By Aminata Abu Bakarr Kamara
In Katic Wallah, a remote community in Lokomassama Chiefdom, Port Loko District, frustration has turned into action. After years of broken promises and government inaction, villagers have begun building a wooden bridge themselves using local tools, sweat, and determination to connect two vital communities divided by a river that continues to claim lives and stifle development.
The makeshift initiative comes after repeated appeals for a modern, durable bridge have been ignored. Despite the area’s significance for farming and petty trading, the absence of a safe crossing has left residents vulnerable, especially schoolchildren who must cross the river daily to access education in nearby Gbainty Wallah.
Tragedy struck on November 5, 2024, when three young schoolgirls 15-year-old Mariatu Kamara (SSS 2), 14-year-old Fatmata Kamara (JSS 3), and 13-year-old Salamatu Cole (JSS 2) drowned while returning from school. With the old bridge long collapsed, they had no choice but to cross by canoe, which capsized midstream. The incident sent shockwaves through the community and reignited urgent calls for government action.
We’ve already lost our children, we don’t want to bury more, pleaded Mohamed Dyphan Kamara, a grieving community member, please, we need the government to help us. We can’t go through that pain again.
Since the tragic accident, residents have rallied together to build a temporary wooden bridge, But with limited resources and no technical support, progress has been slow and dangerous. Even incomplete, the effort underscores the community’s desperation and resolve.
Every election cycle, politicians promise us a bridge, said Bai Marrow Kamara, another resident, But once they win, they disappear, we are left to suffer in silence, the crossing is a lifeline not just for students, but for farmers and traders who rely on it to reach markets, healthcare, and family members in nearby towns. The rainy season only worsens the risk, swelling the river and rendering canoes nearly useless.
Foday Marouf Bangura, a youth leader helping with construction, said, the river becomes deadly during the rains. Even adults fear crossing it, this wooden bridge is our only hope now but we need help to make it strong and safe.
The community is now making a collective plea to the national government, local councils, NGOs, and philanthropic organizations to provide urgent support both financial and technical to complete a modern bridge that meets safety standards.
This is not about luxury, Dyphan Kamara emphasized, and it’s about survival. A safe bridge will save lives, keep our children in school, and allow us to grow our farms and our futures, for the people of Lokomassama, this is not just a call for infrastructure it is a call for dignity, equality, and the right to a safe and better life.
Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Friday,11th July, 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
