Bridge building seminar in Rwanda

Bridges are more than just infrastructure. They enable the access to health care, education, drinking water and food. To facilitate a sustainable development in rural areas of Rwanda an expert group of of bridge building from the aid organisation Engineers without Borders Germany holds a seminar with the subject footbridge- building at the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology in the capital of Rwanda.

The seminar was already held in the last two years and shall also take place this year. Rwandan students of civil engineering will be taught during 2 weeks in all basics to build independently a footbridge of middle and small span. In showing them bridges which were built by the Engineers without Borders Germany in the past, the students get to know a specific insight view in the methods of bridge building. With the help of design tasks, the students create their proper bridge projects; all draft periods up to the point of implementation are conducted together.

Thereby the students will be encouraged and instructed to contribute independently to the development particularly of the rural regions of Rwanda. The motivation of the students is often overwhelming, the technical knowledge and the curiosity for bridge building are provided and strenthened by this seminar. Within field trips the students are familiarized with the significance of professional maintenance of bridge structures; this is a subject which has to be still clearly strengthen in the awareness of the Rwandans in order for a long-term development.

This project is well-respected in Rwanda and feasible at comparatively low costs. The flight of the German lecturers and the financial means for the field trips to the bridges are the essential cost items in addition to the free-provided teaching materials in the form of the accompanying script.

Further information about the project and Engineers without Borders are found on our website:
http://www.ingenieure-ohne-grenzen.org/de/Kompetenzgruppen/Kompetenzgruppe-Bruecken-und-Hochbau/Projekte/Brueckenbauseminar-2012-in-Ruanda Read more