President George W. Bush and 28 leaders worldwide participated in home building projects for Habitat for Humanity International during the first week of August. Bush, who hammered with dozens of volunteers in Waco, Texas, was joined by First Lady Laura Bush, federal housing secretary Mel Martinez, Texas Governor Rick Perry, David Williams, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Habitat and John Alexander, Waco Habitat for Humanity Executive Director.
"President and Mrs. Bush worked hard this morning," Williams said. "Together, they showed the power of compassion and a true spirit of volunteerism. With volunteers like them, we can eliminate poverty housing worldwide." At the same time the president was working up a sweat in Waco, White House staff members were testing their carpentry skills at a Habitat build site in Northern Virginia.
According to the White House Press Office:
- The President wants to help more low-income Americans purchase their first home. Programs like Habitat for Humanity serve as examples of community and faith-based organizations that succeed because they focus on results. The President will propose a tripling of the funding available to groups like Habitat for Humanity in next year's budget.
- This year is the 25th Anniversary of the founding of Habitat for Humanity. Habitat and its affiliates have built and sold more than 100,000 homes in 81 nations worldwide to families with no-profit, zero-interest mortgages. Habitat families work an average of 500 "sweat equity" hours on their own home and other Habitat homes.
- Habitat for Humanity is a faith-based organization that has enjoyed a long and successful partnership with government. The organization, along with other self-help homeownership groups, gets some of its funding through a competitive grant administered through the Department of Housing and Urban Development -- the Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program ("SHOP"). SHOP provides seed money to purchase land and build necessary infrastructure. This government assistance has been leveraged by Habitat and similar organizations into millions of additional dollars of private support for home construction in communities across the U.S.
The President's Budget -- Promoting Homeownership for All Americans - includes increased funding for HUD to $30.4 billion, an increase of $1.9 billion (6.8 percent) over the 2001 enacted level, targeted toward housing and community revitalization. The budget also includes funding to help more Americans -- particularly low-income Americans -- afford the American dream of homeownership.
The World Leaders Build program has a goal of constructing 1,175 houses around the world. In South Korea, Millard Fuller, president and founder of Habitat for Humanity International, former President Jimmy Carter, South Korean President Kim Dae Jung and 9,000 volunteers are building 136 homes.
In Canada, more than 500 volunteers gathered to build homes with 10 families. In South Africa, President Thabo Mbeki joined volunteer to build a house. Philippines President Gloria Arroyo unveiled a wall honoring the donors to their build and the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark, will participate in a two-house build. Australia's governor general, Dr. Peter Hollingsworth worked on one of the five houses being built in Bayswater, Victoria.
Four houses are being built in Mongolia, Thailand's group of volunteers will build in Chamwino and Chidachi communities. President Mkapa placed the cornerstone brick for the first house. A two-week renovation project in Berlin; German Federal Minister Dr. Christine Bergmann is the patron of the event. Romania's team includes a group of European and American teenagers helping with the house being built in Cluj-Napoca.
In Poland, three houses are being built with 21 volunteer/employees from the United States Cargill.
Costa Rica will build four houses, sponsored by Citibank. Colombia's President Astranjo presented keys to two families in Quimbaya and participated in the construction of a third house with help from more than 40 Rotary Club volunteers. More than 360 houses have been built in Colombia to date.
Botswana's Minister of Lands, Housing and Environment Jacob Nkate and Vincent T. Seretse, general manager of the Botswana Housing Corporation dedicated the 700th house built in the country and His Excellency President Benjamin William Mkapa of Tanzania, First Lady Mama Anna Mkapa and other members of the government laid blocks, dug foundations and built mortar walls on four houses.
Pat Rioux
