Aldridge Cares
In June, ten Aldridge employees traveled to a remote village in the mountains of Bolivia to build a suspension footbridge that would help bring the community better access to critical government resources, markets, education, and healthcare.
After 3 days of travel to reach the mountain town of Santa Rosa, Team Aldridge was greeted by a community eager to get to work. The bridge covers an impassable area of the river closest to their homes. Bringing this bridge to their community means less time traveling by foot to avoid the dangerous waters below. High waters meant limited access to crucial areas within the municipality. One example of how this bridge will change the lives of the villagers is in the time spent traveling to and from school. Prior to the bridge build, children walked six hours to school, spent their weeknights in a community sleeping quarter, then walked six hours back to their homes for the weekend. The completion of this bridge means that children could come home every day, teachers could travel to work easier, and more resources would be available to the villagers.
Over the course of two weeks, Team Aldridge with the help of Bridges to Prosperity and the villagers, worked together to complete one of the most physically demanding feats most of them have ever done. They spent their days hard at work, and their nights playing soccer with the children. When the Team realized that field lights would allow the children to play a little longer, they organized a plan. The Team secured and installed new LED lighting at the soccer field as an additional gift to the community.
The experience changed the lives of everyone involved. Aldridge is proud to be a part of this incredible cause and looks forward to many more years of bridge builds in partnership with Bridges to Prosperity.
Congratulations and thank you to the hard workers of Team Aldridge who spent time away from their homes and families to make this bridge a reality.