Solidarity Engineering McMaster (SEM)

Solidarity Engineering McMaster (SEM) is dedicated to advancing humanitarian engineering and global health through education, advocacy, and action. As the first university chapter of Solidarity Engineering (SE), an NGO that builds water and sanitation (WASH) infrastructure and provides life-saving aid for displaced communities worldwide, our mission is to show how creative problem-solving and interdisciplinary collaboration can drive humanitarian change. Our primary purpose is to strengthen partnerships between McMaster students and global organizations to raise awareness on displacement crises and equitable access to life-saving infrastructure. We aim to create opportunities for students to engage directly with pressing humanitarian issues while developing practical skills. We aim to empower students from all disciplines – engineering, public health, environmental and social sciences, business, and beyond, to use their skills for global impact. Through workshops, teach-ins, design sessions, and research collaborations, members gain hands-on experience in humanitarian engineering and develop the tools needed to address real-world challenges. These activities will provide members with tangible experience working within a humanitarian NGO, equipping them with valuable skills such as GIS, monitoring and evaluation tools, grant writing, and other work that SE is involved in. By joining this club, you will get the chance to gain hands-on experience in grassroots global health work while being a part of a passionate and engaged student community! Our goal to accomplish over the next few years is to advocate for underserved and displaced populations globally, for sustainable solutions rather than short-term interventions. As humanitarian engineers use systems-level thinking to fix the root cause of a problem, we want to extend this mindset to students interested in health advocacy to inspire long-term change rather than treat the symptoms of an issue.