There are places where crossing a river is an act of bravery.
In Urrao, over the waters of the Penderisco River, there is a bridge that everyone knows as “El Infierno”. A harsh name, born of fear—of old wooden planks, of the void below, and of stories no one would ever want to tell: people who have fallen, lives that have been lost, a child who never returned home.

For hundreds of families from the village of Las Cruces, this bridge has for years been the only way to reach school, to carry food, and to connect with the rest of the region. It has also been a dangerous boundary between the desire to move forward and the fear of not returning. 

Today, that story begins to change. 

Thanks to the commitment of the community, the funding provided by Fundación Fraternidad Medellín, the technical management of Fundación Berta Martínez, the construction carried out by Fundación Puentes de Esperanza—specialists in high-durability rural bridges—and the support of the Mayor’s Office of Urrao, the Puente del Infierno will be rebuilt. This decision is born from the conviction that education, safety, and life itself cannot depend on risk, and that no child should have to learn to cross fear in order to get to school. 

It will be a bridge designed not only for pedestrians, but also for the passage of pack mules, essential for the educational projects yet to come. 

And this is not an isolated effort. In 2026, thanks to the Educational Infrastructure Agreement between the Government of Antioquia, Fundación Fraternidad Medellín, and Fundación Berta Martínez, we will build four educational facilities in Urrao, including the La Esperanza campus, located precisely in this village. Prioritizing this bridge means prioritizing life before raising walls; it is understanding that there can be no education if the path to reach it puts the community at risk. 

The cost of the bridge amounts to COP 267 million, but its impact is immeasurable: it means safe crossings, dignified access, peace of mind for families, and a future that no longer wavers on broken planks. 

At Fundación Fraternidad Medellín, we believe that to build is also to care. That sometimes, before opening a classroom, we must open a path. That bridges do not only connect riverbanks: they connect opportunities, protect lives, and restore trust.

Muy pronto, en Urrao, el “puente del infierno” dejará de llamarse así. 
Because when a community can cross again without fear, the future begins to feel possible.