Duke Engineers for International Development (DEID) Returns, With a New Bridge in Bolivia

[Judi Lynn]

OCTOBER 10, 2022 | MIRANDA VOLBORTH

Duke engineering students built a pedestrian footbridge that provides a safe path to school for local children

Picking his way down the side of a 55-foot deep gorge near Japo, Bolivia, last summer, civil engineering student Ezra Melaku experienced firsthand what the people of the community had long known—they needed a bridge.

“It’s a high-altitude region,” explained Melaku. “It’s very cold. The conditions are very hard to live in. But kids as young as four cross the gorge on foot, by themselves, to reach school.”

Until last summer, the gorge was impassible during the rainy season, when it filled with water. But now, a suspended bridge nearly 350 feet long offers a safe, reliable path in and out of the community, regardless of the weather.

The bridge was built by a team of community volunteers, local engineers and masons, and members of Duke Engineers for International Development, or DEID. DEID partners with Engineers in Action, a nonprofit dedicated to developing sustainable infrastructure in underserved communities, to send Duke students to sites across South America where wells, bridges, and improvements to sanitation facilities greatly improve the quality of life for residents.

More:
https://pratt.duke.edu/about/news/duke-engineers-international-development-deid-returns-new-bridge-bolivia