Tom and Eva's arrival in Ecuador

Greetings from the (second) highest capital city in the world - Quito. Only 14 miles south of the equator, but with a climate not dissimilar to northern England - rain, 16 C, cold in the night and cloudy (however I am informed by my host family that this is strange weather for this time of year, and July should be sunny!)

Eva and I's stay has been nothing but warm and welcoming. We arrived safely at 3am on Saturday 2nd July, after a 24 journey that took us through the US that reminded me how friendly Americans are. We were kindly welcomed into our family homestay by Sophie, a mother of two adorable and energetic children, 4 and 10 years of age. This will be our home for the next 2 weeks as we enrol on an intensive spanish course.

So, for those of you who don't know the reason for my trip to Ecuador?

Myself and Eva Linnell have been selected by Engineers Without Borders UK (EWB-UK) to work as volunteers on water supply projects in rural mountainous regions in the north of the country, with the local NGO, PRODECI.

EWB-UK are a student-led charity that teams up young engineers based in the UK with projects with local NGOs around the world, that require specific skills and experience.

For the next 6 months we will be living and working in Ecuador, to oversee the design and installation of a number of water supply systems in rural areas. The new systems will provide a clean and reliable supply of water to households who currently either must walk long distances over rough and steep terrain, or use sources of water of poor quality. With water of a guaranteed safe quality near to the home, families will benefit from improved health, with less time and resources spent on dealing with illnesses from poor quality water, and more time for developing their livelihoods for themselves and their children.

Eva is keeping her own blog, so please check out:

I will be keeping a record of my experiences here in South America over the coming months. Please feel free to add any comments, suggestions or advice on my blog.

Chau for now

Tom