DAUST students in their 4th year of Engineering traveled to Kedougou as part of a class project around Development Engineering. Also known as “humanitarian engineering,” “engineering for change,” or “engineering for impact,” Development Engineering is a field of research and practice that combines the principles of engineering with economics, entrepreneurship, design, business, natural resources, and social science to create technology interventions in accordance with and for individuals living in low-resource settings.
For their class project which they have called “YAAY ak DOOM”, students look to devise technology-enabled solutions to maternal and infant mortality in low resource communities. The project took them to the village of Dindefelo, 635 km from Somone – a trip lasting over 10 hours, to meet with locals, particularly women, in order to collect data and develop a better understanding of the people for whom they are designing the solution.
The Students enjoyed every step of the way. “Overall, our trip went well, it was a journey of discovery but above all of empathy” says Mame Mor. The students met with the Préfet of Kedougou with whom they spoke at large on issues related to women and infant healthcare. They also had an opportunity to sit with other officials as well as locals of Dindefelo. data gathered from this trip will allow DAUST students to develop solutions that will greatly improve the health of mother and children during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum periods.
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