Year One Annual Review Workshop
In early June 2023, the Bridges to Prosperity and Helvetas teams came together in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to review and reflect on year one of the
Transformative Rural Access for Improved Livelihoods (TRAIL) program.
During the annual review workshop, which took place on June 5-9, 2023, the TRAIL team focused on the following topics:
- Identifying changes in context and analyzing their implications for the project (validity of project assumptions, identified risks, and risk mitigation measures)
- Reviewing the project achievements to date towards the set targets, initiated system changes, challenges faced, and preliminary lessons learned
- Validating or proposing adaptations of the project approaches, work plan, budget distribution, project management modalities considering context scenarios, opportunities, and threats, and preliminary lessons
The first year of the TRAIL program was heavily focused on raising awareness and creating buy-in among regional decision-makers, as well as training and preparing government and private sector actors for on-site identification and trail bridge construction and maintenance.
After reviewing year one with key stakeholders, the following achievements were recorded:
The most commonly identified concerns/challenges focused on mobilizing finances and regional safety and security during construction. The TRAIL Ethiopia team is working with stakeholders to address the concerns and build a successful path forward.
The team is incredibly excited for year two of the program, with the expectation of the completion of the following number of bridges per region:
Bridges to Prosperity and Helvetas continue to be grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Ethiopian government to build a successful case study for global adoption and knowledge sharing worldwide. We’re confident that this program will bring transformative change to rural infrastructure and the lives of millions of community members.
To learn more about the TRAIL Ethiopia program and follow our progress contact us today.
