Two public health engineers had the opportunity to apply their engineering knowledge to school facilities in Ghana recently, following their success in a major plumbing competition.
As part of the prize, Saskia Verkaik, from Arup – winner of the 2025 Society of Public Health Engineers (SoPHE) Plumbing Centre of Excellence Annual Plumbing Competition – and runner-up Harry Robbiati, from Hoare Lea, travelled to Ghana to support SoPHE charity partner Village by Village.
Village by Village works with rural communities across Ghana to improve access to education, clean water, healthcare and essential infrastructure. During their visit, Verkaik and Robbiati worked alongside local residents and volunteers on a series of projects designed to address challenges relating to sanitation, water access and education.
A key focus of the trip was supporting initiatives in local schools. By contributing to the development of
new handwashing facilities and associated water infrastructure, they were able to see first hand how relatively simple engineering solutions can have a significant impact on health outcomes and day-to-day life.
Harry Robbiati at a school in Ghana
The visit also highlighted the important connection between infrastructure and education. In one community, Verkaik and Robbiati supported the completion of a new toilet block at a school that had operated for more than 50 years without dedicated sanitation facilities.
They also contributed to the development of a new junior high school building, which will help expand access to education for local children. The new facility will provide opportunities for future generations and support the long-term development of the community.
Alongside the construction projects, Verkaik and Robbiati spent time engaging with local schools and learning more about the rural communities supported by Village by Village. Their activities included participating in programmes designed to enhance literacy and numeracy skills, while visits around the villages provided valuable insight into local life and the challenges many communities continue to face.
Positive change
The trip highlighted the importance of the SoPHE Plumbing Centre of Excellence (PCE), launched in 2018 to tackle a growing skills shortage in plumbing and public health engineering. It is now partnered with more than 10 colleges, and the PCE continues to provide a real-life example of what can be achieved when industry and education collaborate.
Other recent examples of the centre effecting positive change include its support of a successful bid for London South Bank Technical College’s to be designated by the UK government as a Clean Energy Technical Excellence College – one of only five such centres in the country to achieve this status.
Saskia Verkaik and Harry Robbiati engaged with school children in West Africa.
For Verkaik and Robbiati, the visit to West Africa provided a unique opportunity to apply their knowledge in a new environment while gaining a deeper appreciation of the role engineering can play in addressing global challenges. It also offered a powerful reminder of the principles underpinning public health engineering: providing access to clean water and safely managing sanitary waste to maintain good hygiene and reduce the risk of disease.
The trip was made possible by the help of SoPHE volunteers and the team at Village by Village, together with support from sponsors from the SoPHE Annual London Dinner and the SoPHE Industrial Associates: Geberit, Teekay Couplings, Stormsaver, Grundfos, Polypipe Building Services, European Vacuum Drainage Systems, Aquilar, Horne Engineering, Hydrotec and J A Brooks.
The society would like to say a special thank you to Anna Kotsonouris and Neil Kerfoot, of Village by Village, whose commitment and support helped make the young engineers’ experience possible.
The SoPHE Engineers Plumbing Centre of Excellence Annual Plumbing Competition, hosted at London South Bank Technical College, is designed to recognise and develop emerging talent within the building services industry.