After years of planning and demanding work the 344-kilometer-long road between the cities of Burhale and Shabunda in the Democratic Republic of Congo has opened. A vital connecting route, around 300,000 people can now easily travel to other villages or get medical treatment in the healthcare centre of Shabunda.

The region, inaccessible for a long time, can now be reached more easily by medical teams. In fact, it takes four days for a truck to cross the distance in between the two cities, three days for a car and only two days for a motorbike.

The Order of Malta’s worldwide relief service, Malteser International, helped finance and oversee the reconstruction of the road, which was built with help from residents living along its route. The project has been supported by the United Nations Office for Project Services.