MEDIA RELEASE PR37194
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Travel to Sichuan, China Today to Participate With Habitat for
Humanity China at Building Event
SICHUAN, Nov. 19 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, join local and
international celebrities including Daniel Wu, Lisa S, Andrew Lin and Ken
Wong as part of the 26th Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project
Former U.S. President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jimmy Carter and his wife,
Rosalynn, today arrived in Qionglai City, Sichuan, to take part in the 26th annual
Habitat for Humanity Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project.
The Carters are leading the annual Habitat for Humanity build bearing their name in
five Asian countries which began on Nov. 15 and will continue through to Nov. 20.
Nearly 3,000 volunteers from around the world are participating in the project to build
and repair 166 homes in Thailand, Vietnam, China, Cambodia and Laos as part of The
Mekong Build - all countries along the Mekong River. In the Mekong River basin, nearly
one-fifth of the population lives in poverty - many on less than the equivalent of US$1
per day.
"We are pleased to have the Carters join Habitat for Humanity China today. We look
forward to helping to create better futures for families within this community," said
Rick Hathaway, area vice president for Habitat for Humanity. "We're especially excited
to announce today the launch of a five-year campaign which will provide 10,000 families
in China with decent housing."
Habitat's Carter Work Project is taking place at an urban site in Qionglai city,
approximately 80 kilometers from Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan. The Carters are
joined today by Habitat for Humanity Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Reckford, as well
as more than 200 Habitat volunteers - including local and international celebrities
Daniel Wu, Lisa Selesner, Andrew Lin and Ken Wong - to work alongside families in
helping to construct 16 Habitat for Humanity units in the first of a series of
multistory blocks that will eventually house hundreds of families. The families have
been relocated from other areas but lack the resources to own their own homes.
The Carters were joined by Sichuan government representatives for a luncheon as well
as met with volunteers and families as they participated in the build.
"With the help of President and Mrs. Carter and the thousands of devoted Habitat
volunteers, the Carter Work Project will result not only in better housing for families
who urgently need it in the Mekong region, but in much-needed attention to the housing
plight of so many families in this part of the world," said Habitat for Humanity Chief
Executive Officer Jonathan Reckford. "Decent shelter helps transform lives and entire
communities, and we're grateful for President and Mrs. Carter's servant leadership."
Participating in his second build project with Habitat, actor-director, Daniel Wu,
shared his experience, "I am proud to be involved with Habitat's Jimmy and Rosalynn
Carter Work Project and am committed to helping families within the Sichuan region that
are in need of safe and affordable housing. More importantly, I am grateful for the
opportunity to give back to this community."
This phase of the Qionglai City Project involves Habitat working with local
government authorities to build homes in partnership with some of the poorest families
in Sichuan. These families lost their land on the rural outskirts of the expanding city.
Habitat's Carter Work Project is an annual, internationally-recognized week of
building that brings attention to the need for simple, decent and affordable housing in
partnership with low-income families. President and Mrs. Carter have given one week of
their time each year since 1984 to help build Habitat homes and raise awareness about
the need for simple, decent housing. The Carter Work Project has been held in India,
Korea, The Philippines, Mexico, South Africa, Hungary and throughout the United States.
The World Bank estimates that more than 200 million people in China live on the
equivalent of less than US$1.25 a day (World Bank in 2005 prices).
For more information regarding 2009 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project, please
About Habitat for Humanity China
Habitat for Humanity China was established in 2000 and merged its operations in Hong
Kong and China into a single entity in 2006. The move aimed to leverage the resources
and business acumen of Asia's premier international city to promote Habitat's mission of
providing decent housing for those in need in the world's largest developing economy.
Habitat for Humanity China currently works in Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan and Yunnan
provinces as well as in Hong Kong.
About Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is an international non-governmental organization dedicated to
eliminating poverty housing. We work with people of all backgrounds, races and religions
to build homes together in partnership with families in need. Using volunteer labor and
financial contributions from caring people, we build with partners and communities to
provide simple, decent, and affordable housing for low-income families. Since 1976,
Habitat has built and renovated 300,000 homes in dozens of countries and territories,
some 86,000 of them in the Asia-Pacific region. Today, an estimated 1,500,000 people,
many of them in our region, live in homes they have built with Habitat. For more
SOURCE Habitat for Humanity International
CONTACT: Media, Christine Chan of Habitat for Humanity China, (852) 2520 4018 / 9025
6372, christine@habitatchina.org; or Louise Oram of GolinHarris, (852) 6892 1171,
louise.oram@golinharris.com
NEWS 
