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Organization: Build Change

Based in: United States,   US EIN #: 35-2237155 add to cart Request Info

Quick Facts

Our mission is to greatly reduce deaths, injuries and economic losses caused by housing collapses due to earthquakes in developing countries.

Focus Areas: Technology, Disaster Relief, Economic Development, Education, Environment, Health, Human Rights, Poverty, Gender & Equality, Microfinance
Countries Served: China
Indonesia

Background

Date Founded: 2004
Number of Staff: 45

Description of Services:
Build Change designs earthquake-resistant houses in developing countries and trains buiders, homeowners, engineers and government officials to build them. Build Change uses with low-cost, earthquake resistant construction methods that will continue to be used once we leave the village. We collect and spread best practices and lessons learned from post-disaster housing construction programs; bridge the gap between academic research and construction practice by identifying needs and developing appropriate training and construction manuals and work with the academic community to evaluate, develop and test innovative, low-cost methods for building and strengthening houses using locally available materials and skills.
History:
Build Change was seed funded with a 2004 Echoing Green Fellowship. Build Change was added to the Draper Richards Foundation portfolio of social entrepreneurs in 2006. Build Change was founded (as Center for Earthquake Resistant Houses) by a PhD earthquake engineer and brick mason after extensive field research on post-earthquake housing reconstruction programs in Bhuj, Killari, and Chamoli, India and Bam, Iran.
Accomplishments & Progress:
SICHUAN, CHINA (Since Aug. 2008): Build Change is working with local government and over 500 rural families to rebuild better following the devastating May 12 earthquake. Our goal is to reach 5,000 families this year.

WEST SUMATRA, INDONESIA (Since Jan. 2008): Nearly 700 families are building back better with technical assistance from Build Change.

ACEH, INDONESIA (2005 - 2007) In the post-tsunami reconstruction, Build Change built 33 houses by hiring and training local builders, improved the design and construction of over 4,200 houses built by partner organizations, trained over 130 builders in intensive, on-the-job training programs, and trained 245 technical high school students, increasing their test scores by up to 50%.

Quality Check

Financial Information   Verified
Year 2007
Total Revenue: $367,409
Expenses:  
        Program Services Expenses: $308,390
(83% of total)
        Management & General Expenses: $41,794
(11% of total)
        Fundraising Expenses: $20,985
(6% of total)
        Total Expenses: $371,169

Additional Information

Additional Background Information:
Millions of people in developing countries live with the constant threat of death or injury from earthquakes. In the past five years, over 4 million were made homeless by earthquakes, over 99% of them in developing countries. In the developed world, we have the knowledge and technology to build disaster-resistant structures. But in the developing world, that knowledge and technology is beyond the reach of the average person.

Build Change believes that, in the absence of building standard enforcement, the only way to bring about long-term change in building practices is to develop and promote building methods that are competitive in cost with common (but vulnerable) methods, easy to implement and accepted by the local population.
Local Partners:
Mercy Corps, Catholic Relief Services, Oxfam International, CARE International Indonesia, International Organization for Migration, Australian Red Cross, Australia Agency for International Development
Additional Affiliations:
Echoing Green (2004) and Draper Richards Foundation (2006). Build Change has affiliations with local non-profits, universities, private construction companies, and government institutions around the world.

Officers & Board

President:
Elizabeth Hausler
Founder and CEO Phone: (415) 235 9930
Development Director:
Elizabeth Hausler
Founder and CEO
Phone: (415) 235-9930
Volunteer Coordinator:
Elizabeth Hausler
Founder and CEO
Phone: (415) 235-9930
Board of Directors and Board of Advisors:
Dr. Martin Fisher, Chairperson
M. Timothy Louis, Secretary and Treasurer
Anne Marie Burgoyne
Dr. Elizabeth Hausler
Paul VanderMarck

Contact Information

Address:
169 Throckmorton Ave. No. 2
Mill Valley , CA 94941
United States
Phone: (415) 235-9930
Fax:
Web: http://www.buildchange.org

Photos

Build Change's Award Winning Earthquake-Resistant House for Aceh
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Build Change-Trained Builders from Aceh
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Build Change-Designed House
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Build Change Student Training Program
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Build Change Student Training Program
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International Philanthropy, Donating, Volunteering, Fundraising, Tax-deductible Donations
Topics: