Bridges to Prosperity
Encyclopedia
Bridges to Prosperity is a United States
-based nonprofit organization
that builds footbridges and trains local people in developing countries to build pedestrian bridges. Footbridges are simple and inexpensive enough for rural communities to build with only modest outside help, and they provide major benefits such as improved safety and access to markets, schools and medical care.
Typically, the training is done through Community Bridge Building programs in which Bridges to Prosperity trains in-country partner organizations or government agencies in both engineering and organizational techniques. Since its founding in March 2001, Bridges to Prosperity or their technology has built over 93 footbridges, and expanded to 13 countries across Southeast Asia, Africa, and Central and South America. Bridges to Prosperity is supported by and partners with a number of other organizations such as Rotary International.
of a broken bridge over the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia
, with ten men on either side of the broken span pulling themselves across the chasm by rope. After teaming with his brother Forrest Frantz, friends and his Rotary
club, to repair the Nile bridge the following year, Bridges to Prosperity (B2P) was officially born with the mission to help the rural poor gain access to markets, schools, and health care by teaching and building sustainable community built footbridges. To avoid “re-inventing the wheel”, two Bridges to Prosperity staff were trained in 2003 by the highly successful community footbridge building program in Nepal
, operated by Helvetas
, a Swiss based charity. Helvetas had over 15 years of experience with the community footbridge program, and had developed standardized training manuals for construction of the suspended bridges (similar to suspension bridges, but without towers),suspension bridges, and steel truss bridges. This program , led by Robi Groeli, had led to the construction of over 2,500 bridges in Nepal, and a smaller number in Bhutan
. After training in Nepal for 6 months, the B2P team initiated their first formal program in Ethiopia, where 13 bridges were constructed in three years. The total cost of this initial three year program was approximately $150,000 USD or 1,300,000 Ethiopian Birr
. Whereas Helvetas focused on long term capacitation (the process of building local business capacity in developing countries), the B2P programs focused on the spread of standardized footbridge technology.
B2P estimated that the worldwide need for rural footbridges numbered over 250,000 (500,000 needed in total, 250,000 needed urgently), or one hundred times the number already led and built by Helvetas in Nepal. Rather than attempting to start 100 such programs worldwide, which would require an annual budget of approximately 100 million dollars over the course of 15 years, B2P theorized that positive results could be attained by spreading the technology via building approximately 10 demonstration (teaching)
bridges per country, training locals, partnering with local technological institutes, providing downloadable & easy to use step by step photo and video manuals, and supplying free wire rope
and wire rope clamps/clips for post training/demonstration programs. There is still much debate in regards to best practices on how to best tackle worldwide poverty alleviation. However, one thing is constant in regards to best practices. That constant is education. Hence the reason why B2P has focused on education and training, and the propagation of technical manuals, and footbridge building text books. However, education by itself is not enough to accelerate economic growth. Capital (economics)
is needed for business start-ups and infrastructure
. Bridges to Prosperity provides the needed capital in the form of free recycled wire rope. Best practices dictate that when capital is provided in this manner, that there are no unintended consequences. For example, B2P does not provide free cable to countries where there is an existing or budding wire rope industry. In other words, one does not donate materials into a country where those donated materials can cause unintended harm to existing business. In 2005, B2P received a long term donation of free 7/8 inch to 1.25 inch wire rope
from the ports of Portsmouth and Norfolk, Virginia
. The wire rope donated was American manufactured high tensile
steel wire rope
used on gantry cranes for unloading container ships. Later, the port of Baltimore was added, as were west coast USA ports. In 2011, approximately 100,000 feet of such donated used wire rope was shipped in an intermodal container
to B2P programs all over the world. To build one footbridge, the average number of feet of wire rope required is approximately 1,800 feet. Worldwide, there is enough recycled wire rope from gantry cranes to build approximately 2,500 footbridges every year. Each container shipped overseas weighs approximately 52,000 pounds and contains 20,000 feet of cable. Bridges to Prosperity is now based in the Denver Colorado area, and its 18-20 member board meets quarterly in Newport News, Virginia
.
