Photo: Ulrik Jantzen

A passionate desire to save the world 

Although he is enjoying his job at COWI, 29-year-old environmental engineer Erik Christian Heyer has chosen to take a career break and join Doctors Without Borders, not only to gain valuable experience working with development projects but also in a bid to make his own personal contribution towards "saving the world".

"It's always been important for me to do things for the right reasons. I want to help to steer humanity in a more positive direction, so more people can prosper in a much more sustainable environment." So says Erik Christian Heyer when asked why he decided to become an environmental engineer.

For the past two years, 29-year-old Heyer has been working for COWI, specialising in water supply systems and wastewater treatment.

Make a difference

Although he is content in this role, it does not entirely fulfil his desire to venture out into the world and make a real difference.

"I really enjoy experiencing other cultures in a professional capacity. The only problem is that in many companies and organisations - including COWI - you can't join development projects unless you have at least five years of experience, which I don't yet have. So, to gain that valuable experience, you have to seek an alternative route to working in the development aid field," he says.

"This is why I have asked for a leave of absence from COWI to join Doctors Without Borders."

Photo: Ulrik Jantzen
"Younger people often find it hard to secure employment on development projects because long-standing work experience in the area is often required," says Erik Christian Heyer, who loves experiencing other cultures in a professional setting. Photo: Ulrik Jantzen.


Waiting time complicates planning

By combining holiday and further education, Heyer has managed to complete the entry procedure for Doctors Without Borders.

He has also taken a course at Copenhagen University on water supply and sanitation in emergencies. He needs to complete only one more 14-day course and he will be ready to fly to a disaster zone anywhere in the world.

But because Erik Christian Heyer is not a "jack-of-all-trades" type of technician, who are the most highly sought after when teams of doctors and nurses head off for catastrophe hotspots, the international organisation has yet to provide a definitive answer on exactly where and when he could be sent.

Large project in Serbia

Since he applied for leave about a year ago, COWI has won a large EU-financed development project in Serbia, which is scheduled to begin this autumn and where Heyer will be involved in the design of a number of standard purification plants.

While he is very much looking forward to the project, it may clash with his proposed trip for Doctors Without Borders.

Heart set

"I've had my heart set on working for Doctors Without Borders this autumn, but the COWI project sounds very exciting too. My head of department has been really supportive, and so for now I have agreed to go to Serbia for October and November while I wait to hear from Doctors Without Borders."

"However, should a major crisis occur and they asked for my help, I can't say that I wouldn't try to jump ship at the last minute!"

Money means nothing

The Serbian project will not be Erik Christian Heyer's first foreign project. As a student he spent nine months in Thailand, completing his Bachelor's thesis on wastewater from rubber industries. After university, he landed a job in Greenland, working with sewage systems and road networks in the municipality of Nuuk.

Even though he now has a well-paid job, the thought of taking a drop in salary in order to work for Doctors Without Borders does not bother him in the slightest.

"For me this has nothing to do with money. I don't expect to be spending much on site and I don't have a family to feed or any kind of loan to pay off at home, so I'm in the enviable position of not having to worry about money right now."

By Kathrine Schmeical, kats@cowi.dk
Published: 14.12.2007