The last few months of hard work and preparation have gone fast, and later today we’ll be hauling our (generously donated) kit-filled bags to Heathrow to begin our journey to Rwanda. The whole team has spent the last few days finalising plans and getting excited about spending time working closely with local communities, sharing knowledge and collaborating to construct the Nkegete trail bridge.  

The trip to our site isn’t the most straightforward - after the nine-hour flight to Kigali, Rwanda’s capital city, we’ll drive for a few hours west up into the rural Rwandan hills where we’ll find our accommodation for the next two weeks. The bridge site itself then sits a short trek away through the forest. 

Our bridge site location, (-1.91078⁰E, 29.77379⁰N, to be precise).

We’ve worked though the logistical challenges well so far, and there will no doubt be a few more to solve once we’re on the ground in Rwanda, but I feel fortunate to be part of a dedicated team that has continue to work hard together to make this project a reality. 

Our journey to the bridge site each morning.

Aside from the planning and preparation, this week we marked a significant milestone and reached our team fundraising target! We’re all incredibly grateful to everyone who has donated to our various sponsored hikes, swims, runs and cake sales - the funds raised will make a huge difference to the communities surrounding the future bridge. 



Thanks to everyone who supported me in my sponsored swim last month! 

77 times across the river Wye for the 77m of the new bridge.

I personally came across Bridges to Prosperity during a project at university, choosing to focus my undergraduate project on their bridge designs and the effects of their work. I was as inspired then as I am now by this use of engineering to create positive change in such a tangible way. Volunteering with them is about more than just building a bridge; it's about providing connection and opportunity, and I know I speak for the whole team when I say how excited we are to see the impact of our work over the next couple of weeks.

Stay tuned for updates and wish us luck! 

-Eden