We've Moved!
Please update your records. All mail and donations should be sent to this new address going forward:
Build Change
535 16th St., Suite 605
Denver, CO 80202

Rabaini can now rebuild a safer home.
We Did It!

With the help of 53 generous supporters, we raised $5,065 to teach Rabaini and her neighbors in Cekal Village, Indonesia, how to build disaster-resistant homes. The training will give their community the skills to build homes that will not collapse in future earthquakes. Instead of living in fear, they can be confident that their families will be safe.

Thank you for helping spread the word and for your generous support, which also enabled us to become a proud member of the Global Giving platform.
Run to Build Change 5K

Thank you to RMS for hosting the Run to Build Change 5K to kick-off the RMS Exceedance Conference in Washington D.C.'s National Harbor!

 

Build Change Founder and CEO Elizabeth Hausler Strand (at right) participated in the 5K.

 
American Red Cross, Global Communities & Build Change

We are training 300 builders and government engineers in Port-au-Prince how to retrofit existing homes to be disaster-resistant, in partnership with Global Communities and the American Red Cross. We will also provide 500 homeowners with technical assistance to retrofit their homes.   

Build Change staff instructing a group of trainees on how to make good concrete.
How do you build a safe home in the Philippines?

Based on our technical reconnaissance in areas impacted by the Bohol Earthquake and Typhoon Yolanda, we developed a series of informational posters and leaflets to help spread the word about safer building. Sample recommendations include:

Recommendations for Masonry Structures
  • Use strong concrete blocks. Don't use blocks that break when dropped on the flat side on hard earth from chest height. Find a seller that makes stronger blocks.   
  • Use reinforced concrete lintels above windows and doors. 
Recommendations for Timber Structures
  • Use diagonal bracing to strengthen column-beam connections.
  • Ensure the foundation is deep and heavy enough to counteract the uplift force of wind.

We are now working on design and construction guidelines for residential houses. See all of our Philippines resources. 

Update on Retrofitting Homes in Bogotá, Colombia
Adriana León, a local architect with Caja de Vivienda Popular, speaks with homeowner Jairo Nicolás Cristancho in Bogotá. We evaluated and designed a retrofit plan to make his home safe.  

We believe retrofitting is a cost-effective method that can make homes and schools safe before an earthquake strikes.  

 

To kick off our partnership with Swisscontact we are training 8 representatives from Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA) and 8 local engineers, architects and construction technicians how to design and carry out retrofits. This group will be qualified to train others to make substandard homes safe through retrofitting.

 

Our institutional partner, Caja de Vivienda Popular (CVP), provides subsidies for low-income homeowners to improve their homes in Bogotá. Build Change and CVP are working together to tailor a subsidy program to retrofit homes so that they can withstand the next earthquake. 

  

Technology and Disaster Recovery
Collecting data with tablets means efficiency

Build Change has begun using Android tablets in post-disaster areas in Haiti and Indonesia to collect and organize data. These devices, partnered with the TaroWorks cloud-based system, have streamlined the process of evaluating damaged homes and tracking rebuilding progress.

Our staff is now able to spend more time in the field providing technical assistance to homeowners instead of on paperwork.

We are currently tracking the progress of 3,150 homes to ensure we're providing the technical assistance needed for homeowners to rebuild safe, disaster-resistant houses.
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