Meet toni rüttimann, the bridge builder. It is, literally, bringing two worlds; one community at a time. Toni has built more than 600 bridges in the world. He does it for the people.
What led you to Indonesia?
The hope of being useful to villagers in need of a bridge, and steel pipe supply in Cilegon given by the Argentine Tenaris pipe company.
And where are you?
I was born and grew up in Switzerland, in a small village called Pontresina in the Swiss Alps.
How your name Toni El Suizo is born?
This was how farmers in Ecuador's jungle called me from the beginning. In Spanish means 'El Suizo' 'Switzerland'.
You travel to many places; Is it true that you bring your key in two small bags for all your travel needs?
Yes, long ago I have reduced my personal belongings and office equipment that I can take with me. I think it's a good habit. It takes some practice, but it is vital since I am a migrant worker; move permanently from bridge to bridge, and on buses, cars or ojek.
You build bridges in places that have been destroyed by natural disasters. Tell us a little about your experience doing this in different countries. Which countries did you build bridges? How many bridges have you built in ?
We have built 77 bridges in Cambodia, 36 in Indonesia, about 200 bridges in Ecuador and many other countries. Some are ongoing, too. Please see the table for a complete analysis.
what kind of bridges to build yourself?
First, the steel suspension bridges for people, motorcycles and three-wheeled vehicles. On the other hand, bridges of love between humans in so many different places and positions.
What are they made?
They are made of sacrifice and love by all stakeholders. Structurally, these days they are all made of steel pipes offered by the company Tenaris, steel cables retrieved from the ski lifts of tourism in the Swiss mountains, steel plates donated by individuals or sometimes government or companies, depending on the country.
This kind of passion for helping people in need must come from experience. What prompted you to start building bridges to the poor places?
Some people need all an earthquake to wake them up. I'm one of them. It was the earthquake of 1987 in Ecuador, I saw on the TV news, two weeks before high school. The night of graduation, I went to Ecuador, committed to helping people in any way possible. Once there, I saw what it meant to whole villages being cut after their bridges were washed away by the earthquake and subsequent mud avalanches. So I find a way to build a simple bridge with poor farmers themselves, and then another, then another.
Do you work for free?
Yes. I work for free. And more importantly, I work for the people.
Where did you learn bridge building?
In the earthquake, the jungle and the oil fields in Ecuador.
Can you please tell our readers how the system works, demand - how to determine which area / country needs a bridge - for materials and people needed to build the bridge; what is the process as?
Regarding the country, I'm just my inner voice and go. Once inside a country and have obtained authorization from the (usually higher level) government, I find a local human right that is dedicated enough to serve the people, with the appropriateness and ready to follow me with my system. In parallel, I assemble and train a team of three to four pipe welders, and find a loan workshop where they make welding and prefabrication of bridges kits. Indonesia this is now in one of Holcim cement plants.
So I'm going with my local right of man to search and find the places that need a bridge. There are a lot of patient detective work, a lot of walking, hoping, asking and listening. Where we find a suitable place in need of a bridge, we explain to farmers that they can and will build the bridge themselves, with their contribution of sand, stone, labor and transportation.
Once you have built a number of bridges in the country, farmers are from other valleys and neighboring districts say they need, and hoping that you are going with them. Or you have read the scene of sad stories from newspapers or government contacts and other sources.
About the logistics, it is on average 10 tons of steel bridge. So you need to find, depending on each country, several hundreds or thousands of tons of steel pipes, steel plates, cable and transport, import, prefabrication and distribute to remote locations through each country.
In Indonesia, the tax-free importation procedures, I found great help Pak Imam Prasodjo, honest personality and respected company in Indonesia, which connected me the Minister of public Works and other ministers. With another good friend, Pak Fazwar Bujang and CEO now retired Krakatau Steel Company, we received the unusual support of Indonesian special forces of the army and the Indonesian Navy to transport all six bridges the way to Sulawesi and very difficult to -reach places.
In the case of Indonesia and Ecuador, farmers are very lucky and get the cement mainly given by the local cement company Holcim. But in Myanmar and other countries, farmers are buying themselves, often so poor that four or five families together give a bag of cement, for a bridge that can take between 200 and 400 bags of cement, depending on the duration.
Have you encountered problems in the construction of bridges in Indonesia or other countries
Many problems -? All the time - technical, logistical, social, personal, health-wise and a long list of "etc." Some problems (but also benefits) from the fact that I am nothing - no NGO, no company, no member of one group or another. But the task is to meet equal amount of solutions, and within a reasonable time. Thank you for taking care of friends met along the way it becomes possible for all.
Where was the most devastated place you have visited and helped?
In Colombia 1994 after an earthquake and subsequent landslides on the Nevado del Huila and in 1998 in Honduras after Hurricane Mitch.
What is the overall amount of time required to complete a bridge
Three visits to any location ?; two hours to the investigation and talk with the villagers. Then, once they are ready with their searches and aggregates, we will for two days of cementing with about 80 farmers. Finally, usually three weeks later, once the concrete has cured, we will still for one to two days for final assembly, again with the help of 80 peasants. So basically it is a few days of work spread over a month. Today, we are building 50 bridges per year.
What do you hope to achieve in the following years? Will you keep building bridges?
If I'm lucky enough to reach "later years," I hope I will be quite willing to serve the people.
At this time, we have materials already collected or underway for 30 other bridges in Myanmar, at least 15 others in Indonesia and about 50 others in Ecuador. That is about two years, and a long way to go.