NEWS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE               DATE: 12/19/06 CONTACT: LESLIE SCHALER, COMMUNICATION ASST., (413) 545-0162 UMASS AMHERST LIBRARIES HOSTS “WATER IS LIFE” Photographs of Kenya by UMass Amherst Chapter of Engineers Without Borders Amherst, MA – The UMass Amherst Libraries hosts an exhibit of photographs December 26, 2006, to February 15, 2007, in the new Learning Commons exhibit space on the Lower Level of Du Bois Library. The photographs of Namawanga Village in Kenya were taken by UMass Amherst students from Engineers Without Borders (EWB-UMass).  An opening reception will be held Tuesday, February 6, 2007, 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. on the Lower Level. The reception will feature a slide show from a trip to Kenya in January 2007.  The exhibit is free and open to the public. In March 2006, four EWB students traveled from Massachusetts to the Western Province of Kenya for an assessment trip dedicated to understanding the specific needs of Namawanga Village.  The students collected information about the people, their lives, and their problems with water.  Over 1,000 pictures were taken; the exhibit is a selection of those photographs. The central message conveyed by the village is that “Water is Life.”  Water takes on incredible urgency in the village due to the struggle to receive clean drinking water on a daily basis.  Water influences village life - particularly for women and children - in the areas of health, livelihood, culture (particularly through song and dance), and politics. To communicate this profound dependence on water, the photographs focus primarily on the lives of the villagers, including the relationship of drinking water and village life, the effects of poor water sources, the influence of drinking water on culture, and the associated living conditions.   The UMass Amherst chapter of Engineers Without Borders is a student chapter of the national organization Engineers Without Borders, which partners students, faculty, and professional engineers together in an effort to help impoverished communities throughout the world by developing environmental, equitable, and economically sustainable engineering projects. EWB-UMass is a new campus organization officially established in January 2006.  The Kenya project team plans to travel to Namawanga Village in January 2007 to formally present their solutions to the village’s Water Technical Committee and begin implementing their designs.  For more information about EWB-UMass, see www.ewb-umass.org. Hours of the exhibit follow the hours of the Library and are subject to change.  To check library hours call (413) 545-0414, or see: http://www.library.umass.edu/hours.html. For more information about the exhibit, contact Danielle Kovacs, 545-2784 or dkovacs@library.umass.edu.