• Promote social harmony and togetherness among rural community.
• Make the villagers realize the strength and potential of collective action, and generate synergy towards their own social welfare.
• Demonstrate economic advantages and feasibility of self-reliance in rural infrastructure development.
• Stimulate mutually reinforcing effect of spiritual harmony of villagers and rural development.

Goals:

• To make the villagers realize that rural development projects are within their capability if togetherness could be established.
• To organize the villagers under an umbrella structure without any divisive biases.
• To obtain true participation of villagers in the development activities of their their village.
• To develop the positive attitude among villagers.
• To create sense of ownership among villagers with regard to the asets built with their participation.
• To assist (financially, technologically and otherwise) the community to develop needy rural infrastructural facilities.
• To demonstrate the economic advantages of implementing rural development projects through community participation.

Background:
Girikola is a small village near Agalawatta in Kalutara District. The village has approximately 200 families and more than 1000 population. "Gallath Ela", a stream of about 40 feet wide, flows bordering Girikola, and at certain locations across the village also, separating few households belonging to Girikola Gramaseva Division from the rest. Bordering Girikola also are Bambaragangoda, Veyangalla, Helamba and Udawela. All these villages are linked to Agalawatta town by a motorable road running across Girikola. Approximately 1000 families live in these villages, including Girikola. There is a narrow gravel road linking Girikola (and all other villages mentioned above) to Pimbura, a village on Horana-Kalawellawa-Agalawatta main road. The Government Hospital for the entire area is located at Pimbura. This short-cut provides the easiest access for the above mentioned villages to Pimbura Hospital. The two Government schools at Kudaligama and Girikola are attended by the students residing at Bambaragangoda. Also, some students and teachers residing in Girikola, Helamba, Udawela and Veyangalla, attend schools at Polegoda, Mahagama and Horana. These students and teachers have to cross Gallath Ela daily, as that is the shortest way to and from their schools. As a result, this pathway across the Gallath Ela stream is used daily by more than 500 villagers. Unfortunately, there is no facility to cross Gallath Ela along this pathway. The villagers, including small school children, have to get into the stream and cross it. This could only be done during the dry season, as the depth of the steam prevents people doing so during the rainy season. The villages have time-to-time used tree trunks as "Edanda" to across this 40 ft span, but has proven only short lived and too dangerous. Many lives have already been lost attempting to cross this stream during rainy periods, and it was not long ago that "Divaina" reported that two school girls were narrowly saved when they had fallen into the stream while attempting to use this "Edanda" ("Divaina" of July 04, 2002). The other alternative to this rural access way would require people to go via Doolella, which adds more than 6 kilometers to the daily travel distance. A rough sketch of the area around Girikola, and the proposed location of the bridge, is attached as an Annex to this document.

The proposed project (rationale):
The Bridge would be constructed using a "railway carriage under-frame". An under frame has been brought to Girikola a few months ago, and placed at about 300 meters away from the location of the bridge. It is proposed to use the same over the stream. The two abutments need to be constructed using rubble and concrete. One foundation has already been laid through Samurdhi program and abandoned a few years ago. The strength of this foundation is currently being investigated, and if strong enough, could be used as the base for one of the abutments. The other abutment needs construction right from its foundation. The surface of the bridge needs to be constructed, either using Steel Plates or Wood. The comparative suitability is being studied. Two fences need to be constructed along the two edges of the bridge, and it is proposed to use piping for this purpose. Girikola Buddhist Association has already written to Agalawatta Pradeshiya Sabha, and has obtained their blessings. The Association will obtain any other permits needed for construction work. Two railway engineers and one road bridge construction engineer, who have wide experience in handling these types of work, have volunteered to help designing the bridge, and also supervising its construction.

Progress: Project is 100% completed.