Bangkok--25 Feb--Image Impact
Habitat for Humanity announced today that its annual Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project would be coming to Thailand for the first time since its inception in 1984 as a result of its continuing quest to address poverty housing in the Asia-Pacific region. The Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project event takes place in a different location every year, and has so far provided homes for over 10,000 people in the US, Canada, Mexico, Hungary, South Africa, South Korea, the Philippines and India.
A site at Moo Baan Nong Kan Kru in Chiang Mai, the northern capital of Thailand, has been chosen for the project’s “Mekong Build” initiative, and will serve as the main host and anchor to a five-country event with additional builds taking place in Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and the Yunnan Province of China. The “Mekong Build” is a 3-year campaign that will enable thousands of needy families in the Mekong region to have decent shelter.
A ground-breaking ceremony took place yesterday at the Chiang Mai site in order to start preparing the land and foundations for an intensive 5-day housing construction activity in November this year when former US President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, will join the Chiang Mai local community, international celebrities and approximately a total of 3,000 volunteers from Thailand and around the world to build 82 homes to commemorate HM the King’s 82nd birthday, which will fall on December 5th. The houses will serve as decent homes for 82 low-income families in the North of Thailand.
“Thailand’s National Housing Authority estimates that about 300,000 families or nearly 8.2 million people live in sub-standard housing. This means their homes are made of flimsy materials, they lack adequate shelter from the rain and sun, they have no proper water and sanitation facilities and they cannot protect themselves from intruders. This affects their health, their children’s education and their abilities to earn a living and improve their quality of life”, revealed Dr. Chainarong Monthienvichienchai, Chairman of Habitat for Humanity Thailand.
As with every other Carter Work Project, the event during November 15 — 20, 2009 is expected to bring more attention to the problem of poverty housing in not only Thailand, but also in the region with the hope that it will serve as a catalyst in influencing more individuals and donors to want to take action in building more homes for the less fortunate.
The registration fee to participate as a building volunteer during the event is US$1,700 for international volunteers and US$1,000 for Thai citizens. This includes accommodation, transportation within Chiang Mai and all meals during the 5-day building event. It also includes a donation to the local program to continue to build more houses in partnership with families in need. The fee for Thai citizens living in Chiang Mai not requiring accommodation will be less. Apart from becoming a build volunteer, anyone can participate in this effort by any amount of donation in cash or kind. And volunteers to assist with logistics and translation to welcome and support the international volunteers are warmly welcomed.
Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization, which aims to build homes in partnership with families in need and raise local and global awareness of the issue of poverty housing, working with individual and corporate donors who share the same vision. To date, Habitat has built and rehabilitated more than 300,000 homes. More than one-and-a-half million people live in Habitat homes they helped build and are buying through no-profit mortgages.
For further information, please contact:
Habitat for Humanity International
Jennifer Lindsey, Senior Director, International and Advocacy Communications
Tel: +66 (0) 2632 0415 — 20 Ext. 5305 E-mail: JLindsey@habitat.org
Habitat for Humanity Thailand
Khomsan Wisaisuk, Marketing Communications Manager
Tel: +66 (0) 2664 0644 Ext. 111 E-mail: khomsanw@habitatthailand.org
Or
Image Impact Ltd.
Chutinun Guna-Tilaka
Tel: +66 (0) 21357 1180 — 3 Ext. 108 E-mail: [email protected]
Phavinee Chanapolchai Ext. 112