Habitat for Humanity East Bay

2010 Jimmy and Roselynn Carter Work Project

From November 15-20, 2009,The Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project united volunteers and families in need of decent, affordable housing in the Mekong region. During the weeklong build, volunteers built with nearly 166 families in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and China's Sichuan Province.

While part of the team was busy in Viet Nam, the rest of the East Bay team spent the week in Chiang Mai, Thailand. A total of 82 homes were built in Thailand to honor the King of Thailand’s 82nd birthday. Unseasonably hot weather did not dampen the spirits of this energized group of volunteers.

"This was an amazing experience – one I will never forget" exclaims Tomi Matthews, Habitat East Bay volunteer. The location for the 2010 Carter Build was recently announced. It will be here in the United States October 3-8 to coincide with World Habitat Day. Build locations and other details will be announced in an upcoming edition of Habitat East Bay’s eNews.

The JRCWP has been an annual partnership between former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Roselynn, two of Habitat's most famous volunteers. The two are never afraid to jump right into the action.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, were on the build site bright and early Monday, as unfazed by the cameras as ever as they set about putting bricks in place and applying mortar. At mid-morning, the president took a break long enough to field a few questions from members of the Asian press, who turned out in force to cover the build. In brief opening remarks, Carter reminisced about past builds and talked about the meaning of a simple, decent house in the life of a family. "It doesn’t matter how large a house is," he said. "What matters is the love that goes into it, and then later, the love that comes out of it."

Read a full summary of the events, watch videos and see more photos at Habitat.org.