March 2024

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Eshan Balbale is a 17-year-old student living in Mumbai, India. He is still a student, but he is already making a tremendous difference in his city.

The children had to cross through sewage to get to class

Before the bridge was made, the schoolchildren living in Sathe Nagar, Mumbai had to travel through a sewage-infested canal to get to school. Balbale was appalled when he saw the conditions. “Crossing the [sewage] came with risks such as skin infections, malaria, dengue and other diseases. I felt terrible when I saw the children wade through the disgusting sludge,” he said.

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The government would not step in, so he did

With no help from the governing bodies, Balbale built a bridge to help the children travel to school safely. The entire project was managed by his NGO Nirbhay Yuva Pratishthan.

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Now the children can cross safely and easily

Balbale built the bridge out of long bamboo. The construction is 4-feet wide and 100-feet long and took eight days to complete. The biggest challenge was making sure the structure could support 50 people at once.

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He has more plans to improve the area

Balbale wants to do more to improve the area’s infrastructure. For his next project, he would like to supply toilets to local residents. Others would be hesitant to do so since the residents are undocumented.

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SEE ALSO: What These Kids Do Every Day To Go To School Will Melt Your Heart.