WAVES
recent progress
Nicaragua
In 2022, a couple of our E-board members along with two faculty traveled to Nicaragua to scope out potential projects, as well as collect data to start projects. These projects were worked on throughout the year by our WAVES Projects Team, installed during the spring break of 2023. Our current main project is a solar powered water pump, which will provide water to a community in Nicaragua.
Our Partners
Project Neighbors does a lot more than just building affordable housing. The history of Project Neighbors follows a long list of needs discovered and opportunities taken. Their mission is to strengthen the Valparaiso community by addressing issues of race, class and poverty, they strive to create healthy families and neighborhoods, where diversity of all kinds is welcomed and cherished, has allowed Project Neighbors to engage in a wide rage of actions: housing, healthcare, daycare, public discourse, education, economic development and human relations. Nearly 50 years ago, Project Neighbors was started by a few Valparaiso University faculty and it has now grown to build affordable housing every Saturday, year-round.
Indiana Dunes National Park is a United States national park located in northwestern Indiana managed by the National Park Service. The park offers projects that vary by date and season, but can include working with invasive species, land and building restoration, a litter cleanup program, or preparing for special events.
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), a worldwide ministry of Anabaptist churches, shares God’s love and compassion for all in the name of Christ by responding to basic human needs and working for peace and justice. MCC envisions communities worldwide in right relationship with God, one another and creation. Their areas of focus include: increasing the capacity of partners to help uprooted and vulnerable people, increasing peacebuilding and justice work, and caring for God’s creation and supporting communities harmed by climate change. With MCC, WAVES has packed relief kits which provide valuable supplies to families whose lives have been disrupted by war or disaster.
(Free the Kids – USA funding arm): “Pwoje Espwa Sud” means Project Hope South in Creole, and it is located in Les Cayes. It is an orphanage, school, and medical facility. They have approximately 250 boys and 100 girls that live on the grounds, and approximately 500 more that come for schooling. We installed their only solar panel system, upgraded some wiring, monitor and shock their water storage tanks, upgraded lights to LEDs to minimize energy usage, installed power monitoring equipment to determine the loads on their campus, and led numerous science based activities to peak student’s interest in STEM.
(GoServ Global – USA funding arm): Consolation Center Haiti was founded in 2008 by Edouard Constant, a graduate of Pwoje Espwa. They are located in Torbeck, and they have approximately 130 girls, 60 boys, and 28 babies. The group also educates a further 300 children from the local area. Consolation Center Haiti has a medical clinic that serves the local community, and they hold church on site. We recently installed 3.6 kW of solar panels on their energy building, replaced their aged batteries with 24 new Trojan batteries, troubleshooted a problem with their power distribution, delivered baby formula for the orphaned babies, and held STEM lessons for the children that included making mini recycled solar ovens. We are working on developing a vocational training center to help their graduating students to have marketable skills when they leave the center.
(aka ALOM): Started by Dr. Vladimyr Roseau and his wife Dr. Merline Roseau the organization has seen 200,000 patients in the last 10 years. They are located in the northern part of Port-au-Prince. Originally trained by Dr. Daniel Blood’s father, Vlad and Merline were integral in helping Haitians rebuild after the earthquake, and have been responsible for saving thousands of lives. Valpo works with ALOM to help repair the electrical systems at their clinic, fixed their mobile clinic vehicle, repaired their water system so that patients are able to shower at the clinic before/after surgeries, monitor and shock their water storage system, designed and manufactured a portable power pack for their mobile clinic’s medical equipment, and we are actively working to provide a portable solar panel system to their mobile clinic as well.
Partially founded by a Valpo Alumni, Aaron Moy, SAI is located in La Victoires and they educate approximately 150 children. Valpo has guided SAI to have 2 wells drilled, designed and installed a solar powered water pumping system, designed and installed a water distribution station, improved the wiring of the compound, designed and delivered an upgraded portable power pack for their daily activities, and we are working with the organization to install a solar power system to allow night classes and to help power their on-site church.
Our Project
WAVES constantly promotes service both abroad and locally. When we cannot travel out of the country or when we are in-between big trips, our local service becomes our priority. From working with Project Neighbors which builds houses in the Northwest Indiana area, to cleaning up the Indiana National Dunes, our local service keeps us involved and excited. Even our service done at home can have an impact abroad, like when we packed refugee relief kits to be shipped to countries in crisis (Ukraine, Syria, Iraq). Our local service allows us to care for our own community and take what we learn abroad. The key to service is listening, understanding, and walking with the communities that we visit – which all starts with the community around us.
In the summer of 2022, some students and faculty advisors visited Managua, Nicaragua to converse with locals and identify future projects. During the Spring Break of 2023, two groups of students and advisors will return to Nicaragua for engineering and education projects. The Projects Team will be working alongside Nicaraguans to build a solar-powered water pump system, while the Education Team will be working with Nicaraguan educators to develop STEM based lessons
In March of 2019 WAVES partnered with University of Colorado-Denver to install solar panels at a local medical clinic in Coatepeque, Guatemala. Solar Panel Installation Prep (December 2019) WAVES returned to the clinic to prepare for a second installation of solar panels on the administration and medicine storage building. Members of the Health and Safety team shadowed doctors at the clinic.
In Spring of 2015, WAVES started a new series of projects in Haiti. WAVES looks to spread knowledge of engineering, technology, and the sciences not only at Valparaiso University but in Haiti as well. A new education program was started to help give resources such as textbooks, lab supplies and also teach basic electricity, environmental science, technology and physics classes to an orphanage with 350 children. WAVES is looking into creating video lessons so we do not have to be physically present to teach the classes. In addition to the education project, WAVES has already installed arduinos and custom electronics to perform a full energy audit of the orphanage. Ultimately, WAVES would like to provide them with solar power.
Photo Albums
Alumni and Contact Information
Administration
- President: Taylor Maxwell
wavesvalpo.president@gmail.com - Secretary: Aubrey Pomorski
- Vice President: Allison Yohanan and Joely Overstreet
Marketing/Finance
- Marketing Lead: Carly Schiene
wavesvalpo.marketing@gmail.com - Finance Chair: Triste Lindahl
- Campus Involvement:
- Webmaster: Leah Haman
Projects
Advisors
- Technical Advisor: Professor Jay Grossman
Phone: 219.464.6495
Jay.Grossman@valpo.edu
- Health & Safety Advisor: TBD
Contact Us
Get in touch with members of our executive board.
PRESIDENT Taylor Maxwell