Bridging China's troubled waters
The work of the charity Wuzhiqiao is best known from images of children, often neck-deep in water, attempting to cross rivers on their lengthy walks to and from school. In the rainy season, when rivers swell and fragile bamboo bridges get washed away, their schooling is interrupted. Meanwhile, the dangers of flash floods can be deadly to young and old alike.
Known in English as "Bridge to China", Wuzhiqiao's aim is to build bridges in remote villages in six impoverished mainland provinces. In the four years since its inception, Wuzhiqiao has built 21 bridges and rebuilt two villages following the Sichuan quake.
Following the vision of its founder Ove Nyquist Arup for a socially conscious and humanitarian company, the engineering giant Arup is an active contributor to charities and is one of Wuzhiqiao's thr