Panamericana Highway that crosses in front of the Christian and Public schools and the New Jerusalem ChurchThe traffic accidents that occur on the highways in El Salvador cause an alarming number of injuries and deaths. In the past 10 years, five children near the New Jerusalem Church in Comecayo lost their lives while walking along the highway or trying to cross the road. The tragedy of these losses moved the church and the community to consider it a high priority to construct a pedestrian bridge across the busy road to protect the lives of more than 10,000 people that must walk through this area daily.
Seeing the need and grieved over senless deaths, the church asked ENLACE to help them create a strategy that addressed the problem. ENLACE provided technical assistance and church training, which resulted in forming a Pedestrian Safety Committee made up of church and community members who oversaw the project and lobbied the mayor’s office to help complete it. After a design and plan were created, the Nueva JerusaleĢn Church and the community provided construction materials, water, storage and tools, as well as skilled and unskilled labor. In December 2011, the mayor’s offce provided the cables and the bridge was finally complete.
Felix Orellana, ENLACE regional Church Coach, believes that along with providing safety, the bridge has created a possibility for greater unity, which lubricates the momentum of change in the community of Comecayo.
“The church and the community have definitely created new bonds of friendship which have brought greater motivation, strength, and unity to serve.”
The new bridge in Comecayo can be seen from many locations in the community. It stands as a memorial to those who lost their lives and a memorial to the commitment of the church to reaching out to their neighbors.