The Kazo Suspended Footbridge situated over the Sebeya River within the Rutsiro municipality in Rwanda has officially been opened to the public. The bridge opening was marked with an inauguration ceremony attended by members of the Rutsiro municipality, the teams from B2P and WSP, and community members.
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Kazo Suspended Footbridge
The Kazo Suspended Footbridge is 58m long. Volunteers from WSP, a global multidisciplinary professional services firm, worked with the team from Bridges to Prosperity (B2P) on the ground in Rwanda to develop the bridge.
The footbridge is set to serve 3,375 people from the Kazo-Gashihe community and provide safe, year-round access to markets, schools, and health care. Residents of the Kazo-Gashihe communities are engaged in agricultural commerce, growing beans, potatoes, peas and maize to provide for their families.
Before the Kazo Suspended Footbridge was built, the main method of pedestrian transit across the Sebeya River included the use of an unstable timber bridge, which could take people up to two-three hours to travel from their homes to the necessary community amenities. Additionally, crossing the Sebeya River over a timber bridge posed many potential personal risks for these communities, due to flooding 180-days of the year and that when the river floods, timber crossings are destroyed and access to critical resources is cut off.
“ The bridge marks a great change in Kazo-Gashihe community. Residents will now access Mahoko market centre to trade and sell and students will be able to access Kazo Secondary school. Communities from both sides will now be able to cross the river to access farms,” said Stephanie May, B2P Rwanda Program Manager.
Bridges to Prosperity (B2P) is a U.S. based non-profit organisation that partners with local communities, partners and foundations, to build footbridges that connect residents to education, healthcare and economic opportunities. Since its establishment, B2P have built over 300 footbridges in 21 countries, serving over 1 million community members throughout the world.
