Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Our hearts go out to our friends in Japan affected by last Friday's earthquake and tsunami.
I had the great pleasure of working in Japan during graduate school, at the Port and Airport Research Institute in Yokosuka and the Public Works Research Institute in Tsukuba. Our Japanese colleagues are among the best in the world at designing and building earthquake-resistant structures. Take a look at this article below, from the New York Times, which highlights what the combination of strict building code enforcement, sufficient financial resources and trained professionals can do to save lives in earthquakes.
This is what Build Change has been working toward in Indonesia, China, and Haiti. In the first few months of 2011, we have already trained 2,555 homeowners, builders, engineers, technical high school students, government officials, and relief agency staff in earthquake-resistant construction methods.
Now more than ever, we need your continued support to expand these programs.
In China, we have been asked to train 20,000 rural government officials and community leaders in safe construction techniques. In Indonesia, our hands-on technical assistance and incentive bonus program for homeowners rebuilding after the 2009 earthquake has reached 660 families so far, with the potential to reach 100's more with your support. And in Haiti, where reconstruction is just beginning, our Haitian engineers are convincing builders and homeowners to change the way they build.
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