Building Bridges | Transforming Lives

Who We Are

Engineers in Action (EIA) is an international non-profit organization dedicated to improving access to essential resources by building footbridges in isolated communities. By addressing critical infrastructure needs, EIA helps reduce poverty, enhance economic opportunities, and improve health and safety. Through collaboration with local communities and university teams, EIA fosters sustainable development and empowers future leaders to create meaningful, lasting change.

Our Chapter

The UAlberta Engineers in Action Chapter is part of this global initiative, contributing to EIA’s mission by designing and constructing pedestrian footbridges in collaboration with local communities. Through a year-long process modeled after professional engineering projects, students gain hands-on experience in design, project management, and cross-cultural collaboration. This unique opportunity equips students to become not just skilled engineers but also empathetic and adaptable problem-solvers and leaders, advancing the values of EIA on a local and global scale.

Upcoming 2026 Project

For 2026, our team is pleased to announce that we will be designing another suspended footbridge, this time in Peru, in collaboration with the University of Toronto and University of British Columbia Okanagan Chapters. This year’s project site will be a suspended bridge located in Peru. Making this project EIA’s first student lead bridge build in Peru.

The river at the Aguas Calientes site is impassable for roughly 120 days each year, severely disrupting the local population’s access to education, healthcare, transportation and agriculture activities. This project will directly improve the lives of approximately 400 residents who are affected by these challenges. The 65-meter bridge build is planned to take 4 weeks, with construction scheduled to be completed by June 2026 in Peru.

Our Past Projects