Improving Infrastructure

One of the greatest impediments to restoring economic viability to this area is transportation. There have been long-standing problems with roads and bridges, which were greatly compounded by the civil war that begain in 1998. The war left a number of bridges destroyed and roads that are worse than they've been in decades. The roads are dirt, some with ruts as deep as the vehicles trying to navigate them. In many places one cannot go faster than 10 miles per hour in a four-wheel-drive vehicle. Many bridges destroyed during the war remain in ruins; and the most common style of bridge, made of wood, wears out quickly even under ordinary circumstances because of usage by trucks.
 
Truck in riverThe urgency of this need was made clear in March, as a CEUM truck carrying a PCP shipment of medicines and medical supplies from Karawa bound for the hospital at Loko fell through the Lumba bridge, killing two women who were riding in it. The bridge consisted of several long logs stretched across a shallow river, and the outer log on one side shifted under the weight of the truck. The log and the truck fell, and the truck overturned. Some of the cargo was recovered; the truck was pulled out of the river and, though damaged, was reparable. The much greater loss was the two lives ended so suddenly.

Since 2004 the Paul Carlson Partnership has worked with partners to rebuild bridges and sections of roads. Our focus now is on the key roads needed to connect the villages where we are working with larger market towns. Other agencies in the region are also working on these problems. In one case, we are in conversation with the local government about PCP providing the needed tools to repair a section of road if they will provide the labor.


 
Power and water also remain serious problems in the area. Here our first priority is the hospitals at Karawa, Loko, Wasolo, and Bokada, while we also look for opportunities and funds to extend these services to the villages. Most recently, we installed a solar pumping system that is bringing fresh water into the hospital at Loko, and we are working on a plan to extend that to the village as well.

 

Economic Development  |  Improving Farming  |  Improving Trade  | 
Improving Infrastructure  |  Local Management Development