Go Behind the Scenes of our 2023 Rwanda Bridge Build

This summer, we partnered with Bridges to Prosperity for our second bridge-building project in Rwanda. The rainy season coming to an end in Western Rwanda provided the perfect opportunity to work with the Tigano community to build a footbridge across the Kamiranzovu River – a piece of critical infrastructure that will enable residents to safely access vital resources.

Our team of 10 volunteers was stationed in a local village for two weeks at the end of July and was immersed within the community, living and working alongside local community members while exchanging cultural and technical skills to build the footbridge.

At the end of each day, the team reflected on the day’s progress and documented their experience – and we’re excited to share their reflections with you in this exclusive feature, giving you behind-the-scenes access to the build.

#OurJacobs 2023 Rwanda Bridge Build

Arriving in Rwanda: July 16, 2023

Over the weekend we all arrived in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital city, ready for the start of the trip. Our team was selected from all over the world, and this is the first time we’ve all met in person so we spent the long journey from Kigali to the site getting to know each other. We’re looking forward to getting our hands dirty over the next two weeks and meeting the local community. 

Day One of Construction: July 17, 2023

We started the first day of work with a fun warm-up led by the Bridges to Prosperity Site Liaison, Grace. There was dancing and singing, and we were thrilled to receive a warm welcome from the local community members.

At first, the language barrier was a bit challenging, but this didn’t stop us from interacting with the local team. Soon we were learning several phrases in Kinyarwanda and exchanging simple words with our new Rwandan friends. These Kinyarwanda phrases proved to be extremely helpful as we worked together to hoist four thick metal cables across the valley up into the air and attached them to the abutments. The abutments will be full of rock and concrete and will eventually become the approach ramps from which people will be able to walk across the bridge deck.

We also moved several hundred pounds of rock by forming an assembly line to begin filling in the abutments. There was a great atmosphere on site – we had upbeat music playing out loud which helped us get into the rhythm and have a boogie while getting a ton of work done!

Day Two of Construction: July 18, 2023 

We had an early start with a 6:00 a.m. wake-up call today. By the evening we were so exhausted we practically fell into bed. It’s hard work, but we’re powering through!

We’re really hitting it off with the local community and bonding with our new teammates. There has been a lot of great teamwork, and people are always willing to jump into a task and help get it done quickly. We’re all looking out for one another, including the local community workers, and ensuring that each task is done deliberately without taking shortcuts. Each person working on the bridge really takes ownership of their task and is proud of their work, which makes the working environment so nice!

We met some of the local children today too. Though shy at first, their bright, shining smiles light up when they see us, which makes all the hard work worth it! By the end of the day today, some of us were already dancing with the children, exchanging high fives and taking selfies.

We’re looking forward to setting the sag, continuing to fill in the approach ramps, and assembling and launching swings across the cables in the next few days.

Day Three of Construction: July 19, 2023

Today’s first task was launching swings across the cables, so we had a friendly rivalry to see which side of the river could launch half of the swings with the crossbeams to the middle of the span the fastest. We’ve all been trying out each task and rotating so that everyone gets a turn on all the construction activities and we’re pooling our collective knowledge and experience to continually teach one another. The activities where everyone is involved together are the ones we’ve enjoyed the most so far.

Day Four of Construction: July 20, 2023

We made a lot of progress today and started working on the decking, which involved carrying large steel panels to each abutment, lifting them up into the air and installing each of them in a pattern to make up the decking. We managed to strike a good balance of moving quickly while still giving everyone the opportunity to get up in a harness and have a turn installing decking. Each person contributes something unique to the team with their individual personalities. We already managed to install half the decking by the end of the day!

Day Five of Construction: July 21, 2023

Today was a big day! We finished the decking for the bridge, filled in one of the abutments completely with rock and worked on adding concrete to form the approach ramp. The best part of the day was getting to teach two of the community members how to complete the decking. We all loved getting in the harness and having a turn on the bridge – which is way ahead of schedule!

We’ve worked really hard this week so we’re very much looking forward to a weekend off to visit Lake Kivu.

Day Six of Construction: July 24, 2023

After the best weekend exploring, going on boat rides, dancing and singing karaoke, we were all excited to get back to work today feeling refreshed and ready to get the job done.

We worked a full day that started early and ended late – but we accomplished a lot! We started by painting the concrete towers on the approach ramps as well as the fence poles. Another dance party broke out as we started filling the remaining abutment with more rocks.

The weather was particularly hot today, but we rallied together to stay safe, take plenty of breaks and listen to our bodies.

Day Seven of Construction: July 25, 2023

With an early project completion in sight, we had another long day today, starting early and finishing late. We spent most of the day working on the fencing, which was a pretty tedious task compared with some of the more fun and interactive things we’ve done. The fence segments need to be stretched tight and then tied to each of the suspenders using tie wire. Each suspender gets at least three ties, so at least 400 ties needed to be hand-installed across the span of the bridge.

We estimate that we’ve completed 60% of that work today, so there’s still a fair amount left to do – although we think we’re in good shape for an early inauguration on Thursday! The best part of the day today was having more community members at the site learning how to complete various tasks so they can continue to maintain the bridge for years to come. 

Day Eight of Construction: July 26, 2023

Today was the last day of construction! We finished the second approach ramp, installed the fencing and finished the remaining painting of the towers. After completing the final tasks early afternoon, we celebrated with a barbecue and lots of dancing with the community to celebrate the completion of the bridge!

Inauguration Day: July 27, 2023

We started today – our last day in the community – by visiting a local school. We were greeted by more than 300 children singing and warmly welcoming us. After a few inspirational speeches, we got to share soccer balls, coloring books, dolls, and other fun gifts we’d brought from home with the children. We then went back to the bridge site for the inauguration, where we were met by several government officials and Bridges to Prosperity representatives as well as the local community.

We awarded certificates to several of the community team members to recognize their roles in maintaining the bridge moving forward, then after some speeches, everyone walked across the finished bridge, which was a really moving and joyous experience. There was so much singing, dancing and celebrating – this bridge will improve lives for generations to come!

Though it was hard to say goodbye to the community having gotten to know them so well over the past two weeks, we left this afternoon to go back to Kigali. We are so proud of what we achieved and are grateful to have had the opportunity to create an impact on this community.