How to Measure the Impact of Rural Infrastructure in Emerging Economies

How many people use a new trailbridge in rural Rwanda? Determining the reach of investments such as transportation infrastructure is difficult in rural areas, where data connectivity is low and routes and settlements are poorly mapped.

In this webinar, representatives of Bridges to Prosperity look at cost-effective methods to understand the geographic reach of trailbridges in rural Rwanda. The presention highlights the results of an initial study, survey design and field implementation. Discussion then turns to future work that can build on these early results, with a focus on replicability in other contexts.

Bridges to Prosperity is a nonprofit organization that builds footbridges over rivers to connect communities to healthcare, employment and other opportunities.

Presenters

Abbie Noriega, Vice President of Evaluation, leads monitoring, evaluation, and research at Bridges to Prosperity (B2P), including the catchment survey program in Rwanda, and external research partnerships. She works to understand the impacts that B2P trailbridge projects have in communities around the world, and to develop ways to collect, manage, and use data to make informed decisions in every program and department. Over the last decade, her work has spanned operations, development, systems, advocacy, monitoring  and  evaluation,  and  research,  with  focuses  in  agriculture,  marine  resources, environmental policy, gender, and poverty. She is currently completing a Masters in Civil Engineering with a focus on Geomatics at The University of Colorado Denver.

Oliver Bagwiza, Rwanda Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator, coordinates all activities for Bridges to Prosperit’s monitoring programs in Rwanda, in addition to providing support for external research partnerships, and liaising with government and community stakeholders. She graduated from Makere University in Uganda in 2017 with a degree in Population Studies, and completed an academic internship with Kiboga District Local Government, where she supported the social assistance grant for empowerment by working with vulnerable people. Oliver returned to her home country of Rwanda to work as a research assistant before joining IPAR-RWANDA, and later Bridges to Prosperity.

Avery Bang is President and CEO of Bridges to Prosperity, a nonprofit organization that has connected more than one million isolated rural residents globally to healthcare, education, and economic opportunities by constructing footbridges over impassable rivers. Avery was featured in the IMAX film “Dream Big” and has spoken on stages ranging from TED to the UN. Avery is a Distinguished Young Alumni of The University of Iowa (BA Studio Art, BS Civil Engineering) and holds an MSc in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of Colorado, an MBA from the Säid Business School at Oxford, and an honorary doctorate from Clarkson.