In many places, roads and bridges are taken for granted by the residents who are used to the convenience of having these structures. Sadly, there are still many areas in the world that don’t have the luxury of having a bridge, leading residents to cross ravines and raging rivers just to get to the other side.
In Huoi Ha village, Vietnam, parents have to place kids inside plastic bags so they can cross the raging river to go to school!
During dry season, the river is more manageable and dads work hard to build bamboo bridges that everyone can use to cross. But rainy season brings lots of waters into the river, often washing out the makeshift bridges.
Yet the students are still determined to go to school. So, the parents have no choice but to put the kids inside plastic bags that they carry across the river. The parents get wet in the crossing, but the important thing is the kids are dry.
But the practice brings the added danger of the kids possibly running of oxygen inside the plastic bags – and the dad’s race across the river to get the kids to safety.
In the past, the parents used rafts and small boats but the rapids are too much for the vessels and the kids get washed out. So, the parents found a way to safely bring the kids across using the plastic bags. It is inconvenient but has worked so well that it has become their primary mode of transporting the kids across the river.
Yet after crossing the river, the kids still have to walk a long way to school! They trek hours along a slippery trail, leading many to quit school during the rainy months. Others have no choice but to live in school, going home only during the weekends.
Netizens are hoping that the local government would solve this problem soon, to ensure everyone’s safety.
Image credits: Thinking Humanity