When a bridge over the Domai stream collapsed in June, residents of Luma village in Bhume Rural Municipality-9, Rukum East, were left struggling to cross the waterway. Despite repeated appeals for help, the broken bridge remained unattended.

Frustrated by the lack of action, 15-year-old Sadiksha Oli took to Facebook on August 17 to appeal directly to Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the former prime minister elected to the House of Representatives from Rukum East.

Addressing Dahal as “Prachanda Baje” (Grandfather Prachanda), she posted a video highlighting the dangers posed by the damaged bridge, which had become a daily obstacle for villagers, including schoolchildren.

“Hello, Prachanda Baje, where are you? You won the election from Rukum East and left. Just look at the condition of our bridge. It is broken, and we have to cross the stream. It could sweep away our cattle and even us. Children also use this route to get to school, and they could be swept away too. So please build us a bridge,” she said in the video.

The appeal went viral on social media, drawing widespread attention to the villagers’ plight. But despite the publicity, no one came forward to rebuild the bridge, Oli said.

So she decided to do it herself.

With help from relatives and residents, she built a wooden footbridge using locally available timber. The work was completed in three days. The project cost Rs60,000, which Oli paid herself, according to resident Sherdhan Khadka.

The money went towards corrugated iron sheets, nails and other construction materials, as well as wages for skilled workers, he said.

“There was a real problem getting across. The government could not build the bridge, so a girl from our own village took the initiative. We all helped as much as we could,” Khadka said.

Oli comes from a modest farming family. She said earnings from Facebook made it possible for her to fund the construction.

“I started using Facebook just for fun. My account was eventually monetised, and as my videos began going viral, I started earning money from them. Many people watched the video in which I addressed ‘Prachanda Baje’, and that also brought in some earnings,” she said.

“When the problem I had raised on Facebook remained unresolved, I decided to use the money I had earned through the platform to fix it myself.”

The roughly four-metre-long wooden bridge is expected to make it easier for residents to reach the ward office, schools and the district headquarters.

The stream is relatively easy to cross during the dry months, but swells during the monsoon, sometimes becoming impassable. The previous bridge, built years ago, was swept away by the stream in June, leaving villagers without a safe crossing.

For Luma’s residents, the new bridge restores an important connection to everyday services. For Oli, it is also the result of turning a social media appeal into a practical response to a problem that had long been neglected.