SHABRAN – On December 14, residents of the Surra community of Shabran rayon gathered to mark the successful completion of the construction of a pedestrian bridge over the Davachi River. They were joined by 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. The bridge was constructed by a local NGO, UMID, and co-financed by the governments of the United States and Azerbaijan.

The Davachi River runs through Surra, located 3km off the Baku-Guba highway, splitting the village apart, which complicates daily communication and school attendance for over 40 families. The situation worsened during the rainy season as there was no bridge at the key crossing point.

To address this issue, the Surra Community Development Council worked with the SEDA project to construct a 42 meter long pedestrian bridge over the Davachi River to connect the town and improve safety for its residents.

“The completion of Surra’s pedestrian bridge is a clear example of what can be achieved when local communities organize to help themselves,” said Ambassador Cekuta as he thanked the community for their dedication to mobilize local resources to improve their living conditions.

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