Mark Rohan and Jan Camp test the water at the school house in Shrok Bati.

The community consists of seven villages of approximately 9,500 people. They suffer from water shortages and contamination which bring about illnesses such as Hepatitis A and gastrointestinal issues, related to the water they consume.

In the process of building two schools and a health clinic, Jan Camp, founder of a local NGO, a Cambodian-Dutch organization, realized the need for a clean water source and applied for assistance from Engineers Without Borders, a nonprofit humanitarian organization that, according to their Web site, www.ewb-usa.org, seeks ‘‘to implement sustainable engineering projects ... (improving) their quality of life.”

The project will encompass several trips covering assessment, design⁄review, implementation and follow-up in order to assess challenges and create a plan that allows for the people of Shrok Bati to be educated in the use, maintenance and economics of the implemented solution.

Rohan plans to return to Shrok Bati, and in an interview said he hopes to ‘‘help develop sustainable solutions to their problems while bonding with the locals who are incredibly welcoming.”

Rohan first became involved in Engineers Without Borders when he was a mechanical engineering student at Arizona State University, in Tempe. He served as the president of the student chapter and was responsible for fundraising, writing grants, increasing student awareness and encouraging university involvement.

After graduation, he traveled to Ecuador for two months to volunteer on one of the chapter’s three major projects.

Rohan accepted a position as an Acquisition Intern at IHDIV’s Yorktown Detachment in June 2009 and quickly became involved in the local chapter, where he is a strong advocate of the organization and its mission.

More information about volunteering and donating may be visiting www.ewbhr.org.