Starting with the Ground-Breaking ceremony in March 2021, construction of a bridge that had been long anticipated by generations of people in Khuoi Luon village, Ha Giang province, finally commenced. The project was unique as it involved the required building works being performed by the villagers themselves, and the completed bridge was put into use in early August 2021. Due to the travel restrictions bought about by the Covid-19 epidemic, the official inauguration of this meaningful project was not achieved until mid-December 2021.
The successful construction owes its thanks to a fruitful collaboration between SEN and the Happy Bridge Charity group, together with the enthusiastic support of the local government. We were so proud to see with our own eyes the new solid concrete reinforced bridge, 18m long and 3.5m wide, painted with red and white railings, standing prominently amidst the green of the mountains. The adjoining road leading to the bridge on both sides had also undergone improvement works to flatten and widen it to improve the convenience for travelling and transportation. The former old bamboo bridge that the new bridge replaces is now only a memory of the villagers.
As we travelled through the village we were surrounded by bright smiles and sincere handshakes full of gratitude. The bridge is not just a convenience but will provide an important economic boost to the area; local people have already begun to build more houses in the cultivation areas on the other side of the bridge, making farming and the local economy more efficient. Thanks to the bridge, transportation costs to the village and surrounding area have also been reduced. Equipped with its solar lighting system, the bridge has also become a gathering point for people’s social activities in the evenings.
The official inauguration ceremony was a joyful occasion, taking place on 12/12/2021 with the presence of representatives of the district authority, communes, villagers, and many of the local children attending. On this occasion, SEN also gave gifts to 83 local children with the desire to bring them essentials to help them have a warmer winter, and to give them faith and hope for their future as per the objective of SEN: “Sharing love – Connecting community”.
