'Building Bridges to School' Project Brings 8 Bridges to Difficult Areas

After 5 years of implementation, "Building bridges to school" has completed eight bridges in five localities, contributing to improving the lives of thousands of children and local people.

"Building bridges to school" is a project implemented by Grab Vietnam and the Vietnam Children's Fund since 2019, aiming to build rigid bridges and spillway bridges for children in remote areas and areas with many economic difficulties.

According to the survey team, the eight bridges under the "Building Bridges to School" project are all located in remote areas, heavily divided by rivers and streams, making travel extremely difficult, especially during rainy and flood days. The local people are mostly ethnic minorities, whose lives are still difficult and whose economy is underdeveloped.

Students travel on a monkey bridge to school before the "Building a bridge to class" project. Photo: Nhu Quynh

For example, in Gia Gia village, Huong Hiep commune, a particularly difficult mountainous commune in Dakrong district, Quang Tri province, every day, more than 350 students and residents cross the 50m wide, 5m deep Tien Hien stream. During the rainy season, the stream water rises and flows rapidly, making traffic even more dangerous, affecting the daily lives of the residents and the children's studies.

In some other localities such as Vinh Long, people living near Phuoc Thoi B bridge (Mang Thit, Vinh Long) said: "Before the bridge was built, my family always prepared a piece of rope with a hook. Every time we heard a 'boom' or a cry for help, we had to run out immediately to save people and vehicles falling into the river."

In Nam Ty commune, Ha Giang, even on sunny days, students still have to go in groups of three or more to wade across streams together.

"When going to school, children do not dare to wade across streams alone for fear of being swept away by the water. They often fall and get wet, losing their sandals and school bags. When it rains, they have to stay home from school," said a representative of the survey unit.

In the past, the project implementation process was not easy because the terrain of the bridges was often the only route from the center to the villages, making the transportation of materials and construction difficult.

With a total implementation cost of nearly 8 billion VND, of which more than 6.6 billion VND was contributed by Grab and users, eight rigid bridges have been completed and put into use in 5 localities in recent years.

The new bridges have brought thousands of students, teachers and local people to travel between the two banks more safely and conveniently, especially during the rainy season. The bridge also plays an important role in promoting trade, contributing to the development of the local economy and improving the livelihoods of the people.

Children rush onto the new bridge that takes them to school. Photo: Nhu Quynh

Sharing about the project, Mr. Alejandro Osorio, CEO of Grab Vietnam, said: "We are very happy that the project "Building bridges to school" by Grab Vietnam and the Vietnam Children's Fund has ended with good results".

According to Grab representative, in the future, Grab Vietnam will continue to coordinate with agencies to implement more community projects, contributing to improving the quality of life of all people, actively contributing to the socio-economic development of the country.

In addition to the "Building Bridges to Class" project, Grab Vietnam has continuously carried out social activities for the community in recent times. On the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2024, Grab Vietnam recently announced the implementation of the program "Bringing Tet to every alley with Grab" in collaboration with the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City. The program is implemented to support workers in difficult circumstances living in small alleys in Ho Chi Minh City.

Thao Van

Source: https://vnexpress.net/du-an-xay-cau-den-lop-mang-8-cay-cau-den-vung-kho-khan-4710024.html