After the school visit described in the previous blog, the team packed up and rolled out of our bridge build accommodation and began the journey back to Kigali. The 3+ hours amongst the stunning Rwandan hills providing the perfect opportunity to reflect on what we had achieved in two weeks.

After a day to decompress and explore some of Kigali, Syd, Tari and I flew home in the late evening of Saturday 30th June, landing early Sunday morning at Heathrow. At midnight Tuesday 4th July, the remaining members (who had stayed in Rwanda for a few extra days to undertake an amazing safari) boarded their flight from Kigali which signified the end of this unforgettable project.



Having had over a week now to come up of a way to describe exactly how I feel about the experience, I think I’m still struggling. I often hear people describe something as life-changing and can’t help but think it’s a bit over the top, but in this instance, there is genuinely no other way I can describe our endeavour.

Two weeks of intense construction was a rollercoaster of emotions, and it would be difficult to summarise it all here in one blog post, and to be honest I won’t attempt to. We were very lucky to be followed by a film crew for a couple of days during construction, and their footage is currently being made into a short highlights video which will be available in the coming weeks. Having seen the first draft I am delighted with how well it conveys the collaboration between the UK team and the Rwandan team, the effect the experience has had on us as individuals and most importantly the powerful stories from local people which will show just how important the bridge will be to saving and improving lives.

So instead, I’d like to use this opportunity to shout out my phenomenal team members who each played such a pivotal role in making this experience what it was for me.

Eden Beadle – Logistics (People) Lead

·     Eden seamlessly organised all our travel to, from and during our time in Rwanda. By owning this it allowed the rest of the team to focus more on our specific roles without the additional stress of travel arrangements. Notwithstanding the hard work he put into the build each day, I think Eden’s most memorable moment has to be on Day 7 when he led the morning warm up with such enthusiasm it blew us all away and gave us the energy we needed, when we were all a bit down, to have another productive day. The whole thing is captured on video and is a must see.

Grace Lloyd – Communications Lead

·     Grace did such a fantastic job of keeping our friends and family back home updated with our journey. With phone signal often limited and the constant struggle to send messages home, I knew that at least my family would always be able to see the pictures on our team Instagram at the end of every day, that usually were a result of Grace climbing up a hill somewhere to find enough signal. Grace was also a great source of humour and knew how to keep our spirits up. The “what’s your favourite….” game never failed to make me laugh.  

Jamie Bryan – Construction Manager

·     Jamie executed the role of construction manager brilliantly. Every morning he would expertly brief the UK and Rwandan teams on the day ahead and made sure everyone understood their role and responsibilities and ensured they would be safe. During the build if any problems came up, he would always remain composed and explain the solution that was needed to overcome the problem. His work didn’t stop there and at the end of each day he would formulate a plan based on what we had achieved and still needed to do and would repeat each day with great success.

Jared Tiller – Temporary Works Lead

·       Alongside Jamie, Jared was one of the technical geniuses during the build. His understanding of the detail was second to none and he could always expertly communicate what needed to be done and how to do it. Additionally, before we arrived in Rwanda, Jared developed a new design for our working platforms which was commended by Bridges to Prosperity and will be used on their future projects.

Juliana Diniz – Community Liaison Lead

·      One of the most moving days we had as a team was visiting the local school and seeing how our new bridge would impact the local children, which wouldn’t have been possible without being organised by Juliana. In addition to her community role, Juliana’s expertise when it came to working at height and using fall protection equipment was extremely valuable and she ensured that we were kept safe as a team during one our highest risk activities.

Kat Draper – Project Manager

·     Our success as a team would not have been the same without Kat’s leadership. At the very beginning of the process, she brought us together and organised in-person meet ups, teams calls, WhatsApp groups and everything in-between, to make sure we were becoming closer as a team. Any final decisions required during our time away were made by respecting all of the team’s views and considering options in a way that we knew she was always doing what was best for us. When I came down with a bout of illness during our weekend off Kat was the first to make sure I was okay and always ensuring I had what I needed to recover. A true leader!

Katerina Sidiropoulou – Logistics (Kit) Lead

·       One of the most important tasks required to make this project a success was bringing over all of the tools and PPE needed to build the bridge and keep us safe whilst doing so. Katerina managed this superbly and prevented any productivity or engineering issues as a result. This was also so important because the kit that Katerina sourced was left behind for the local community to be able to maintain and repair the bridge for years to come.

Syd Halfacre – Deputy Project Manager and Finance Lead

·     Syd had the thankless task of managing our finances, but did so expertly. Every day Syd set the example with his hard work and there was never a task too small that he didn’t want to get stuck into and ensure it was done properly. When the going did get tough, Syd was the first person to remind us of how good a job we were doing, and he was never anything except positive in his assessment of things which was a real motivator.

Tarisiro Fundira – Fundraising Lead

·       Tari absolutely smashed his role as fundraising lead, raising (by far) the most money out of the whole team and also coordinating our high-income raffle. On site, Tari’s energy was equally unmatched, and without fail every day he would be leading the dancing and chanting of the team and keeping everyone in high spirits.

What’s my personal highlight? There are too many to choose from, what I can say is that I am so pleased that we coordinated and executed this project to the highest of standards and everyone did so safely. 

Now that we’re back in the UK, our remaining task is to debrief the project and compile our lessons learned for next year’s group so that they can hopefully get as much out of the experience as we did.

Lastly, I just want to thank everyone who supported our incredible journey. Whether it was donating money to our fundraising, providing kit and PPE for the bridge build and the local Rwandan community, or prizes for our raffle, none of what we achieved and experienced would have been possible without this support.

-Ali


*Note from the editor –

It has been nothing short of a pleasure to proof-read these eloquent and heart-felt blogs from the team during this project. Each voice providing a unique perspective on the lived experience we have undertaken. Thank you to the team. Our mantra the whole trip has been ‘no man left behind’ and a summary blog would not be complete without mentioning each one of us, despite the author humbly omitting his own achievements. Alastair led the health and safety, during preparation and on site. A large undertaking that was delivered to the skill of a professional advisor. The H&S plan carefully detailed every aspect of safety and health, including mental health challenges associated with being away from home. The delivery of this plan was prompt, well-informed and charismatic, as positive interventions were constantly reinforced. At times, also, firmly but professionally reminding us of our responsibilities. Personal opportunities to join activities were sacrificed, so that sick colleagues would have a companion.  A natural presence on site, his authentic leadership cannot be overlooked and should be commended.  Such synergy.

We are now back in the UK, full of enthusiasm to continue making a difference on our projects and to local communities, but the B2P journey has not quite finished.  The team will share some footage of the Nkegete bridge build in Canary Wharf on Friday 14th July. We will also be drawing the winning raffle tickets, which has so far raised £4,500 for the project. If you’d like an invite to the live-stream, email bridgestoprosperity.nkegete@gmail.com. There is also the chance to purchase those last-minute raffle tickets. All proceeds will be donated to Bridge to Prosperity. 


Murakoze! (Thank you!)