Habitat For Humanity International: 1999 Jimmy Carter Work Project

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter shows former Philippines President Corazon Aquino the progress being made at the Maragondon JCWP build site.
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Philippines Fact #7:

Mountains cover 65 percent of the Philippine Islands. Most of the country's population lives along the narrow coastal lowlands.

Mariko Asano, volunteer from Japan, trowels concrete between the blocks of the Youth of the World house, 1999 Jimmy Carter Work Project, Maragondon site.
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Magbayanihan Tayo: "Let Us Build Together"
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Outside the 1,100 Americans who traveled to the build, the largest group of volunteers came from Korea, where Habitat is barely five years old. While that country's five affiliates have built 23 houses there to date, they have built 77 in the Philippines.

On this trip, the volunteer group included several young potential leaders, who learned much about the Habitat concept of building, despite the fact that the construction method in Korea is completely different than that used in the Philippines.

"We want them to absorb the zeal for Habitat and observe," says Young Woo Choi, managing director of HFH Korea, where the goal is to establish 200 affiliates. "This is the spark to motivate the faith that it can work."

The trip was also considered valuable for what the volunteers would learn about other cultures, Choi explains. "Korea is a cultural island," he says. "We have 5,000 years of history in the same place and the same language. We aggressively encourage universities to send people overseas to become international, qualified leaders. This is not vacation time. Every student sacrificed class time [to be here]. One university president decided to give 30 students credit for this trip."

While some volunteers had helped build dozens of houses in their home affiliates, others were simply awestruck at the possibilities.

Chung Yee Chiew, chairman of an affiliate launched Jan. 30, 1999, in Malaysia, was part of a group of 10 organizers who came to the JCWP. "What really amazes me is there are thousands of people from 30-plus countries with one objective," he says. "This is a concept we could take to our government to get support from them."

Murari Sharma, the Nepalese Minister of Foreign Affairs, was one of several government officials invited by Habitat to experience the concept first-hand. "There is a sense of participation, community and helping each other," he says. "It's highly appreciated. These people have never had an opportunity to live in decent houses, and this could have a tremendous effect as a way of inspiring people to help themselves."

The hope for the legacy of this JCWP is that participants return home and duplicate the effort in their own communities.

"For the countries visiting, this has strengthened their vision," explains Rick Hathaway, 1999 JCWP director and HFHI's regional director for east and southeast Asia. "This has turned them into people who can empower other people. This is a big spark to light a fire that needs to grow and keep on burning." For HFH Philippines, JCWP served as a catalyst, introducing a whole new group of supporters, volunteers and potential family partners to Habitat.

National director Andrew Regalado shares just one of many examples of the project's potential: During the build in Bacolod, an elderly couple came to the site with a check for 2 million pesos, enough to build 25 houses. "JCWP is making a big difference, opening up the grace of God," he says. "We see an opportunity to work in a way that's concrete, focusing on a very serious problem. It's had a big influence to government opening up, giving us access to land. In all these people who came and supported, it means God is alive and working on each and everyone. It shows the whole country, when we work together, something meaningful happens. This will be the spark."

Pat Curry is a writer based in Athens, Ga. She volunteered her professional services to HFHI's Habitat World magazine during the JCWP in the Philippines.

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