Jimmy And Rosalynn Carter Travel To Sichuan, China Today To Participate With Habitat For Humanity Ch

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20th November 2009, 02:56am - Views: 805





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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.  


    (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091119/CL14360 )

    (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050501/NYSU020LOGO )


    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."  

People Feature Habitat For Humanity International 3 image


    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

information, visit www.habitatchina.org.


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


 





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