I have witnessed the massive loss of human life – including countless children – when buildings failed needlessly in earthquakes, due to a lack of engineering and improper construction. Responding to earthquakes throughout the world, what shocks me the most is seeing collapsed school buildings.

More than 30,000 children died in collapsed schools in China in 2008. I saw parents looking for their children in the rubble. In Haiti, 2.8 million children lacked access to education after an earthquake shut down thousands of schools, killing hundreds of children in 2010. In Nepal, more than 7,000 schools sustained heavy damage or collapsed in the 2015 earthquake.

This fate, shocking tragedy and violation of children’s basic right to life and safety in schools is totally unacceptable and preventable. As earthquake structural engineers, we know how to build stronger; there is no reason for children to die in earthquakes.

Miyamoto Relief, a technical nonprofit, works to seismically strengthen schools in at-risk communities.

We work with local engineers and workers to share knowledge on how to build safer, skills that will stay in that community forever.

One hundred percent of your donation will go toward school strengthening – $100 will save a student’s life.

Help us make a difference: miyamotorelief.org/donations/

– Dr. H. Kit Miyamoto Structural engineer