The sun rose over Musanze, painting the hills in gold, as teams from across Fika gathered to connect, reflect, and recommit to advancing rural access alongside the governments and communities that lead it. For four days, the Global Gathering was not about schedules or checklists. It was about rural access, safe travel, and equitable infrastructure development.
The first morning began where it matters most. Staff walked the Kwiterambere Suspension Bridge and Rwebeya Stone Arch Bridge, witnessing how a single bridge in a rural area can transform a community. Children crossed safely to school, women carried goods to local markets, and farmers reached their fields without risking their lives.
This shared experience set the tone for the gathering: safe access isn’t inspirational, it’s fundamental. Until safe travel is standardized for rural communities, equity will remain out of reach. Later that day, the energy and inspiration from the site visit flowed seamlessly into the strategy plenary session, where our CEO, Nivi Sharma, opened the gathering by breaking down the Fika strategy 2026–2030.
Prioritize, Fund, Deliver: A Strategy for Global Impact
Nivi explained Fika’s 2026-2030 strategy, structured around three mutually reinforcing pillars:
Following the strategy session, staff participated in simulations to see how Prioritize, Fund, and Deliver translates into real-world outcomes. Suddenly, abstract goals became tangible. Every path improved, every bridge built, every policy integrated into a national plan could ripple out to reach millions of people safely and reliably.
Every path improved, every bridge built, and every policy integrated into a national plan are more than isolated projects. Together, they form a connected system that can reach millions of people safely and reliably. Each improvement shortens travel times, opens doors to education and healthcare, strengthens local economies, and empowers communities to thrive.
At Fika, we see these actions not as individual accomplishments, but as part of a larger movement to ensure that safe and reliable rural access is not a privilege for a few, but a reality for everyone.
Collaboration in Action
The Global Gathering was an opportunity to understand and live the strategy together. Throughout the week, country teams moved through innovation labs, technical workshops, Futures Forums, and collaborative challenges, sharing lessons from Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia. Each session reinforced a shared truth: safe and reliable rural access is built through connected systems, not isolated projects.
From climate-smart infrastructure design to networked rural transport systems, participants explored how alignment across teams, tools, and countries multiplies impact. What stood out was how consistently conversations returned to the power of shared direction.
Discussions often focused on the human outcomes behind the work. Shorter, safer journeys mean more children in classrooms, more mothers reaching health facilities, and more farmers getting goods to market without risk. These moments brought Fika’s goal of reaching 10 million people by 2030 into sharp focus, grounding global ambition in everyday reality.
The Gathering also highlighted Fika’s expanding global role. By embedding rural access into national policies and strengthening collaboration between governments, funders, and communities, Fika is helping make safe rural transport a measurable standard for development worldwide.
Innovation reinforced this momentum. Teams tested digital tools, data-driven planning, and climate-resilient solutions, demonstrating how evidence and local expertise can accelerate safe access at scale.
Together, these moments reinforced a core shift: Fika’s work is about standardizing safe rural access through the systems that sustain it: policy, financing, and country-led delivery, ensuring safe arrivals for everyone, everywhere.
Join Us on the Journey to 10 Million
Over one billion people remain physically isolated, and the majority of development investment still goes to urban areas. The Global Gathering reminded us that every bridge, path, and partnership is part of a larger movement for safe rural access. Fika’s three pillars – Prioritize, Fund, Deliver – are a global call to action to shift systems, ensuring governments, communities, and funders recognize safe, reliable rural access as a development imperative. Whether you are a government official, funder, engineer, or community member, there is a role to play in making safe arrivals a reality for all.
By embedding access in policy, unlocking rural infrastructure funding, and enabling local delivery, Fika is committed to reaching 10 million people in the next five years. That is 10 million children, parents, farmers, and health workers who can connect safely to opportunity. It is not just a number. It is a measurable step toward a world where rural isolation no longer determines who thrives.
Together, we can reach 10 million people by 2030, ensuring that no child misses school, no parent risks their life on unsafe paths, and every community thrives. This is more than Fika’s mission. It is everyone’s mission.
Join us on this journey. Prioritize access. Unlock funding. Deliver independence. Together, let us make safe arrivals a reality for 10 million people and counting.
Also, check out our strategy here.