who along with McNary Bergeron led the design and construction of the first Bridges to Prosperity suspension bridge
design. Later, Parson Brinckerhoff of Australia
led the construction of 4 bridges in East Timor
. Then Flatiron Construction,Flatiron Construction led by Elie Homsi VP, and McNary BergeronMcNary Bergeron, led by Scott McNary, agreed to a major strategic partnership in the design/building of a large number of advanced design suspension bridges in Latin America. Flatiron is also now introducing its parent company, Hochtief
of Germany, Turner Construction
, USA, and Leighton Holdings
, Australia, and its other joint venture partners to the bridge team building programs.
clubs who collaborate with Bridges to Prosperity in Rotary Foundation
matched humanitarian grants. When Bridges to Prosperity was founded, Kenneth Frantz was a member of the Gloucester Point Rotary Club in Gloucester, Virginia. That club assisted in the purchase of materials for the repair of the Blue Nile Bridge. Currently a member of the Rotary club of Newport News, Virginia
, there are now over 50 rotary clubs worldwide (and over 500 individual Rotarians) who have participated directly in Bridges to Prosperity programs. Partnerships with the local developing country
rotary clubs, such as the Rotary Club of Nkwazi, Lusaka, Zambia, allow Bridges to Prosperity to easily enter and operate in such countries will little or no bureaucratic overhead. Also, partnerships with local Rotary clubs allow quick customs clearance of wire rope imports, expedited business contacts, allow for USA based Rotarians to easily travel and participate in building bridges, and for a strong and transparent defense against potential corruption. The partnership with rotary clubs was cemented when the governor of Rotary District 7600, Jim Probsdorfer introduced the program to his club and his district in 2006. The typical humanitarian grants with the USA sponsoring & host clubs are for $60,000, and cover the cost of the initial entry into the developing country, and construction of the first few demonstration bridges. Information about the Rotary Foundation matching grant programs is available on their website.Rotary
. Avery’s alma mater, the University of Iowa
engineering school & non-profit Continental CrossingsContinental Crossings, has since led the construction of 3 additional bridges. There are now over 10 each Bridges to Prosperity university chapters in the USA. To start the university program, a fund was established by the Signe Ostby and Scott Cook family. Scott Cook is the founder of Intuit. Other university engineering programs include Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Arizona State University
, Washington State University
, Duke University
SEEDSEED, New Mexico State University
, University of Colorado at Boulder
, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, and Rice University
.
Through the end of 2011, Bridges to Prosperity had never been the recipient of any government grants, and spent just under 6% of revenues on administration and fundraising.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-based nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
that builds footbridges and trains local people in developing countries to build pedestrian bridges. Footbridges are simple and inexpensive enough for rural communities to build with only modest outside help, and they provide major benefits such as improved safety and access to markets, schools and medical care.
Typically, the training is done through Community Bridge Building programs in which Bridges to Prosperity trains in-country partner organizations or government agencies in both engineering and organizational techniques. Since its founding in March 2001, Bridges to Prosperity or their technology has built over 93 footbridges, and expanded to 13 countries across Southeast Asia, Africa, and Central and South America. Bridges to Prosperity is supported by and partners with a number of other organizations such as Rotary International.
Mission Statment and Vision
Bridges to Prosperity mission and vision focus on building footbridges over impassable rivers using education, innovation, inspiration and results.History
Founded by Kenneth Frantz in 2001, after seeing a photo in National Geographic MagazineNational Geographic Magazine
National Geographic, formerly the National Geographic Magazine, is the official journal of the National Geographic Society. It published its first issue in 1888, just nine months after the Society itself was founded...
of a broken bridge over the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, with ten men on either side of the broken span pulling themselves across the chasm by rope. After teaming with his brother Forrest Frantz, friends and his Rotary
Rotary
-Engineering and Machinery:* Rotary motion* Rotary engine, a type of internal combustion engine from the early 20th century* Rotary engine , other engines called "rotary"** Wankel engine* Rotary latch...
club, to repair the Nile bridge the following year, Bridges to Prosperity (B2P) was officially born with the mission to help the rural poor gain access to markets, schools, and health care by teaching and building sustainable community built footbridges. To avoid “re-inventing the wheel”, two Bridges to Prosperity staff were trained in 2003 by the highly successful community footbridge building program in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, operated by Helvetas
Helvetas
Helvetas is a Swiss Association for International Cooperation. It was founded in 1955 as the first private organization for development co-operation in Switzerland...
