Fairfax, VA Team Volunteers Engineering Talent in Malawi

For communities in rural Malawi, reliable road access can make all the difference in reaching essential healthcare and education services. Two employees from Bowman's Fairfax, VA, office are helping address that challenge through their volunteer work with Engineers Without Borders (EWB), applying their engineering skills to support infrastructure improvements that will benefit local communities for years to come.

Bowman's Daniel Johnson, PE, a civil engineering project manager, and Saketh Vasanthawada, a civil engineer, are both involved with EWB's Northern Virginia Professionals Chapter (EWB-NOVA), which is working to improve a 4-mile road connecting Kaseye Community Hospital, a local girls' school and surrounding communities. During the rainy season, flooding, erosion and deteriorating road conditions can make the route difficult or even impossible to navigate, limiting access to medical care, education and other essential services.

Daniel, who serves as president of EWB-NOVA, has traveled to Malawi twice over the past two years to support the project's planning, design and implementation. Although local leaders have identified the roadway as a priority for years, limited public funding has slowed progress. Community stakeholders estimate that completing the improvements through traditional funding sources could take a decade or longer, making outside support critical to moving the project forward.

Following years of planning, assessment, design and fundraising, the project reached an important milestone in September 2026 when EWB-NOVA returned to Malawi for its first phase of construction. Working alongside local contractors and community partners, volunteers completed roadway and drainage improvements, installed erosion-control measures and constructed and rehabilitated culverts to help the road better withstand seasonal rainfall.

The team also conducted additional surveying, refined drainage designs and installed a rainfall monitoring station to help inform future construction efforts.

While this initial phase represents only a portion of the planned improvements, it establishes a foundation for continued work along the roadway. As additional phases progress, the project aims to provide more reliable year-round access to healthcare, education and other essential services for the communities that depend on this vital connection.