribute not only to Goal 13 but also to the other SDGs. These actions must also go hand in hand with efforts to integrate disaster risk measures, sustainable natural resource management, and human security into national development strategies. It is still possible, with strong political will, increased investment, and using existing technology, to limit the increase in global mean temperature to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, aiming at 1.5°C, but this requires urgent and ambitious collective action.

Our People

Engineers, Academicians, Professionals, Students, Change-Makers – You don’t have to be an Engineer to engineer our future!

Steering Team

Sanjiv

Sanjiv

President
Andrew

Andrew

Vice-President
Ch'n-Yao

Ch'n-Yao

Secretary
Shen

Shen

Treasurer
CL Heng

CL Heng

Committee Member
Diane

Diane

Committee Member

Lisa

Committee Member
Jonathan

Jonathan

Committee Member

Jeremy

Committee Member
Callum

Callum

Committee Member

Nicholas

Committee Member

Marcus

Committee Member

Omesh

Committee Member

Rodric

Committee Member

Sharon

Committee Member

Eloise

Youth Ambassador

Francis

Committee Member
Latifah

Latifah

Committee Member

Arfah

Committee Member
Justin

Justin

Webmaster

EWBM - Sarawak Branch

Jing Mian

Faizul

Dennis

Amirul

Faris

Irzan

ACTIVE PROJECT TEAMS

WATER4OMADAL

Team #1 Rainwater Harvesting

Noresh

Noresh

Team Member
Aidan Low

Aidan Low

Team Member
Heng Yen Fern

Heng Yen Fern

Team Member

Team #2 Water Filtration & Quality

Manesha

Team Member
John

John

Team Member
Nurzahidah

Nurzahidah

Team Member

Team #3 Waste Management & Water Supply

Hamza Alihussein Noorbhai

Hamza Alihussein Noorbhai

Team Member
Yuvenn Ganese

Yuvenn Ganese

Team Member
Faisal

Faisal

Team Member

Sanjiv Indran

An avid traveller, naturalist, cinephile, bookworm, soundtrack enthusiast and life-long Star Wars Geek, Sanjiv Indran is the founding Treasurer and current President of Engineers without Borders Malaysia. During his college days in California, he acquired Associate’s Degrees in Engineering, Physics and Mathematics – minoring in Astronomy. He then pursued his Bachelor’s, Masters and Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nottingham – primarily focusing on Aerospace Structures, Heat Transfer and Computational Fluid Dynamics. Out of the classroom, he started his career as a Mechanical Engineer at an M&E Consulting Firm. He then branched out as a Data Scientist, and now serves as a Principal Consultant at a boutique Management Consulting Firm. When he finds the time, he works towards becoming a Chartered Engineer.

He co-founded EWBM in the hopes of inspiring and empowering the next generation to help build a sustainable future for us all. Volunteering and Giving Back to the Community are his core tenets – hence he also somehow finds time to concurrently serve as the President of the Star Wars Malaysia Fan Club (self-explanatory) and Commanding Officer of the Rebel Legion Malaysia Base (an international Star Wars costuming charity organization). He believes that all anyone really needs to know can be learned from watching Star Trek.

Andrew

An engineer (surprise!) who as a kid loved watching Bill Nye on TV and building Lego sets. This spurred a lifelong curiosity with the world (physics especially), which lead to a Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Nottingham and a recreational scuba diving licence. He can currently be found watching Bill Nye on Netflix and building Lego sets. Also an avid car nerd, who much prefers three pedals over two. Willing to stay up at ungodly hours to watch Formula 1 or football. Sometimes spends too much time reading obscure Wikipedia articles. Has used EWB as a good excuse to buy expensive hiking shoes.

Andrew Fernandes

Ch'n-Yao

Tan Ch’n-Yao is a mechanical engineering graduate currently working as a Manager for Truckquip Sdn Bhd. The job scope includes the design and manufacturing of buses both for local and international markets among other things. He has been with the company, which is a subsidiary of Tan Chong Motor Holdings Berhad, since 2012. In what remains of his free time, Tan also dabbles in some hobbies such as volunteering with EWB as well as the Star Wars Malaysia Fan Club, and writing extremely boring, humble profiles of himself way past their due dates. Oh, and he likes to collect Lego. Everything to him is Awesome.

Tan Ch'n-Yao

Shen

Interestingly, Shen likes people to call him Energy Efficiency, and he likes to play a game called Clean Energy while rocking to the song of Solar Energy. Basically, he is a hippie who wants to live in a sustainable nation and we don’t judge him. He works as a sales engineer and understands that Energy efficiency is the next big thing to tackle. With a certification from SEDA, he can sign off any projects involving Solar PV systems. His hobby is to help Malaysia achieve sustainable nation status. He has travelled far and wide with Raleigh International and Raleigh Kuala Lumpur for youth development activities. Obviously, we are dealing with an outdoorsy kind of guy who loves personal growth and experience.

