Who needs a bridge?

Ganza man taking water from the river


Yabus is divided in half by a river. Here is what each side has to offer:
The Northside has the marketplace, clinic, airstrip, primary school and roads to the northern part of Sudan. It is home to the Bertah, Mabaan, and Uduk tribes.

The Southside has the secondary school, farmland, and roads to the southern part of the country. It is home to the Coma and Ganza tribes.
Unifying these two sides of the river will benefit 60,000 people and further the growth of one of the least developed places on earth.

Boat Crossing

For the uncrossable months, we built a boat that is pulled across the river. A metal cable was stretched across the river and attached to the boat with pulleys. It has a metal frame and is kept afloat by 6 fifty-five gallon drums. The boat is only 8 months old but the Yabus river has taken its toll on it. A flood bent the frame and the barrels are being eaten away by rust. A long term solution has forced us to look at building a bridge. We believe this bridge will offer a safe mode of transportation across the river for the next 30 years!

Flooding of the River

The main problem the people of Yabus face is the flooding of the river which happens during the rain-drenched months of August through December. You can see here in these two pictures the changes the river undergoes during the year. The photo above was taken in December when the river is receeding and crossable by our vehicle. The photo below was taken in September and shows the river at flood stage and totally uncrossable.

Crossing Yabus River

Two men help each other across the Yabus River in December