Repair Rural Bridges: Save Lives of Schoolchildren and Villagers

In Sabah's rural areas, the geography is mountainous, with rivers cutting through villages. For the people living there, suspension bridges are vital for daily life—children rely on them to get to school, and farmers use them to access their farmland.

Here are some stories highlighting the daily struggles faced by children and villagers, without having a proper bridge.

1) Discover the 8 shocking and dangerous ways students in Malaysia risk their lives just to attend school.

2) Discover how the collapse of the only route to town left 4,000 villagers from 5 villages completely stranded.

Unfortunately, these bridges are often neglected, and harsh weather takes a toll, causing decayed wooden planks and unstable structures that pose serious safety risks, especially during extreme weather conditions.

Our team has visited many rural villages in Kota Belud area, and we rely on these bridges ourselves to reach these communities. At times, we’ve felt unsafe crossing due to their fragile and deteriorating condition.

Decaying bridges pose a serious danger to schoolchildren who rely on them for their daily commute.

A broken suspension bridge highlighting challenges for the community.

Close-up of the worn-out suspension bridge.

Villagers and schoolchildren rely daily on the suspension bridge, risking safety if it fails.

Close-up of the worn-out bridge crossing path.

Loose wire mesh and broken planks pose a safety risk to the community.

Why This Matters

To ensure the safety of rural communities, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to repair these essential bridges. Here’s how we approach it:

• Assess the Condition:

  • We visit the villages to inspect the bridge's condition, including wooden planks and structural integrity.

  • We interview villagers to understand their concerns and needs.

    
    

• Collaborative Repairs:

  • Villagers help by collecting used tires, which are then cut into specific sizes for bridge steps.

  • We purchase additional essential materials like galvanized wire and purlins to replace broken parts.
    

• Skilled villagers lead a gotong-royong (community effort) to repair or reconstruct the bridge, fostering a sense of responsibility and ownership.

  

  

  Rural villagers working together to repair the bridge.

  

  

  Villagers working together to cut recycled tires for their community bridge crossing path.

  

  

  Rural villager replacing the wire mesh on the bridge.

  

  

  Bridge materials arrive at project site.

  

  

  Rural villagers collaboratively cutting recycled tires for the bridge path.

  

  

  Villagers working together to replace the bridge’s wooden planks.

  

  

  Rural villager inspecting the newly replaced wire mesh before laying down the wooden planks.

  

  

  Rural women assisting in cutting recycled tires for the bridge project.

  

  

  Rural women assisting in transporting wood planks to the bridge site during the project execution.

  

  

  Rural villager cutting recycled tires for use in the bridge project.

  

  

  Rural villager replacing the old wire mesh on the bridge.

  

  
  
  

  Using tires as stepping platforms is a safer, more durable solution than wood, though it’s a challenging process that involves collecting, transporting, and cutting the tires to size. Still, the result is a safer bridge that serves the community for years to come.

  

  Recycled tires laid on top of the bridge, ensuring better stability and preventing slipperiness.

  

  Recycled tires boost bridge stability while offering an eco-friendly solution by repurposing waste.

  

  Strengthening bridges with recycled tires offers a sustainable, waste-reducing solution.

  
  

Call to Action

Rural bridges may seem unimportant to some, but for these villages, they are lifelines connecting people to education and livelihoods. As part of our humanitarian mission, we cannot stand by while lives are put at risk just to attend school or access farmland.

Regardless of religion, age, or status, everyone deserves a safe path to a better future. Let’s work together to ensure that no one has to face fear or danger on their journey to school or work.

Support our efforts. Donate now and help us repair these vital lifelines.