A river cutting between two communities perched on two opposite hills can hold back unimaginable development opportunities and deprive hundreds of rural households of socio-economic prospects due to lack of connectivity.
Sometimes it takes just one bridge linking two villages to spark the much-needed development and to change people’s lives for the better, as the trail bridges built by Bridges to Prosperity in partnership with the Government of Rwanda, have proved.
Around the world, one in seven people are unable to access the essential services they need because of an impassable river. That is one billion people, and more than 1.1 million Rwandans, living in rural isolation.
In an interview with The New Times, Brandy Bertram, the CEO of Bridges to Prosperity, a U.S-based international non-governmental organisation that builds bridges in rural areas to connect and better lives for people in different parts the world, spoke about their work in Rwanda, which has resulted in the construction of 84 bridges.
Bertram, who was in Rwanda to check on the activities of the organisation, talked about Bridges to Prosperity, its origins and their work in Rwanda and the continent.
Excerpts:
Briefly tell us a bit about Bridges to Prosperity. How did it come about?
Bridges to Prosperity actually started over a photograph. The National Geographic magazine had published a story about a bridge in Ethiopia that was under disrepair. The picture had men standing on either side of the river. So, six men from this village and six men from the village across would hold a very long rope and the only way across that bridge was to climb hand over hand over the rope.
And so, our founder, Ken Franzt and his brother, saw this photograph, and they were engineers, and they said ‘we can fix that bridge’ and they started efforts, over the next several months, to raise money and do what they could do to fix that bridge and that was the first bridge of Bridges to Prosperity in 2001.
Give us a background of your engagement in Rwanda?
It's interesting. How we got from Ethiopia, all around the world to Rwanda is an interesting story. We actually built our first bridge in Rwanda in 2009, but it wasn't until 2012, that we really had a program here in Rwanda, building bridge after bridge.
From 2012 to 2015, we were working with people all throughout the country, to really understand the need for trail bridges in rural communities. Through that work, we were able to build partnerships and gather information that in 2019 we launched a very exciting program that was the first of its kind.
It's the first time it's been done anywhere in the world, Bridges to Prosperity in partnership with the Rwandan government, both national and local, committing to connect 1.1 million rural Rwandans to the things they need to thrive through Trail bridges. That is how we got to where we are today.
Which districts do you operate in? How many bridges have you built so far?
Our first bridge was in Muhanga District, Southern Province and we have partnerships with 21 districts throughout Rwanda for bridge-building. So, we've built over 350 trail bridges, worldwide connecting 1.2 million people as an organisation, in 21 countries.
In Rwanda, we have built 84+ bridges and we are still building today, still handing over bridges to communities as we speak, connecting nearly a half million Rwandans. By the time we're done, we will have built somewhere near 300 additional bridges, connecting an additional 1 million more
Some of the Bridge to Prosperity bridges in Rwanda. Women crossing the bridge. Courtesy photos.
We are in the process of finishing 10 bridges, right now, we just finished two. We're in the process of finishing another 10 right now. So even by the end of this Rwandan fiscal year, there will be nearly a half million people over our entire history and we're going to build on that substantially over the next three to four years in partnership with the government.
What difference are they making in the communities?
Yeah, it's interesting. I'll give you some numbers, some very specific statistics. We know through a randomised controlled study that when trail bridges are put in place in a rural community, we see a 30 per cent increase in household income. That is a significant number. Additionally, we see upwards of 60 per cent increase in women participating in the labour force.
We also see farmer profitability increasing by as much as 75 per cent. Now, the question is really what is really happening that is making that possible?
When you have a river that during flooding, even not during flooding, but creates danger for you to cross back and forth or create a longer journey for you to go access the things you need to be healthy and stable and thrive through your family, it takes away from your ability to lead your full potential.
Our trail bridges allow farmers to access markets and inputs, more reliably, more sustainably. They allow women, who are typically responsible for transporting water, food and supporting children.
