Village Aid Project
Fort Lewis College

Empowering communities through engineering

Since 2005, Fort Lewis College students have been tackling critical engineering challenges at the forefront of humanitarian development. Each year, around fifty students from across campus engage in the Village Aid Project, with two-thirds from the engineering department and one-third from various other disciplines. Of these, thirty students travel annually to remote, underdeveloped communities, where they apply their skills to provide essential services like clean water and solar energy.

Guided by professors, professionals, and mentors, these students lead every phase of VAP projects. They design systems and gain deep insights into the social, economic, and environmental impacts of their work. This hands-on experience not only hones their creativity and skills but also fosters responsible global citizenship. By participating in the Village Aid Project, students make a tangible difference while preparing for impactful careers.

Join Village Aid Project RSO

Group picture of VAP and community members

Group picture of VAP and community members in front of a structure.

Three VAP members stand around a wood frame being built in the dirt.

VAP members and community members gather for a group photo in front of constructed solar panels.

VAP members secure solar panes onto a frame.

Support communities worldwide

Students participating in the Village Aid Project are not only gaining invaluable experience—they're also taking charge of their journey by fundraising to cover their own costs, including airfare. 100% of our project funding comes from the generosity of the local and Fort Lewis College communities. With overhead costs kept below 1%, you can trust that 99% of your tax-deductible donation goes directly toward essential project materials that make a lasting impact.

Donate today!

FLC students improvise to build community and water solutions in Zambia

The team is the latest Village Aid Project, which has been providing essential services like clean water and solar energy to remote, underdeveloped communities since 2005.

Making a lasting impact on communities since 2005

40-50
FLC students per year

5,000+
hours volunteered per year

80
community partners

45
communities supported

2,250
households helped

12,000+
individuals impacted

VAP's local and global impact

Our volunteers address critical energy needs and infrastructure challenges from Ecuador to Zambia. As a Native American-serving, non-tribal institution, FLC uniquely positions VAP to support Indigenous communities in the American Southwest.

Our philosophy

We commit to working with each community for five years, supporting system troubleshooting and implementing sustainability plans. These plans empower communities to address their needs and manage their systems long-term. Sustainable projects are challenging, and we continually refine our approach within the framework of these guiding principles:

Participatory development: A water system cannot be simply given to a community with the expectation it will last. We work with communities to help them develop a system they take ownership of, providing decision-making power, labor, and ongoing management. We support this process with technical and financial assistance.
Holistic development: Addressing the broader needs of the community—not just water but also sanitation, health, education, and the economy.
Capacity building: Enhancing a community’s ability to understand, finance, implement, manage, maintain, and utilize a system.
Appropriate technology: Identifying technical solutions that match a community's capacity to implement, use, and maintain a system.
Socio-cultural compatibility: Considering the influence of traditions, beliefs, experiences, and community structures on a system.

Current projects

The VAP Solar Initiative

Navajo Nation

According to a 2023 American Public Power Association statistic, 27% of households in the Navajo Nation lack access to electricity. With more than 300 days of sunshine a year, the Navajo Nation is supremely situated to benefit from a clean, renewable energy source: solar power.

The VAP Solar Initiative launched in 2022 to design and install off-grid photovoltaic solar systems for families with critical energy needs in Indigenous communities. To date, the VAP Solar Initiative has designed, installed, and commissioned eight off-grid Photovoltaic systems, including PV modules, lithium-ion batteries, inverters, a charge controller, onboard diagnostics, and an integrated generator charging function.

Learn more about completed Navajo Nation projects

The International VAP Water and Sanitation Initiative

Nicaragua & Zambia

According to the 2023 United Nations World Water Development Report, over two billion people worldwide lack access to clean and safe drinking water, and approximately 3.6 billion people–46% of the world’s population–lack adequate sanitation services.

Addressing access to clean water and sanitation is one of the best steps toward improving health, economic development, and education within communities. VAP Water and Sanitation International works with some of the neediest communities in the world to develop sustainable water and sanitation systems.

Learn more about completed Nicaragua projects

VAP students and community members working together to carry long, PVC pipes.

Learn more about completed Zambia projects

A water tower and solar panel installed by VAP.

Past projects

Myanmar

2015-2019

VAP worked in the Shan state in northern central Myanmar. We worked closely with the Shanta Foundation to identify rural Pah Oh ethnic communities needing clean water systems

Laos

2008-2013

We began working in Laos in 2008 in cooperation with the United Nations and UNESCO, working with villages associated with the proposed Plain of Jars World Heritage Site.

Ecuador

2007-2022

The communities of Chimborazo are in central Ecuador, northwest of the city of Riobamba, high in the Andes Mountains. Improved potable water and sanitation are the highest priorities in these communities.

Thailand

2005-2007

Our first projects were in Lahu hill tribe villages in northern Thailand. Working with a local NGO, Faith International, we helped construct two water systems and a school during these three years.