EBA Engineering Consultants, whose Whitehorse office is the oldest engineering firm in the city, is celebrating its 40th anniversary by helping villages in Ethiopia access safe drinking water.

'To celebrate the anniversary, they put a whole bunch of money into some water supply work in Ethiopia,' Katherine Johnston, a hydrogeologist from the Whitehorse office who will be going to the country to supervise construction, said Wednesday.

EBA has allocated up to $50,000 for the project, says Richard Trimble, the project director/office manager.

That figure does not include the loss of billable hours for engineers who will be in Ethiopia supervising the construction, nor the cost of getting them over there.

'It's an opportunity for an engineering company to give back to the world community,' says Trimble, pointing out that one of EBA's core values is to improve the communities staff are involved with.

EBA hopes to complete five water spring development projects before the rainy season starts in June. According to Johnston, three of those projects have already been finished.

'I will head over to monitor completion of the last two,' says Johnston.

The engineering firm will provide technical and financial support to Partners in the Horn of Africa, a Canadian charitable organization that has already completed a variety of projects in Africa including schools, medical centres and orphanages.

The organization uses volunteers to eliminate administration costs. That means all donations are used directly on projects in Africa.

According to the CIA World Factbook online, Ethiopia has the ninth lowest gross domestic product per capita, making it one of the poorest countries in the world. Access to freshwater is a major issue for many of the communities there.

'In Canada, we are such an exception globally as far as everyone being able to drink clean water,' says Johnston.

Through Partners, EBA will construct five concrete water containment cribs. In Ethiopia, where fresh water can be scarce, a spring can attract animal and human users from miles around. The spring can become contaminated after being used for everything from washing clothes to a watering hole.

The containment cribs will protect the water and will include piping to deliver it to areas where people need it, saving villagers long walks and heavy loads.

Johnston is excited to participate in such a worthwhile project.

'I've always wanted to work with an NGO (non-governmental organization),' she says, adding that she was thrilled to have the opportunity to apply.

EBA let engineers in its 11 offices apply. Johnston, a passionate hydrologist, was chosen.

Besides supervising construction, she will also be looking at ways the cribs can be improved or the construction process streamlined in future projects.

'Every time you're doing something, you're trying to make it a little bit better,' she says.

Johnston, 25, earned her bachelor of applied science in geological engineering, specializing in hydrogeology from the University of British Columbia. She will leave for Ethiopia tomorrow and return May 31.

The area she will be working in is about a 10-hour drive north of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. It is in the Ethiopian highlands, a difficult area to access.

'Apparently everything is being carried in by donkey and man,' says Johnston, referring to construction materials used at the site of the water crib.

She's not worried about being in a foreign country where not many people will speak her language in rural areas though.

'I've been learning a lot about Ethiopia since being accepted It has this rich history and natural beauty.'

In addition to EBA celebrating its 40th anniversary, the Whitehorse office is celebrating its 25th.

'It's a good way to celebrate,' notes Johnston.