They allow their travel time to shorten so much that they can participate in additional things. Speaking of children, one of my favourite statistics is that for children, the ability to access and come home from school reliably significantly improved when a trail bridge is in place.
Just a week and a half ago, I was at Umwihariko bridge, which is a bridge that exists between two schools, a secondary and a primary school. Four times a day, 1,000+ children will cross that bridge to go to school.
The statistics tell an important story but I think also the stories of the people living in the community tell the incredible story of how the trail bridges enrich their lives.
How do you finance these projects?
That's a great question. Trail bridges are not free but they are a relatively low-cost intervention compared to some of the other things we think about when we normally think about transportation.
Typically, we're thinking of a road or a vehicular bridge, which would not be appropriate for a pedestrian-based community.
Our trail bridges typically cost between $80,000 to $100,000 per bridge (Rwf80M to Rwf100M approximately). That amount is just a fraction of what it would cost to try to build a vehicular Road or a vehicular bridge in a rural community.
Those bridges are designed to last for upwards of 30 years with minimal maintenance that is readily performed by the community.
The way that happens, which is a unique part of our model, is that the local communities are the people who are building our bridges. So, local community members are selected and trained to build their bridge.
A group of them are certified after the bridge is complete, to care for the ongoing maintenance of that bridge.
How do you work with the government of Rwanda?
We have a wonderful partnership with the government of Rwanda. Our 2019 programme, the first of its kind, was really a combination of working with the Ministries of Infrastructure, Finance and Local Government.
The three Ministries are critical to how we are able to deliver the bridges for Rwanda. Bridges to Prosperity brings to the table some of the financing required to build these bridges, anywhere between 60 and 70 per cent, mainly through broadly philanthropic or charitable donors.
The government of Rwanda helps fill the rest. They are the ones investing in their own infrastructure and in their own rural communities.
What's the future of Bridges to Prosperity?
The future Bridges to Prosperity is definitely bright. Here in Rwanda, we are so excited for the announcement of the results for the next budget cycle.
We are ready to partner with our government colleagues to build significantly more bridges in the year ahead and for the years to come until we reach our goal of 1.1 million, rural Rwandans connected.
We are very excited about that. Broadly for Bridges to Prosperity, our focus is East Africa. We are using the Rwanda program as a model for the rest of the region and the world.
Why did you choose Rwanda?
Why would you not choose Rwanda? [laughs] It is such an amazing place to be. But really, we did a very thoughtful analysis. We were looking, first of all, where there is a need. There are thousands of hills and rivers in Rwanda. Second of all, we were looking for a country where there is a history of success and support and engagement by the government.
The government of Rwanda is very invested in its people. We looked broadly globally and said ‘where are others investing dollars?’ Because we know that we can't do it alone and people were very excited to be infusing support and resources and investment in Rwanda.
And then of course we had to ask ourselves ‘where will we be able to act quickly, act efficiently and act safely?' All of those things combined, and that is why we're in Rwanda.
Back to the bridges, what technology do you use to build the bridges? Where do you get the materials from?
We have two types of bridges that we typically built one is suspended and recently, the first-ever in Bridges to Prosperities history, we have a hybrid bridge
It's so important to us, whenever possible, to source locally here in Rwanda. The vast majority of the materials we use, from sand, to aggregate, to cement, to rocks, are all sourced here in Rwanda, in addition to the labour.
Also, we are now producing the panels that are the deck or the floor of our bridges. They're made out of steel, and they are now made locally here in Rwanda as well.
The only things that we're bringing in the country are donated pipes that are necessary for the structure of the bridge, cable that actually strings the bridge together and every once in a while, a few materials, like clamps or tools but everything else is made locally here in Rwanda.
How do you source the labour?
Our labour is predominantly locally sourced. Our bridges are engineered, constructed and maintained by Rwandans. The labour is chosen in partnership with the districts and the local community members as well as our 100 per cent talented Rwandan team on the ground.