Engineers in Action Bridge Program

DESIGN • TRAVEL • CONNECT • BUILD

Who we are

Rural isolation, or the inability to access essential resources such as hospitals, schools, and markets due to geographic barriers, directly contributes to global poverty. The mission of the Engineers in Action (EIA) Bridge Program and our University Chapter is to help these rurally isolated communities gain access to these essential resources with sustainable infrastructure by harnessing local expertise and global partnerships. On top of the physical bridges, we hope to inspire members of the community to continue building connections with neighboring communities.

The Cornell University Chapter of Engineers in Action is a student-run project team with the College of Engineering that works with the non-for-profit organization Engineers in Action to design and build pedestrian footbridges for rurally isolated communities.

Our impact

Imagine starting every morning with a trek to central campus. Now imagine that same walk without bridges connecting North and West Campus to Central. Every day you would have to scale down the gorge and climb back up again for your daily commute. This is the reality for many members of rural communities worldwide.

Before the summer of 2019, the community of Mdlasomi in the Manzini region of the Kingdom of eSwatini had seen the deaths of 17 people attempting to ford the swollen Ngwempisi river. Of these deaths, several were young children attempting to get to school. Impassioned by these events, the community sought out and committed to working with EIA and the government of the Kingdom of eSwatini to build a bridge that will mitigate the risk associated with performing these simple daily tasks. For 8 weeks, the Cornell Team successfully designed and built a 95-meter suspended cable bridge across the Ngwempisi River with the community of Mdlasomi.

Future Projects

Unfortunately due to the Covid-19 pandemic we were unable to travel to complete our build this past summer. Our team continued designing the bridge and with the help of the community, the EIA full time contractors made our design a reality building the bridge across the impassible Mvubula river. Last year, three people, including two children, got injured trying to cross the river. This bridge serves more than 500 people and allows them to have access to nearby cities and schools without risking their lives. Though our team wasn't able to travel, our important work is still being done. The team successfully completed a project during the summer of 2019, in the Kingdom of eSwatini with the help of several donors like you, and cannot wait to continue moving forward on this year’s project. If for any reason we cannot travel again this summer, all donations will go towards the EIA professionals completion of the bridge and future bridges.