Siatha 2019

Students members David Urbaez and Eddie Roll served on the bridge construction site in 2019, embarking on a 6-week trip to the small remote village of Siatha in Bolivia. About 10 hours north of La Paz, Siatha is only accessible by a single dirt road that winds through mountains of the Yungas Region, following the stunning yet dangerous Rio Camata.

Together with the community, they worked from 8am till dark around 6pm, walking either five minutes, or hiking thirty minutes through a precarious jungle to reach the work site each day. The Rio Camata river was too dangerous to cross even during the dry season, and the team set up a cable car to transport materials across the river.

Despite numerous challenges that arose throughout the project – lack of any phone connection, material delivery setbacks, loss of masons, etc. – the team persevered and constructed an 82-meter pedestrian footbridge. By the end, the community had fully embraced the team, and was immensely grateful for the completed bridge that connected many of the community members’ farms and homes directly to a medical center, which was situated along the main road next to the local school.