On October 31, 2015, ten HOCHTIEF employees will be making their way to Rwanda to build a footbridge in a remote area. In cooperation with non-profit organization Bridges to Prosperity (B2P), they will build a more than 70-meter wooden suspension bridge over the Ururumanza River in Muhanga-Ruhango, which is located in the Southern Province of Rwanda. The bridge will allow the locals to cross the river safely, which is impassable during the rainy season, in order to reach schools, doctors, and markets.
HOCHTIEF overall coordinator Felix von Platen, who manages the team that includes employees from the UK, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Germany, said: "We are looking forward to our two-week project in Africa and are excited to work in this environment. The new bridge will enable up to 7,000 children from the region to make their way to school safely in the future."
HOCHTIEF CEO Marcelino Fernández Verdes said: "By building the footbridge, HOCHTIEF is helping Rwanda not only financially but also with expertise and the personal involvement of our employees. This is a great example of our global sustainable and social involvement. The involvement also fits in well with our core activities of building infrastructure projects."
Rwanda is one of the poorest countries in Africa and is struggling with enormous structural problems. HOCHTIEF is sending its employees to Rwanda and building the footbridges to support the economic and social development of the region and to make people’s everyday lives easier: One of their tasks will also be to share their expertise in construction with the population and show them how to maintain the bridge. The construction materials will be procured from the surrounding area and local suppliers.
This is the fourth time that HOCHTIEF is supporting a bridge construction project in Rwanda. In total, the construction group has built 17 bridges in Africa and Central and South America together with its subsidiaries Turner, Flatiron und E.E.Cruz.