Work to do in Jozini

JOZINI, South Africa (CNN) -- Josh Macabuag is in Jozini, South Africa, where he will be working with the charity Engineers Without Borders (EWB).

EWB is an international organization that is committed to engineering for international development. It takes on building projects across the world to benefit areas in need of structural rejuvenation or renovation.

Over the course of the next twelve months he will be helping to build a new sports and leisure facility for the local community. Follow his experiences over the coming year in his blogs and video diaries.

October 15, 2007
When I came out here, I expected my main role to be on the Jozini sports academy. This project seems to be a bit of a minefield of funding, land ownership and other problems that I'd best get my head round before I wade in.

So, my main task to start with has basically been to chat to as many people about as many problems and projects as possible. The idea being that if I fill my head with names, locations, issues and suggested solutions, all this information will sort itself out and I'll wake up (any day now) with a brainwave and a clear focus on how I should get stuck in and be useful.

One thing that's really impressed upon me is that the issues here are very real. People don't necessarily want a better service, just a service of any kind.

Going out into the really rural areas, you'll see communities with no electricity, no toilets, insufficient housing and no access to clean water.

The lack of clean water has been clear from the first day at work, when we were sent to two towns just to identify what we thought their major needs were. Seeing people having to walk several miles to get drinkable water, because the pump near their house has broken, or hearing people complain that they go days without clean water because the water delivery truck often doesn't come, makes it very clear where their needs are.

It's quite a thing to see all this on day one of work. The problems here are serious and the solutions are a long way from being realized (or even decided upon).

I'm also starting to see that my role here isn't really defined. I've just got to help where I can, although for now it's hard for me to see how I can make a difference to the situations here. E-mail to a friend