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A Brief History of BTG
In 1996, Harmon Parker began building footbridges over rivers prone to flash flooding in Kenya. He did this along with his friend and partner Mr. Jay Hindson as a direct response to the genuine need of the impoverished people of West Pokot, Kenya. Rivers in this area become impassable during the rainy seasons and are extremely dangerous. The terrain of this region, and many others throughout Kenya, are mountainous with dramatic drops in elevation into the Great Rift Valley, thus producing flash flooding during the long and short rains. Harmon has witnessed the people’s dilemma first hand. Having personally conducted many interviews and surveys with elders and government leaders, without fail, every community had a sad story to tell concerning a child, a relative, or elderly person who perished while attempting to cross a swollen river. Having lived in this area of Kenya for many years as a Christian developmental worker, Harmon had a unique understanding of their culture and needs. After receiving his first footbridge request in west Pokot, Harmon recognized this as a desperate plea from the community for help. Being builders by trade and bush engineers through experience, Harmon and Jay designed and constructed their first successful footbridge. Throughout the last eleven years, Harmon has seen how Bridging the Gap footbridges are helping so many in their daily lives, benefiting them in every way. Bridging the Gap’s IPO methodology strives to help communities help themselves, empowering them as they participate in the bridge building process. Great attention is taken as Bridging the Gap works hand in hand with a community, respecting their culture and traditions, realizing that it is a privilege to serve the poor. A successful project is one where both the physical and cross-cultural gap is bridged together! In January 2003, the Internal Revenue Service recognized Bridging the Gap, Inc. as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Their goals are to continue to help the impoverished people of sub-Sahara Africa through the building of footbridges. |
MISSION Bridging the Gap, Inc. is dedicated to saving lives and improving the quality of life for marginalized communities across sub-Saharan Africa by constructing pedestrian footbridges to overcome the dangers posed by impassable rivers and ravines that threaten their safety, limit their access to education and healthcare, and restrict economic opportunity.
BENEFITS Flash flooding affects everyone, young and old. Our footbridges provide access for children to attend school and return home safely; the sick are now able to reach a hospital or clinic for life saving medical attention; villagers can now attend their weekly market centers so their commerce is not interrupted. Bridging the Gap footbridges are constructed together with indigenous communities, using local materials, labor, and cost effective engineering techniques. |
