The Gorodi Road Project was a prime example of Malawians helping themselves with the support of the Malawi Millennium Project Team. Over 500 local people were involved in the project.
The project came about when it was discovered that the people who live along the shore of Lake Malawi in Northern Malawi were dying on their way to the hospital. This was because of the poor condition of the Gorodi Road. When the people along the lakeshore needed hospital treatment, they had to travel to Livingstonia via the Gorodi Road.
The road stretches 15 miles up the Rift Valley escarpment, rising some 2,000 feet above the lake. Such was the condition of the road, that up to three patients a month would die during the ninety minutes it took to reach the hospital in four-wheel-drive ambulances.
A detailed survey and design for the reconstruction of the road was carried out in 2004 by a Malawi Millennium Project Team, consisting of civil and structural engineers. A local committee was formed, including church representatives, the missionary doctor, and the chiefs of the villages along the road.
Local workers were trained in all aspects of road construction, and a quarry was opened to provide materials.
On completion in 2005, the tools were handed over to the villagers. They could now use their experience to build connector roads from the Gorodi Road into their villages.
The initial training work was funded by Engineers Against Poverty. All other costs were funded by World Emergency Relief. Technical assistance was provided by the Raven Trust and Edward Sauven, a Civil Engineering Student at the University of Bath.