Autumn 2021 with CamCat
After the success of last year's project, the CamCat team wanted to take on a bigger challenge. They've started developing designs to support sanitation in larger village communities. James and Liana tell us more.
Cameroon Catalyst is an international development charity facilitating the implementation of sustainable, community-led infrastructure in rural Cameroon. The charity consists of student chapters at the University of Birmingham, University of Southampton and Imperial College London, all supported by a team of dedicated trustees and professional engineers.
In the last academic year, we at Birmingham completed a communal latrine design to alleviate the spread of disease in a small village, which is now in the process of being constructed!
After the success of last year’s project, we wanted to take on a bigger challenge. Over the past semester we have started to develop a septic tank design for a much larger village. This has involved conducting technical and contextual research and defining design parameters. Towards the end of the semester, we began to put together AutoCAD drawings of a potential design.
If you are interested in developing your engineering skills whilst helping to change lives, now is a great time to join the CamCat team! Over the next semester you can join us in having technical discussions, producing calculations and carrying out risk assessments. If you want to put your CAD software skills into practice, then there’s also the opportunity to help create 3D models of our designs.
For those who would like to get involved in CamCat in other ways, fundraising is also a key part of what we do. In the past we have organised events such as bake sales, pub quizzes and our cultural showcase ‘Pangea’ to raise money and awareness about the charity. This has also involved collaborating with other groups including CivSoc, Yoga and Baking Societies. Fundraising will be a priority during the next semester, and we are always looking for new ideas!
Finally, each summer there is the opportunity for members to visit Cameroon to see our projects being put into practice to change lives! This is a very rewarding experience and offers the chance to work with locals and conduct research to help improve our work. We are hopeful that the 2022 trip will go ahead!
If you are passionate about international development, want to develop valuable skills to showcase to employers as well as make a real difference to communities, why not join the CamCat team? Membership is free and we meet every Tuesday evening in the Murray Learning Centre. For more information, have a look at our Facebook page or Instagram @camcatbham. You can also find out more about the charity at the CamCat website.
We look forward to meeting you!
James Cox and Liana George
On behalf of the Cameroon Catalyst Committee
If you would like to know more about Cameroon Catalyst visit their society website.
There are 41 student groups in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. To learn more about their projects and activities head to the EPS Societies homepage.