Women | Build Change

We are proud to work with women homeowners, builders, and engineers.

Build Change’s emphasis on employing women trainers and engineers increases the number of mentors and role models for girls. In addition to employing women in these male-dominated sectors, we also work alongside female homeowners, brickmakers, builders, and other community members to encourage female participation in resilient construction practice.

While we have been conducting vocational training in technical high schools in Indonesia, the participation of girls in construction-related careers increased from 5 percent to 22 percent. We believe this is in part due to the increase in female role models for girls interested in this industry.

Meet some of the women we’ve worked with:

Benisette

“If it wasn’t for Build Change, I think that I would have used poor construction techniques to rebuild the house,” says Benisette. “Thanks to Build Change I have a solid and safe house now.”

Rusi Saryuni

Rusi Saryuni, a 30-year-old woman and mother of four, started her brickmaking business five years ago with her husband. She says, “I will be able to survive and run this business by myself. I believe women can do what men can do.”

Adolescent Girls Initiative

We partnered with J/P HRO, as part of the World Bank-funded Adolescent Girls Initiative, to provide 34 female Haiti Tec students with a three-week internship opportunity to receive on-the-job training on homeowner-driven housing retrofit sites.

The women on our staff are changing the world, one better building at a time.

Meet some of our technical staff:

Mardochée Duffaut

“I studied civil engineering because I want to bring practical solutions to the problems of my community in Haiti. I enjoy working in engineering, because the experience has enabled me to be closer to my community. The results of my work are palpable. I enjoy seeing how I am changing the strength of a building!”

Aline Séjourné

“I do really enjoy working in the construction sector, because there is a major technical aspect that I like to work in: it requires a lot of method, and mathematical skills, while it is a dynamic sector, continuously growing with new technology, testing and research. I also like the challenge of being a woman in a sector dominated by men, where women prove more and more to be relevant (and an added-value).”