Shen Quang Loo

CL Heng

CL Heng here is an engineering management professional who has the desire to make the world a more sustainable place. He had a stint as a Field service engineer for the maintenance, repair & overhaul business in Thailand. This led to him developing the end-to-end implementation process of water screening systems, while having experience in managing a project and after sales department. Heng is an author of the novel “What I Saw on the Hibiscus Airship”- a novel that combines faraway fantasy with emotional immediacy. When he tries not to cry his heart out on paper or attempt to remember his Thai, Heng travels and photographs.

CL Heng (Heng Cheng Liank)​

Diane

Diane is a Senior EHS Executive for a real estate developer in Singapore. Although she has yet to pursue a conventional engineering career, she finds ways to apply her skills and knowledge during her consulting stint in a Big 4 Firm and before that with in the Environment, Health and Safety Department of an MNC. She is constantly looking for ways to create efficiencies in her everyday life through research and analysis. This includes conducting a thorough analysis on how to effectively drink wine with her cat.

Diane Christine Albeper

Lisa

<put bio here>

Name

Jonathan

Jonathan is a photojournalist from Penang whose work largely revolves around stories of in-between moments and everyday life. Nature, food, culture and travel often intersect in his subtle yet intimate portraits of people, time and space.


He wears the hat of chief storyteller at an award-winning garden, creates content for people and businesses close to his heart, nurtures a community arts initiative, occasionally shoot photo essays and also dives into long-term photo projects: most recently documenting life in the circus and the journey of EWBM in bringing electricity to rural Sarawak.

Over the weekends, he run a little cyclist and family-friendly jungle cafe that overlooks the Straits of Malacca. Otherwise you’ll catch him cycling the island, dreaming up the next great Malaysian adventure.

Jonathan

Jeremy

Sorry Jeremy, nothing here yet, just testing stuff out :D

Jeremy Ng
Email - jeremysemail@gmail.com

Callum Chang

Callum is just a simple seventeen-year-old student currently studying for A-Levels at Sunway College.

From a tender young age, he has been actively involved in debating and reading, which cultivated his love for public speaking. He is a firm believer that his generation will bring about positive change in the world, including solving the climate crisis.

These days, you’ll find him attempting to keep up with his studies in college, or reading books at the library. Eugene also participates in Model United Nations Conferences and volunteers in his free time.

Name
Callum Chang
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Arfah

Ungku Arfah Nabilah is a final year student in Bsc. Quantity Surveying at Heriot-Watt University Malaysia. She is currently the Vice President of the EWB student chapter in her university. She is interested in outdoor adventures and in knowing the latest trends of the crazy fashion world. To protect her small self from the big world, she picked up taekwondo and earned a black belt to strangle her enemies with.

Name
Ungku Arfah Ungku Fadzil
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Justin

Hi, its me! The webmaster in charge of this website! Well, first things first, I’m a final year student at INTI International College Subang majoring in Business Administration under the Southern New Hampshire 4+0 program.

I joined EWB with the hopes of learning and picking up skills that are integral to establishing a self-sustainable community. I also believe that being in EWBM, I can utilise the knowledge that I acquired to teach others about self-sustainable communities and raise awareness on climate change to those around me that have not know about it yet. It is always my dream to be able to afford a piece of land and live off it with whatever knowledge of self-sustainable lifestyle that I have (just somehow hope there’s a way for internet and telco signal to work too).

Justin Goh Chyi H'ng

Francis

Name
Francis

Latifah

Latifah Hani Hamzah is the Founding President and Current Treasurer of EWB-Malaysia. She graduated with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT with minors in Energy Studies and Music, as well as a concentration in French. When she returned home, she co-founded EWB-M as a way to give back to her fellow Malaysians and to bring simple, sustainable solutions to communities in need. When work took her to Amsterdam, in addition to continuing to be involved in EWB-M projects, she enrolled and obtained a B.Mus in Classical Violin from Codarts Rotterdam, fulfilling a personal ambition. She is currently pursuing her MS/PhD at Stanford University in Mechanical Engineering, where she is the Graduate Sustainability Fellow at Roble Hall. She is also a Team Lead for Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) at Stanford. Last year, the team designed an automated QA/QC unit for solar suitcases distributed in areas with unreliable access to electricity. Yeap, the genius of the team.

Latifah Hani Hamzah

Faizul

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Name
Faizul

Noresh

Noresh is a mechanical engineer by training with experiences in engineering consulting ranging from HVAC, plumbing, fire protection to energy modeling and analysis for large campus facilities and infrastructures. Noresh currently splits his time between the Omadal project and the Philadelphia EWB chapter’s clean water conduction project for a farming community in Guatemala. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Architectural Engineering studying the intersection of emerging green technologies and artificial intelligence/machine learning applications in the built environment. 

