Bearspaw resident Reg Gustafson has taken his engineering skills around the world, most recently to Tanzania, where he helped design a student centre for the Tanzanian Efeso Baptist Church.
Gustafson volunteered his time and skills with the Calgary non-profit charity Engineering Ministries International Canada (EMIC), which travelled to the East African country to help the children’s school increase the facilities it presently offers.
“We’ve done a lot of project overseas,” said Kevin Wiens, the trip leader for EMIC, who said their work helped the school ‘get a leg up’ and move the project forward.
Wiens said Gustafson has helped the EMIC in the past, using the electrical engineering knowledge he acquired from the University of Calgary.
“Places like Tabora can have a hard time attracting someone who will spend time with them to consider future goals and possibilities for development,” said Gustafson.
The group of eight who travelled to Tanzania was on site for one week. Wiens said that construction on the school in ongoing, with the first phase of the facility expected to be complete in the next year.
While on site, Gustafson conducted an investigation of the site electrical and created an electrical site scheme for the student centre.
“They built three classrooms a couple years ago,” said Wiens, “and they’re building three more, so we’re helping them figure out what is the priority.”
Once EMIC completes a site plan for the school, a Tanzanian construction company makes those plans come to fruition.
The Efeso Baptist Church in Tanzania provides kindergarten classes, as well as after-school programs and Saturday school for Compassion International, a Christian child advocacy ministry.
Gustafson’s previous involvement with EMIC included a trip to Burundi, which is also located in Eastern Africa.
