Western University Engineering Students Construct Bridge for Bolivian Community

A small group of Western Engineering students traveled to Bolivia this year to provide a local community with critical access to schools, farmland and urban amenities. How did they do it? They built a bridge.

Members of Western Engineers in Action (WEIA) spent seven weeks in the Kainacas Region of Bolivia, building a 50-metre-long pedestrian bridge to allow locals to cross the Rio Fisculco. Without the bridge, the river was impassable for roughly half of the year due to flooding. However, with multiple schools being located beyond the river, many would attempt to cross despite the dangerous conditions.

WEIA aims to provide isolated communities with safe access to services and opportunities by building footbridges over impassable waterways. They are a chapter of the non-profit Engineers in Action (EIA), whose aim is to connect students to real-world civil engineering projects that create a meaningful difference.

To date, EIA and its affiliated staff have constructed over 100 footbridges in countries all around the world. As a university chapter, WEIA strives to fund, design and construct a new footbridge every year for an isolated community.

Evan Park, a third-year chemical engineering and AISE student, traveled to Bolivia along with Sarah Molnarova, (third year civil engineering and international development) and Roy Hong (third year civil engineering and international development).