FROM THE ARUSHA NEWS REPORTER IN ARUMERU
For Erick Pallangyo, a tricky section of his village road in Meru District stopped being justa just another inconvenience when he saw how seriously it could affect someone in an emergency.
A resident of Akheri Ward in Patandi Village, Pallangyo, recalled witnessing a pregnant mother give birth to her new born baby by the roadside because the vehicle rushing her to hospital could not negotiate a short but tricky stretch, with an otherwise healthy baby just scratching through the early hours of delicate life under severe cold conditions, which could have been fatal, medics later said.
The experience moved him to act. He donated Sh 10 million of his own money and mobilised groups of youths and other volunteers to make the notorious 70-metre section passable. That effort now benefits more than 2,000 people in the surrounding community to access with ease, essential goods and services.
The distance may appear modest on paper, but for people who use the route every day, Pallangyo’s intervention has made a practical difference. He resorted to using cement rather than tarmac and now the 70-metre concrete section has considerably improved services in the area.
Opening the section last week, the Arumeru East MP, Mr Joshua Nassari, praised Pallangyo and the young people involved for being proactive in improving conditions in their area. “This is an example worth emulating by patriotic young men and women in resolving problems in their communities,” he stressed.
The MP also pledged 100 bags (about Sh 2.5m) of cement towards further infrastructure improvements in the area. However, for Pallangyo, the project was less about the size of the effort than the problem it solved.