, a Swiss based charity. Helvetas had over 15 years of experience with the community footbridge program, and had developed standardized training manuals for construction of the suspended bridges (similar to suspension bridges, but without towers),suspension bridges, and steel truss bridges. This program , led by Robi Groeli, had led to the construction of over 2,500 bridges in Nepal, and a smaller number in Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
. After training in Nepal for 6 months, the B2P team initiated their first formal program in Ethiopia, where 13 bridges were constructed in three years. The total cost of this initial three year program was approximately $150,000 USD or 1,300,000 Ethiopian Birr
Ethiopian birr
The birr is the unit of currency in Ethiopia. Before 1976, dollar was the official English translation of birr. Today, it is officially birr in English as well....
. Whereas Helvetas focused on long term capacitation (the process of building local business capacity in developing countries), the B2P programs focused on the spread of standardized footbridge technology.
B2P estimated that the worldwide need for rural footbridges numbered over 250,000 (500,000 needed in total, 250,000 needed urgently), or one hundred times the number already led and built by Helvetas in Nepal. Rather than attempting to start 100 such programs worldwide, which would require an annual budget of approximately 100 million dollars over the course of 15 years, B2P theorized that positive results could be attained by spreading the technology via building approximately 10 demonstration (teaching)
Demonstration (teaching)
Demonstration involves showing by reason or proof, explaining or making clear by use of examples or experiments. Put more simply, demonstration means to clearly show. In teaching through demonstration, students are set up to potentially conceptualize class material more effectively as shown in a...
bridges per country, training locals, partnering with local technological institutes, providing downloadable & easy to use step by step photo and video manuals, and supplying free wire rope
Wire rope
thumb|Steel wire rope Wire rope is a type of rope which consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a helix. Initially wrought iron wires were used, but today steel is the main material used for wire ropes....
and wire rope clamps/clips for post training/demonstration programs. There is still much debate in regards to best practices on how to best tackle worldwide poverty alleviation. However, one thing is constant in regards to best practices. That constant is education. Hence the reason why B2P has focused on education and training, and the propagation of technical manuals, and footbridge building text books. However, education by itself is not enough to accelerate economic growth. Capital (economics)
Capital (economics)
In economics, capital, capital goods, or real capital refers to already-produced durable goods used in production of goods or services. The capital goods are not significantly consumed, though they may depreciate in the production process...
is needed for business start-ups and infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
. Bridges to Prosperity provides the needed capital in the form of free recycled wire rope. Best practices dictate that when capital is provided in this manner, that there are no unintended consequences. For example, B2P does not provide free cable to countries where there is an existing or budding wire rope industry. In other words, one does not donate materials into a country where those donated materials can cause unintended harm to existing business. In 2005, B2P received a long term donation of free 7/8 inch to 1.25 inch wire rope
Wire rope
thumb|Steel wire rope Wire rope is a type of rope which consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a helix. Initially wrought iron wires were used, but today steel is the main material used for wire ropes....
from the ports of Portsmouth and Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
. The wire rope donated was American manufactured high tensile
Tensile strength
Ultimate tensile strength , often shortened to tensile strength or ultimate strength, is the maximum stress that a material can withstand while being stretched or pulled before necking, which is when the specimen's cross-section starts to significantly contract...
steel wire rope
Wire rope
thumb|Steel wire rope Wire rope is a type of rope which consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a helix. Initially wrought iron wires were used, but today steel is the main material used for wire ropes....
used on gantry cranes for unloading container ships. Later, the port of Baltimore was added, as were west coast USA ports. In 2011, approximately 100,000 feet of such donated used wire rope was shipped in an intermodal container
Intermodal container
An intermodal container is a standardized reusable steel box used for the safe, efficient and secure storage and movement of materials and products within a global containerized intermodal freight transport system...
to B2P programs all over the world. To build one footbridge, the average number of feet of wire rope required is approximately 1,800 feet. Worldwide, there is enough recycled wire rope from gantry cranes to build approximately 2,500 footbridges every year. Each container shipped overseas weighs approximately 52,000 pounds and contains 20,000 feet of cable. Bridges to Prosperity is now based in the Denver Colorado area, and its 18-20 member board meets quarterly in Newport News, Virginia
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
.
