GUBA – On May 19, residents of the Gam-Gam community of Guba rayon, representatives of the local ExCom and the municipality, officials from the Ministry of Economy and Industry (MEI), and U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Robert F. Cekuta, gathered to mark the successful completion of the construction of four crossings over the Jagajug River. These crossings were constructed under local NGO, UMID, and co-financed by the governments of the United States and Azerbaijan.

Gam-Gam is located in a mountainous area 35 km from Guba center. The Jagajug River runs through Gam-Gam splitting  the village apart, which complicates daily transportation. The situation worsens during the rainy season as there are no bridges at key crossing points. This often affects attendance of many children in school.

To address this issue, the community through the Gam-Gam Community Development Council worked with the SEDA project to construct four bridge crossings over the river system allowing Gam-Gam residents safe and comfortable travel.

“The completion of these river crossings network is a clear example of the positive outcomes that can be achieved when local communities are given the ability to help themselves,” said Ambassador Cekuta.  He also thanked the community for their dedication to mobilize local resources to improve their living conditions.

Matlab Jafarov, the representative of the MEI in Guba region, described various infrastructure projects in the regions financed by the Azerbaijani government for improving the living conditions of the population.  Mr. Jafarov praised the cooperation with USAID under the SEDA project and emphasized its contribution to the State Program on Socio-Economic Development of the Regions.

Implemented by the East-West Management Institute with support from the Ministry of Economy and Industry and the Council for State Support to NGOs, SEDA promotes fuller participation of citizens, civil society organizations and local and central government institutions to advance socio-economic development in their communities.