Jimmy Carter, Habitat for Humanity Bring Hope to Communities Globally

Bennett Oghifo

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who passed on last week and his late wife Roslynn partnered individuals, communities and organizations to build decent and affordable homes for people around the world, on the platform of Habitat for Humanity. 

Habitat for Humanity partners with people in your community, and all over the world, to help them build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. With your support, Habitat homeowners achieve the strength, stability and independence they need to build a better life for themselves and for their families. Through our 2020 Strategic Plan, Habitat for Humanity will serve more people than ever before through decent and affordable housing.

Non-proselytizing policy

Habitat for Humanity and its affiliate organizations will not proselytize. Nor will Habitat work with entities or individuals who insist on proselytizing as part of their work with Habitat. This means that Habitat will not offer assistance on the expressed or implied condition that people must adhere to or convert to a particular faith or listen and respond to messaging designed to induce conversion to a particular faith.

“Habitat has successfully removed the stigma of charity by substituting it with a sense of partnership,” said former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

Habitat for Humanity said its vision is “A world where everyone has a decent place to live.”

Their mission is “Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope.”

“Our principles: “Demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ; Focus on shelter; Advocate for affordable housing; Promote dignity and hope; and Support sustainable and transformative development.
According to the The Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project Team, the good work will continue. They wrote: “Dear friends, The passing of President Jimmy Carter is a loss felt by millions around the globe and certainly throughout the Habitat for Humanity organization. A man deeply committed to social justice and basic human rights, President Carter dedicated himself to alleviating human suffering. In addition to promoting peace and human rights through the Carter Center, President and Mrs. Carter led the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project for Habitat for Humanity for more than 30 years. Together, they’ve worked alongside over 108,100 volunteers who have built, renovated or repaired more than 4,447 homes in 14 countries, all while raising awareness of the critical need for affordable housing. In the coming days, we hope you will join us by adding a message to our online memory book on habitat.org to recognize this extraordinary leader. We also hope you will join us and others around the globe in celebrating this selfless humanitarian and ensuring his legacy lives on through your continued support of our mission.

“Please know that the 2025 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project, taking place in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 26-31, is continuing as planned. We know President Carter wouldn’t want it any other way.”

They said, “We have been deeply honored to have two of the world’s most distinguished humanitarians as dedicated Habitat volunteers for more than 35 years. 

“Throughout their involvement with the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter were tireless advocates, active fundraisers and some of our best hands-on construction volunteers.”

• The idea that became Habitat for Humanity first grew from the fertile soil of Koinonia Farm, a community farm outside of Americus, Georgia, founded by farmer and biblical scholar Clarence Jordan.
• On the farm, Jordan and Habitat’s eventual founders Millard and Linda Fuller developed the concept of “partnership housing.” The concept centered on those in need of adequate shelter working side by side with volunteers to build decent, affordable houses. The houses would be built at no profit. New homeowners’ house payments would be combined with no-interest loans provided by supporters and money earned by fundraising to create “The Fund for Humanity,” which would then be used to build more homes.
• Beau and Emma were the owners of the first home built by Koinonia’s Partnership Housing Program. They and their five children moved into a concrete-block home with a modern kitchen, indoor bathroom and heating system, replacing the unpainted, uninsulated shack with no plumbing where they had previously lived.
• In 1973, the Fullers decided to take the Fund for Humanity concept to Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo. After three years of hard work to launch a successful house building program there, the Fullers then returned to the United States and called together a group of supporters to discuss the future of their dream: Habitat for Humanity International, founded in 1976.
• The times have changed, the build site locations have grown in number, but the very real change that Beau and Emma’s family experienced is shared by families today who partner with Habitat to build or improve a place they can call home. Thanks in no small part to the personal involvement of U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn and the awareness they have raised, Habitat now works in all 50 states in the U.S. and in more than 70 countries and has helped more than 59 million people achieve strength, stability and independence through safe, decent and affordable shelter.
• In September of 1984, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter led a group of Habitat for Humanity volunteers to New York, building alongside 19 families in need of safe, affordable housing.
• That was the inaugural Carter Work Project, which is now a weeklong event somewhere around the world each year.