He finds that a polaroid and a mean cup of joe is a spectacular combo for a Sunday stroll in the city. He is looking forward to learning and growing together with the talented people in this team in delivering projects to underserved communities wherever the wind takes him.

Name
Noresh
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Aiden Low

Aidan is a graduate from the University of Nottingham with a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a strong passion for learning. Currently working as an IT consultant, he aims to explore new areas and understand the technological landscape of today while maintaining his roots as an engineer. Intrigued by emerging technology, artificial intelligence and the fourth industrial revolution, he has a strong belief in the ability to innovate and invent for the betterment of society by integrating his IT expertise with his engineering knowledge. Occasionally, Aidan can be seen tossing frisbees or climbing rocks, oftentimes daydreaming of travelling the world one day. He also likes to eat, a lot.

Name
Aidan Low
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Heng Yen Fern

Fern is a graduate with a MEng in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Nottingham, currently working as a Mechanical Engineer in the Buildings Department. She’s also just started her journey to be a part of the sustainability team. As a strong believer of the saying “a little goes a long way”, she hopes her involvement in community engagement events and fundraisers can help to improve the lives of underdeveloped communities one way or another. In her spare time, you can find her in spin classes or trying to make something from scratch (from fruit enzyme to pulled noodles and loaves of bread, they may or may not be success stories).

Name
Heng Yen Fern
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Manesha

Manesha is a petrochemical engineer whose work is focused on industrial process design, automation and optimization. She is committed to implementing environmentally sustainable technologies while exploring the intersections of data analytics and engineering. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis and has worked on multiple non-profit projects internationally prior to joining EWB-Malaysia. She hopes to improve access to basic needs, especially education, in Malaysia’s underprivileged communities. Manesha is an enthusiastic foodie. She enjoys food-hunting and experimenting in the kitchen in attempts to recreate her best meals. When she isn’t meddling with food, Manesha occasionally chooses to escape reality by reading or running.

Name
Manesha
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John

After graduating with a BEng (Hons) in Chemical Engineering, Chin Seng started a 4 years stint with Petronas. In between, he had worked in a gas processing plant and then a wastewater plant. With the dumb but ideal thinking that “we should save the world, not to further damage it!”, he left his job and spent a year doing working holiday in the faraway dreamland New Zealand. No doubt. Best time of his life. Returning to Malaysia, he is now pursuing his MSc/PhD in more sustainable processes, particularly in treating sewage sludge (gross!). When he is not found in front of his laptop, he is most likely doing some workout in the park. He enjoys ascending onto mountains, descending into the sea, and try out all kinds of adventurous activities. Somehow, in nature, he feels peaceful and alive.

Name
Liew Chin Seng
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Nurzahidah Mohamad Rasidi

Hailing from Cat city (Kuching), Nurzahidah, or Zeey for short, studied mechanical engineering in Swinburne Sarawak, is currently based in Johor Bahru working in a manufacturing company.  Most of her day revolves around carbon steels, aluminium and stainless steel and how to make it into a sheet metal parts. A sweet tooth with (great) love of chocolates and enjoy baking chocolate chip cookies. Despite of fear of the unknown, always try to push herself to be outside of her comfort zone and looking for opportunity for growth. Hoping to be able to contribute more to the society in any way she can.

Name
Nurzahidah Mohamad Rasidi
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Hamza Alihussein Noorbhai

As quoted by the person:
My name is Hamza Alihussein. I am a Kenyan student and aspiring Civil Engineering, currently in my second year of studying at University of Nottingham Malaysia. I came to Malaysia in the hopes of meeting new people, seeing a different culture, learning new things and to have fun in the process, and I was not disappointed. I hope to graduate and apply what I have learnt to benefit everyone around me in the best way possible.

Name
Hamza Alihussein Noorbhai
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Yuvenn Ganese

As stated from the person:

Hi, I’m Yuovendra and I’m a Civil Engineering graduate with from Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), Malaysia. Currently, I am working as a Project Engineer at Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) in their Grid Development Unit. 

I believe experience is the best source of knowledge and I’m willing to go above and beyond to acquire as much experience as possible in order to be a well rounded engineer. 

On a less serious note, my personality changes according to the tv series I’m currently watching but generally I’m super chill and finally I live on O2, H2O, amazing food, self deprecating humour and feel good music.

Name
Yuvenn Ganese
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Faisal

A mechanical engineer by training, in 10 years of his career so far he had served multiple roles in project management and sales of rotating machinery for the oil and gas industry. He always believe that the knowledge and experience accumulated through years of practice within the industry is not meant solely for developing one’s career, but can also be used in giving back to society. He loves nature and the outdoors, so he felt that it’s only natural that he jump at the chance to be involved in a project with the aim to save the environment.

To quote Faisal: “Still lots to learn from an amazing team!”

Name
Faisal
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