Corporate Sponsorship program
Recognizing the affinity with construction firms, especially those corporations that design and build large highway bridges, a corporate sponsor program was started whereby employees would form a team to design and build footbridges in the countries that Bridges to Prosperity was currently serving. The initial sponsor was Ross ConstructionRoss Construction of Palo Alto, CaliforniaPalo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
who along with McNary Bergeron led the design and construction of the first Bridges to Prosperity suspension bridge
Suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
design. Later, Parson Brinckerhoff of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
led the construction of 4 bridges in East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
. Then Flatiron Construction,Flatiron Construction led by Elie Homsi VP, and McNary BergeronMcNary Bergeron, led by Scott McNary, agreed to a major strategic partnership in the design/building of a large number of advanced design suspension bridges in Latin America. Flatiron is also now introducing its parent company, Hochtief
Hochtief
Hochtief Aktiengesellschaft is Germany's largest construction company. It is based in Essen but operates globally, ranking as the top general builder in the United States through its Turner Corporation subsidiary, and in Australia through the Leighton Group. In 2010 it employed more than 70,000...
of Germany, Turner Construction
Turner Construction
Turner Construction Company is one of the largest construction management companies in the United States with a construction volume of $8 billion in 2010. It is a subsidiary of HOCHTIEF Germany.-The early years:...
, USA, and Leighton Holdings
Leighton Holdings
Leighton Holdings is Australia's largest project development and contracting group. It is active in the telecommunications, engineering and infrastructure, building and property, mining and resources, and environmental services industries...
, Australia, and its other joint venture partners to the bridge team building programs.
Rotary
Many foundations support Bridges to Prosperity programs, the largest single foundation partner and contributor being Rotary InternationalRotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
clubs who collaborate with Bridges to Prosperity in Rotary Foundation
Rotary Foundation
The Rotary Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation that supports the efforts of Rotary International to achieve world understanding and peace through international humanitarian, educational, and cultural exchange programs...
matched humanitarian grants. When Bridges to Prosperity was founded, Kenneth Frantz was a member of the Gloucester Point Rotary Club in Gloucester, Virginia. That club assisted in the purchase of materials for the repair of the Blue Nile Bridge. Currently a member of the Rotary club of Newport News, Virginia
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
, there are now over 50 rotary clubs worldwide (and over 500 individual Rotarians) who have participated directly in Bridges to Prosperity programs. Partnerships with the local developing country
Developing country
A developing country, also known as a less-developed country, is a nation with a low level of material well-being. Since no single definition of the term developing country is recognized internationally, the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries...
rotary clubs, such as the Rotary Club of Nkwazi, Lusaka, Zambia, allow Bridges to Prosperity to easily enter and operate in such countries will little or no bureaucratic overhead. Also, partnerships with local Rotary clubs allow quick customs clearance of wire rope imports, expedited business contacts, allow for USA based Rotarians to easily travel and participate in building bridges, and for a strong and transparent defense against potential corruption. The partnership with rotary clubs was cemented when the governor of Rotary District 7600, Jim Probsdorfer introduced the program to his club and his district in 2006. The typical humanitarian grants with the USA sponsoring & host clubs are for $60,000, and cover the cost of the initial entry into the developing country, and construction of the first few demonstration bridges. Information about the Rotary Foundation matching grant programs is available on their website.Rotary
University Programs
In 2009, Founder Kenneth Frantz stepped down and turned the Executive Director position over to Avery Bang, whom 4 years earlier, led the first Bridges to Prosperity University Program in PeruPeru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. Avery’s alma mater, the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
engineering school & non-profit Continental CrossingsContinental Crossings, has since led the construction of 3 additional bridges. There are now over 10 each Bridges to Prosperity university chapters in the USA. To start the university program, a fund was established by the Signe Ostby and Scott Cook family. Scott Cook is the founder of Intuit. Other university engineering programs include Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
, Washington State University
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
, Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
SEEDSEED, New Mexico State University
New Mexico State University
New Mexico State University at Las Cruces , is a major land-grant university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States...
, University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, and Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
.
Financial Information
Bridges to Prosperity has annual financial audits performed by Dixon Hughes Goodman which are available for download on the B2P website. In their fiscal year ending 8/2011, they had revenues of approximately $2,000,000, which can be broken out into the following percentages as follows (but vary year to year):- Memberships & major donors = 17%
- Corporate sponsors = 15%
- Rotary & other Foundation grants = 12%
- Board of Director contributions & miscellaneous = 10%
- In-kind donations (wire rope, technical design, etc)= 46%
Through the end of 2011, Bridges to Prosperity had never been the recipient of any government grants, and spent just under 6% of revenues on administration and fundraising.