A day in the life building a footbridge in Eswatini

When I was volunteering to build a footbridge in Eswatini, a man stopped to talk to me while I was having a break.

“One day, a few years ago, I got swept away by the river,” he said. “I was lucky."

He’s a teacher at the local high school, and he’s been crossing that river for the past 30 years to get to work.

He, and many others who take the same route to school or work or to visit friends, will now be able to cross safely all year round.

The Engineering in Action bridge programme

The new footbridge, built as part of the Engineering in Action (EIA) bridge programme, was the last of six that were constructed in Eswatini last year.

These bridges span over rivers which rise to high levels in the rainy season, becoming impassable.

This allows rural communities to connect, and it provides people with year-round access to markets, education and healthcare.

This is what a typical day was like for our team while building the footbridge.

Starting early

In the township of Ngudzeni, in the Shiselweni region of Eswatini, our team would wake up at around 6:30am each day.

We would rise from our various floor-based sleeping arrangements, in our humble but comfortable out-house bedroom.

We had breakfast with the masons and site coordinators, all from Eswatini themselves, in the main house at the homestead.

After some food, hugs, and laughs, we would leave for site.

The view on the way to site

We walked along dirt tracks, over undulating hills, for about 30 minutes to get to site.

Past the local schools and past homesteads brimming with life - chickens, goats, pigs, smiling children.

The sun was usually shining, creating beautiful views of the surrounding terraced fields, townships, and distant hills.

The nearest homestead to site had given up one of their outbuildings to use as a storeroom.

We would stop there, greet Spio, a volunteer, and collect the wheelbarrows filled with tools and PPE needed for the day’s work.

All in a day’s work

By 8:30am, most community members had arrived (averaging about 60 per day).

We would circle up and have our daily morning briefing, led by the project managers, construction managers, and myself as the safety manager.

An upbeat stretching session followed, to warm everyone up for the day’s work.

We would stop for a break twice a day.

Once in the morning for incwancwa (a sweet and lemony porridge-like dish), and once in the afternoon for lunch - often chicken or beans with pap (a maize dish) and vegetables.

At the end of the day, around 4pm, we would circle up again and go over the day’s work.

We’d finish with a huddle in the middle of the circle and a ‘kutsatfu, kubili, kunye, botebetebe!’ (3, 2, 1, footbridges!).

After finishing up and saying goodbye to our friends onsite, we walked home, often accompanied by the local kids.

Difference the bridge will make

The bridge style is suspended, with a span of 83m.

The design was completed in line with US standards for a minimum lifespan of 50 years.

I hope to visit again, some day in the future, to see how it is holding up.

However long it lasts, it was something special to see first-hand how much of a difference this bridge will make to local people’s lives.

Renewed hopes and dreams

This project was about so much more than just the bridge.

It was clear that it brought the community closer to the world, and they had a renewed sense of their hopes and dreams because of this.

A group of witty teenage boys shared their ambitions to go to university, to practice as electrical engineers or financial advisors, and to travel and see the world.

Learning a valuable lesson

Their ambition was inspiring, but I noticed that they’re also content.

This was something that really humbled me.

They make the most of what they have, their lifestyles are most likely carbon-negative, and they value community above anything.

We can learn a lot from this.

The adventure of a lifetime

One of the most special moments for me was at the inauguration ceremony, when the chairwoman of the local bridge committee spoke.

She broke down in tears and showed raw emotion of what this bridge meant to her and the whole community that she represented.

She said thank you to us, the travelling team, and to the donors who allowed us to travel.

I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the ICE for contributing so generously to this cause via the QUEST Travel Award.

Thank you for allowing me to go on the adventure of a lifetime.

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