June 5, 2017

Lizzie Blaisdell

June 5, 2017

Clinton Global Initiative and Build Change hosted an event in New York City detailing our advancements in post-disaster reconstruction using mobile apps and drone technology.

May 8 2017

Lizzie Blaisdell

May 8, 2017

The Simpson Strong-Tie Fellowship for Engineering Excellence was announced, and call for applications for the 2017-2018 fellowship began. The Fellowship program is the result of a recent partnership between international nonprofit social enterprise Build Change and global structural solutions leader Simpson-Strong Tie. Complementing the Simpson Strong-Tie goal to find solutions for structures to make them safer and stronger, the fellowship will allow innovative engineers the opportunity to provide impactful contributions to Build Change programs and engineering professional development in developing nations around the world.

May 9, 2017

Lizzie Blaisdell

May 9, 2017

Surakshit Ghar was officially launched by the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) during a press conference in Kathmandu, Nepal. Surakshit Ghar (“Safe House” in Nepali) is a mobile application developed by Build Change for the NRA to provide remote technical assistance and safe construction awareness to Nepali homeowners engaged in the reconstruction effort. This application contains official NRA messages along with images, illustrations, audio clips and videos on safe reconstruction.

March

Lizzie Blaisdell

March 2017

Build Change was engaged by the World Bank to provide expert advice on home retrofitting alternatives to mitigate disaster risk in Guatemala City. This job is part of the World Bank “Resilient Retrofit of Informal Houses” project, focused on exploring marked based and subsidy approaches to retrofit existing informal houses, defining strategies that can be used to improve their structural performance in order to reduce risks of life and economical losses due to collapse in probable earthquakes in the region.

March 7-10, 2017

Lizzie Blaisdell

March 7-10, 2017

Our Director of Engineering, Lizzie Blaisdell Collins was the recipient of the 2016 Earthquake Engineering Research Institute’s (EERI) Shah Family Innovation Prize. This prize honors young professionals within the field of earthquake risk reduction for their creativity and innovation. The prize was presented at the EERI 69th Annual Meeting in Portland, OR.

March 6-13, 2017

Lizzie Blaisdell

March 6-13, 2017

Our partners at RMS sent a team of their staff to visit our program in Nepal and had the opportunity to meet with our teams and local partners. Hear about their experiences in their own words in their blog entries on our blog.

March 6, 2017

Lizzie Blaisdell

March 6, 2017

Our 2016 Year in Review video was published, this video included updates such as our earthquake app for Android devices, drone technology and school retrofits; as well as, updates on all of our programs across 6 countries.

February 23-25

Lizzie Blaisdell

February 23-25, 2017

On February 10, 2017, a 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck Surigao Del Norte, Philippines. From February 23-25, our team performed a post-earthquake reconnaissance investigation of the damage and response of school buildings and housing within the area. Our team completed the reconnaissance on February 25, their results will contribute to the development of retrofit manuals.

February 9, 2017

Lizzie Blaisdell

February 9, 2017

Our Founder and CEO, Elizabeth Hausler joined more than 150 social entrepreneurs in signing an open letter to President Trump, standing in solidarity against the Muslim Ban.

December 19, 2016

Lizzie Blaisdell

December 19, 2016

After the 2016 Aceh earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra on December 6, our Indonesian reconnaissance team worked right away to assess the damage on-site. The team documented the damage of homes and schools in the Pidie Jaya region through the Build Change blog. The team also met with representatives from the Ministry of Education and organizations such as UNICEF and Save the Children while providing technical assistance.

November 7, 2016

Lizzie Blaisdell

November 7, 2016

Retrofit school in Nepal

Our team in Nepal successfully retrofitting a school in the Sindhupalchowk district, thanks to the efforts of local communities and supporters, over 100 children were able to resume their education.

October 11, 2016

Lizzie Blaisdell

October 11, 2016

Lloyd’s Charities Trust, the grant-making charity of the Lloyd’s insurance market, supports efforts to relieve suffering and help people rebuild their lives in the face of disaster. On October 11, 2016 we established a new three-year partnership with LCT, which will focus on building climate and earthquake resilience in informal settlements in Metro Manila and reducing seismic risk in informal neighborhoods in Medellín.

August 3, 2016

Lizzie Blaisdell

August 3, 2016

First retrofit house in Bogota

Today we began one of our first housing retrofits in Bogotá, Colombia after many months of designing, approval processes, and preparation.

September 11-16, 2016

Lizzie Blaisdell

September 11-16, 2016

Our partners at RMS sent a team of their staff to visit our program in Nepal and support with projects on the ground there. Hear about their experiences in their blog entries on our blog.

September 6, 2016

Lizzie Blaisdell

September 6, 2016

The team of engineers who evaluated the west coast of Ecuador after the earthquake there in April 2016 compiled a reconnaissance report detailing their findings, which is now available online.