Despite the fact that we don't have all the money, we are
going to start building the bridge o
are taking a step of faith because if we wait much longer the
rain will set in and make things very difficult. And the
fact is that the old bridge is ready to collapse any day.
We organised a number of quotes and have finally decided to
choose Mr Somart to build the bridge for us. He has
experience building bridges and the last bridge he built he did
step by step as the money was raised. He also came up with
the most realistic price and seems very reliable and
trustworthy.
We have enlisted a well respected woman from the village to
head up our labour team. Her name is Sowana and we feel
extremely lucky to have her on board. The village leader
will also be helping organise the labour. We are planning
to hire the most needy villagers to work on the bridge.
The first thing we need to do is build a shelter at the
bridge site to house all the materials. To try and engage
the villagers more and make them feel like this is their project
we have asked them to donate what they can in the way of
building materials to build the shelter. The commune
leader is also going to ask the villagers to donate some money
towards the cost of building the bridge. We don't expect
them to raise much at all, but even if they donate a little it
will help them to feel ownership towards the bridge.
Below are two short stories about people who will directly
benefit from the new bridge.
Sorwt
is 15 years old and is the son of Mr Sang, the man I originally
tried to help who, unfortunately, died of tuberculosis.
Sorwt has also been extremely sick with tuberculosis of the
backbone and spent two years in hospital. The hospital he
was in was about 5 hours by bus from the village so
he had very limited contact with his family. He was not
there when his father passed away. He has been back in the
village for a few months now. His illness has left him
crippled and he needs a crutch to walk. While he was in
hospital, as part of his rehabilitation, he was taught how to
repair bicycles. We recently bought all the tools and
equipment Sorwt needed to set up a bicycle repair
business. Sorwt lives very near to the bridge so the
increased traffic that the new bridge will bring will mean a
real boost for his business. This won't just help him but
will help his whole family. (Photo 1: Sorwt and his
Mother, Photo 2: Sorwt and his brother in law at the sign
advertising the bicycle repair business, Photo 3: First
customer!)
This
baby is 8 months old. His mother is 28 and this is her
fourth child. Unfortunately, all three of her other babies
died before they were two. This little fellow has a number
of medical problems and needs hospital treatment. To get
to hospital they need to cross the bridge. When we first
met him he was covered in itchy, inflamed sores, but this seems
to be the least of his problems. The poor little fellow
has no control of his neck. He cannot hold his head up and
needs to be constantly supported. 
We
organised for his mother to take him to the hospital
immediately. He was treated for the rash, which I assume
was contagious, and sent home with strict instructions to bring
him back to hospital as soon as it was cleared up so that his
other medical problems could be addressed. He's just about
ready to go back to hospital now.
Click on the following links to read more about our bridge
project:
Why we need to build a bridge
Construction begins
Construction begins
page 2
A BIG donation
Almost Finished
Finished!
Phone (in Cambodia): 092
442 669
(outside Cambodia) 855 92 442 669
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