HEAL
A student-led engineering think tank driving sustainable solutions in Southeast Asia.10
years
10
projects
About Us
Humanitarian Engineers And Leaders (HEAL) is a group of dedicated engineering students from NTU's Renaissance Engineering Programme (REP) that started since 2015. Our passion lies in using our engineering and business skills to make a positive difference in society.
Inspired by sustainability, inclusivity, and diverse communities in Southeast Asia, our mission is to empower communities with community-based tourism — where we listen, learn and collaborate without preconceived notions, building on local strengths to create lasting impact.
Our Team
2025
Executive Committee Members
Tse Hao
Head of HEAL
Xinling
Architectural Team Lead
Yuxuan
Digital Team Lead
Yi Jing
Publicity Team Lead
Jewel
Advisors
Wen Hui
Advisors
Members
Aliza
Ella
Andria
Kimberly
Meghan
Emily
Delfina
2024 ▼
Our expertise lies in:
Projects
Architectural Project | Bali
2025 - Present
Our architectural team is designing a lab kitchen in Kelecung Village, Bali, using only local, sustainable materials. This facility will host cooking classes for tourists, featuring traditional recipes made with ingredients from the Kelecung Community Forest. The project aims to promote local culinary heritage and sustainable practices, offering visitors an authentic and educational experience.
Digital Project | Bali
2025 - Present
Our digital team is developing interactive tree labels to educate visitors about local flora and creating a promotional video to attract investors and highlight the forest's ecological and cultural significance.
Additionally, we are compiling a digital recipe book to preserve traditional Kelecung cuisine using ingredients found in the community forest, and cataloguing local plant species to create a comprehensive datasheet for global researchers. These initiatives promote sustainability, cultural heritage, and contribute to global botanical knowledge.
Culture Project | Vietnam
2023 - 2025
Due to language barriers, villages struggled to effectively communicate their cultural stories, traditions, and activities to tourists. We created a table-top board game with both Vietnamese and English that facilitates cultural exchange and appreciation between the villagers and the tourists.
We also designed an informative display poster containing information about Sai Duan’s rich heritage to share about cultural practices and traditions unique to Sai Duan with visiting tourists.
To enable Sai Duan to further showcase their cultural heritage and tourism activities to a wider local and international audience online, we helped them launch social media platforms. We then created tutorial videos and held social media content creation classes with the villagers to equip them with essential video editing and social media skills.
"My visits to Sai Duan have deepened my appreciation for nature, not only for its beauty but also for how it sustains rural communities in many aspects of life—from food to medicine and architecture. I am also inspired by the Sai Duan community's strong commitment to preserving their traditions and their passion for sharing their unique culture with tourists. This enthusiasm keeps me motivated to develop solutions for them."
- Ella
Engineering Project | Vietnam
2023 - 2025
Severe smoke accumulation due to the fireplace placement caused poor air quality in one of the living quarters in Sai Duan, a Red Dao community in Lao Cai, Vietnam. To address this, our engineering team designed a chimney system to redirect cooking smoke. Working alongside the villagers, we assembled and installed the system in the kitchen. As a result, most of the smoke was successfully funneled out, significantly improving indoor air quality. The cook was overjoyed and deeply grateful for the transformation
"My overseas community project in Sai Duan, Vietnam, was a humbling experience where we worked with locals to improve village infrastructure. The warmth and resilience of the community deeply touched me, leaving me with a stronger sense of gratitude. This trip greatly enhanced my understanding of global issues and the importance of community service."
- Owen
KeepFit | Singapore
January - May 2022
We partnered up with a local primary school to develop both a mobile application for students (aged 7-12 years) to help monitor and track their fitness goals, and a web-based dashboard for teachers to manage their students' progress. The app is available on Singapore's Apple App Store today.
EcoChamps | Singapore
August 2021 - January 2022
We teamed up with a Singaporean deep-tech social enterprise start-up, to inspire and involve primary school students in environmental initiatives. Together, we created the EcoChamps portal, a hub for discovering resources and ongoing projects.
DEMineCraft | Singapore
2020 - 2021
DEMineCraft is a deep tech research that sought to address the issue of undetected landmines in Vietnam, in a novel and fun way, by gamifying the demining process. Our team developed a robot with a compact form factor for navigating rugged terrain in Vietnamese villages, equipped with a mine detection, removal, and disposal attachment.
Currency Literacy Game | Cambodia
October 2018
We created an interactive currency literacy game to facilitate seamless decision-making in both USD and KHR, designed specifically for school students. The game provided an engaging and interactive educational experience, featuring progressive difficulty levels and constant feedback to enhance the learning process. The overarching goal was to instill a spirit of curiosity and introduce an element of fun into the educational journey for the students.
Vertical Farming | Cambodia
October 2018
Our team launched a vertical farming project to introduce the community to innovative farming practices. Embracing the space and water conservation benefits of vertical farming, the project aimed to develop and implement a cost-efficient system using locally available materials. Through hands-on training, we deployed these setups and taught locals how to build, operate, and maintain their own vertical farming systems, fostering long-term usability. Additionally, the project sought to spark interest in sustainable agriculture, experimentation, and STEM by introducing the community to a diverse range of crops suitable for vertical farming.
Drip Irrigation | Cambodia
October 2017 - 2018
The project aimed to enhance water distribution and reduce water usage in garden plots through the introduction of a drip irrigation system. We demonstrated the application of slow-release NPK fertilizer pellets and taught locals to create homemade pesticides from local ingredients, promoting sustainable pest management and improving soil quality.
Arduino Experience Workshops | Cambodia
October 2017
Our team conducted a 3-day Arduino Experience workshop for students enrolled in OHF's Training Job Skills for Service Sector (TJSSS) program at the Hope Training Centre. The workshop focused on building a functional mini keyboard using Arduino's sensor hardware and coding, aiming to spark interest in STEM, cultivate confidence in technical abilities, and encourage a spirit of innovation and ongoing experimentation among the participants.
Solar Powered Lamps | Indonesia & Cambodia
2015 - 2018
Two humanitarian engineering projects were successfully executed in Tesabela, Indonesia and Prev Veng, Cambodia, addressing the need for sustainable lighting solutions in areas vulnerable to climate change and inconsistent electricity supplies. The projects involved the installation of solar streetlamps and portable solar lamps, aiming to enhance visibility, safety, and community empowerment through the use of renewable energy sources.
Our Partners
We express our sincere appreciation to our dedicated partners for their invaluable contributions. Your support fuels our efforts to foster sustainability in Southeast Asia, and we are truly grateful for your partnership.
Roslin Orphanage
Operation Hope Foundation
Mistletoe
Terraformers
