President Jimmy Carter recently received consent from his medical team to travel to Nepal for Habitat For Humanity's 32nd annual Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project.
The build will take place Nov. 1-6 in the Chitwan district, which is located 160 kilometers (100 miles) west of the capital, Kathmandu.
“Since Rosalynn and I first volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in 1984, we’ve never missed a single year,” said President Carter. “I am grateful that we can join with other volunteers in November and continue to help shed light on the critical need to address inadequate housing around the world.”
During the week, 1,500 volunteers from within Nepal and around the world will help build permanent homes in partnership with low-income families in the Nayabasti Gairigaun village. A majority of these families are Dalits, who are considered the lowest group in the Nepali caste system. Many work as construction laborers, farmers or garbage collectors, or work at a nearby poultry farm, earning US$5 to US$7 a day.
For more than three decades, President and Mrs. Carter have given a week of their time annually to help Habitat build and repair houses while raising awareness of the critical need for affordable housing. During the previous 31 projects, more than 92,000 volunteers have built, renovated and repaired 3,943 homes in 14 countries.
“We are so excited that President and Mrs. Carter are going to be able to join us. Their involvement has inspired millions of people around the world to share our vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to call home,” said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. “The two of them bring such energy and enthusiasm to our mission and we look forward to their participation for many more years to come.”
Habitat for Humanity’s Carter Work Project is made possible through the support of dedicated volunteers and generous sponsors. This year’s lead sponsors are longtime supporters Bank of America, Delta Air Lines Foundation and Samsung.
For more information about this year’s project, visit: habitat.org/cwp/2015
