Women have long been lauded as the most reliable recipients of microfinance loans and as managers of small businesses in developing countries. But, Elizabeth Hausler, a 2004 Echoing Green Fellow, says they are also the most successful on construction sites as engineers, architects, and project managers. Why? Because women make the safety of their homes the highest priority, monitoring construction quality to ensure necessary reinforcements are in place—and they encourage other women in their communities to do the same.

Elizabeth has three degrees in civil engineering and environmental science and a doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley. In her field, she is among many men and few women but found her way there perhaps because her father was a brick mason who made it seem possible. Throughout middle and high school and every summer during college, she joined her father to build—giving her real, practical experience. It was this experience that gave her credibility when she landed in China, Haiti, and Indonesia to conduct trainings with local engineers.

She was blowing up ground in Japan to stimulate earthquakes and doing research on post-disaster construction, but found herself completely removed by what actually happens on the ground—with people, their homes, and their lives. An encounter with Martin Fisher, the founder of KickStart encouraged her to reconsider her path. She applied for a Fulbright in India and studied how people build houses—and then figured out how to make it less expensive.

Following the earthquake in India that killed 20,000 people in 2001 (earthquakes in the US kill maybe one to two people)—most by the very buildings they were standing in—Elizabeth discovered that the problem was solvable. With years of knowledge, she created Build Change; their motto: Their motto: “earthquakes don’t kill people, poorly built buildings do.” She developed methods to create inexpensive earthquake resistant housing that will ultimately reduce human and economic losses.

When they enter a country (as depicted in this PBS Newshour article) that has faced a disaster, Elizabeth and her team start with an engineering survey to understand why the buildings have collapsed. So, in Haiti, they discovered that the heavy, concrete roofs that people prefer because of frequent hurricanes caused thousands of buildings to collapse because they weren’t built to withstand earthquakes. In Aceh, buildings tend to involve framing large windows in the front wall of a house, making the wall weaker and more susceptible to collapse with heavy shaking.

By engaging local engineers with the construction, and forging partnerships with local government to update building codes, Build Change can offer solutions that are specific to place with local materials, but more importantly, they can ensure that the change they are creating is sustainable. They have also partnered with a few of the world’s largest relief organizations, including Mercy Corps, Oxfam, and Save the Children, allowing these agencies to get a head start on assessments when a disaster hits.

Build Change has improved the design of nearly 20,000 homes, impacting the lives of more than 73,000 people in China, Haiti, and Indonesia. Elizabeth was named an Ashoka Fellow in 2009 and was selected as Social Entrepreneur of the Year in the US by the Schwab Foundation just last year.

Late last year, Build Change received $1.5 million in grants from the Hilti Foundation to build capacity of the organization and to support growing Haiti operations following the earthquake. And they were selected for the Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability for creating sustainable earthquake-resistant housing in the developing world.

In just a few years, Elizabeth has found a way to connect her childhood, her education, and her passion for construction to create a meaningful change in the way people live. Her methodologies are being adapted around the world and her legacy will certainly be felt the next time an earthquake hits.