Somehow, we only have just over two weeks to go before we pack our bags, lug them down to Heathrow and hop on a plane to embark on our Rwandan adventure. The time since we were informed of our selection at the end of February has flown by in a blink, but we have achieved so much in that time... our fundraising efforts have spanned from bake sales to half marathons, paella days to park runs and raffles to river swims. Indeed, the blisters on my feet are still healing from our 77km Thames walk, that raised almost £5000 on its own! We have been blown away by the generosity of our donors, having raised almost £19000 at the time of writing, or 95% of our overall target! We are nearly there….

Our preparations have extended far beyond just fundraising; we’ve completed training in the use of winches, harnesses, and abrasive wheels (as discussed in last week’s blog). Our arms resemble pin cushions, as we’ve rushed to get all the vaccines we need to safely travel around Rwanda. We’ve produced a construction programme, construction and safety plans, risks assessments, methodologies, and temporary works designs. We’ve developed innovations in the construction method, for instance, using Denso tape to coat the cables rather than hot tar and launching the “swingers” from one end of the bridge to minimise work at height, making the build safer and more efficient. Our Communication Lead, Grace Lloyd, and Community Liaison, Juliana Diniz, have done a fantastic job promoting and informing people about the project through our social media channel, logo competition, our project t-shirts as well as this blog. We have all delivered multiple presentations to our colleagues in offices around the country, with the aim of, not just garnering support for this year’s project, but also inspiring others to take part in future years. Grace and Juliana are also busy preparing the Communication Plan for the project, which they will be presenting to the charity next week, in what will be our final meeting with B2P before we fly out. Once again, we are nearly there…

 
The generous donations we have received have extended beyond the financial, with offers from our supply chain to supply our PPE, tools, and a whole host of different equipment that we need to deliver this crucial 77m span bridge to the Muhanga community. Huge thanks are owed to Rockfall, Arco, Lyreco, Galldris and Barrett for their offers of support in this regard. We’re delighted to have started to receive some of these items. With boots and hi-vis tops delivered last week, and much more expected over the next couple of weeks. Before long it will look like I’m running the site stores from my front room! The more kit we receive, the more real and imminent the project seems, and the nervous excitement grows each day, albeit with some concern for how we’re actually going to carry everything through the airport! Just a few more deliveries to go, and we are nearly there…


This week we are reaching out to schools and inviting children to write letters to their student counterparts in Rwanda, which we will deliver on a visit to a local school as part of our engagement efforts. I’m so excited to meet the local community and see first hand the difference this project will make to them. I know the numbers associated with these projects already from my presentations; 32% increase in health visits, 42% increase in vaccination rates, 200% (that’s not a typo) increase in girls attending school, 60% increase in female literacy, a 75% increase in farm profits and a 30% increase in household income. The figures are mind-blowing in themselves, but to see the impact first hand will be special. 

I have worked on a range of large infrastructure projects in my career to date, which I know have had positive impacts on the economy and broader communities that they serve, but given the amount of time it takes to deliver these, and the fact you often move on to the next project before your current one is completed, it is extremely rare to have the opportunity to see this impact. Especially one that is so instant and dramatic, and that is something I’m incredibly excited about. Since Bridges to Prosperity was formed in 2001, they have delivered over 350 bridges and connected more than 1.2 million people. They have recently signed an agreement with the Rwandan government to deliver 380 bridges in Rwanda alone and have a similar agreement with Uganda. That said, there are still a quarter of a billion people globally suffering from rural isolation which could be fixed by projects like these. In many ways we are nearly there, but with Bridges to Prosperity we have only just begun!

- James Bryan