An update from America

Hello again!

I write to you now from the United States. I’ve been back home with my family for a while now, and I’m feeling the nostalgic urge to reminiscence. It was on May 4^th, 2015, that construction began. My Peace Corps service ended in September 2015, where I packed up my small brick house with its reverberating tin roof, and said bittersweet goodbyes to the town where I’d woven my daily experiences together for two years.

At this point in time, the construction team and surrounding communities were ardently working on a damn to quell the strong flow of water that was halting construction. A supporting pillar, (still drying in moist cement) had actually been swept up by the current and had to be rebuilt. The team did not let this obstruct their vision of finishing the bridge. They formed a plan to use sandbags and packed dirt as a wall against the water’s force. And after months of persistence, they succeeded.

Bernard, the architect, has sent me these photos from December 2015. Here he stands on the bridge, almost completely finished but for the railing and the removable wooden framework still attached.

Lookin' good!

I’ve asked Bernard to send a more recent photo and update to share with you. I can't thank everyone enough for donating and supporting this project throughout the past year. At least 30 students are now attending school who could not in the past because of road access. At least 12 students are living directly with their families in their own neighborhoods, instead of having to rent houses closer to the school compounds and living on their own during the school year. 

These kids are having a fuller childhood and a deeper community connection because their neighborhoods are more connected!