In poor countries, being on the wrong side of a river can mean that kids can’t get to school, farmers can’t sell their crops in markets, and families can’t get emergency health care. B2P designs and constructs footbridges to connect cut-off communities to vital resources. The right bridge in the right place turns out to be a remarkable tool for development -- a footbridge can boost household income by 30%, farmer profits by 75% and bring 59% more women into the workforce. B2P’s immediate goal is to connect a million people in Rwanda to the places they need to go.

Avery is an engineer and bridge builder. She started off small — building Lego bridges as a kid — and eventually went on to teach bridge design at the University of Colorado. In 2006 Avery joined B2P as a volunteer. After ten years, she went to get an MBA in Oxford and is now back at B2P ready to accelerate the work in Rwanda and beyond.