A community in Masal, west Pokot will be the beneficiaries of the Sharon and Margaux Memorial Footbridge. The bridge will be funded through the Sharon and Margaux Memorial Fund and Friends of Marich Service Club of Students at the International School of Kenya.

Please read Sharon and Margaux’s tragic story here: http://sharonmargauxmemorial.wordpress.com

Kelley Rehm, BTGA Board Member, recently visited Kenya for the first time.

Please follow along with her trip here and experiences here:http://krehm.posterous.com/

Students Support Bridge Building Project.pdf (August 10, 2011)
2.6mb PDF file

Bridge Design & Engineering Article
Bombi Community Footbridge
Leap of Faith (Sept. 1, 2009)

“Some students from the International School of Kenya will be building a bridge with Bridging The Gap. I went to West Pokot with Harmon three years ago to see the work he does in that area. For the past two years, I have been taking a group of students from the International School of Kenya on an Intercultural excursion/exploration to that area. Last year, a small group of these students were very impressed with Harmon’s work and the impact that his bridges have on these rural communities. They decided to become the first school in the world to sponsor and build such a bridge. After a year of fund raising, we are ready to go back out to West Pokot, and with Harmon’s guidance, build this bridge. I cannot express in words what it means to these ISK students to be building a bridge that will allow so many students in the Wei Wei Valley to cross this dangerous river and get to school safely!! We at ISK are proud of them and very fortunate to be working with Harmon and Bridging the Gap.”

Excursion trip leaders:

David Robbins, ISK Science teacher
Brian Curry, ISK IB Economics teacher

From Harmon Parker at CNN Heroes: An All Star Tribute

“Thank you, CNN, for letting us tell our stories tonight.

Let me begin by saying that I’m not a hero.

Tonight, I want to thank the two heroes in my life … my beautiful wife Teri and my incredible son Josh. You are the foundations to my bridge. I could not do this without you. I love you both. Thank you for your sacrifices.

Like most of you, I had no idea the world needed lifesaving bridges. However, once I saw the human suffering caused by rivers, I could not ignore my conscience. I had to respond.

Life is difficult for these communities. Difficult with hunger, illness, and isolation. Add a river you can’t cross and life itself becomes a danger. Every community has the same stories – flooding, crocodiles, hippos, and loved ones lost.

After the first bridge, I saw its transforming power. Bridges bring the power of education to children, safe access to healthcare for the elderly, and commerce to entire communities.

Bridges bring hope. Bridges save precious lives.

The need for bridges is great … and it’s now! The world needs 100,000 bridges yesterday. Beyond that, another 400,000.

Tonight, marginalized people are pleading to all of us for at least a half a million footbridges.

You can be a hero. You can be a bridge. A simple, beautiful, life-saving bridge.

Listen to their pleas. Let’s bridge those gaps. Together … We can transform lives.”

This is the documentary film of the Galana River Bridge Project (2009)