Former American President To Have 82 Houses Built In Chiang Mai

[sriracha john]

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

- Press Release from ThaiPR.net / 2009-02-25

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Long Live The King

God Bless Jimmy Carter

[tom21]

and again the farang has to pay more than the thai.

[Jingthing]

Be prepared for some people to say bad things about President Jimmy Carter as he wasn't considered a successful president. But he is as fine a HUMAN BEING as you will find anywhere. Never enough Jimmy Carters in the world, now eat some grits.

Edited February 25, 2009 by Jingthing

[LadyHeather]

Be prepared for some people to say bad things about President Jimmy Carter as he wasn't considered a successful president. But he is as fine a HUMAN BEING as you will find anywhere. Never enough Jimmy Carters in the world, now eat some grits.

I couldn't agree more. He is a fine human being. Its nice to see an organization like Habitat for Humanity come to Thailand.. It seems to me its all about helping those less fortunate than ourselves, not about who pays what.

[IanForbes]

Be prepared for some people to say bad things about President Jimmy Carter as he wasn't considered a successful president. But he is as fine a HUMAN BEING as you will find anywhere. Never enough Jimmy Carters in the world, now eat some grits.

I have met the fine gentleman on a trout stream in Montana and we had a chat together... surrounded by "suits" of course. I agree whole heartedly that he is a fine human being. Too bad there aren't more like him. But, being a fine person and running a country like the USA are two different things entirely.

[brennanstimpy]

I really don't think this is a good idea to give more handouts to Thais. They will have no ownership in this project, or the house more specifically. This will probably pull these low income families out of the communities that they depend on and move them somewhere else, another bad idea. I see red flags all over this. Nothing against Jimmy Carter, I'm all about peanut farmers, but I don't think low income families need a sort of relief project to get them on the right track to have a better life. I am a development worker though so naturally I don't agree with relief projects.

[PeaceBlondie]

I have never understood this to be a handout. I thought it was a form of development. Thais will own their house, each family will work long hours building the home, and they pay back the mortgage, with interest - right?

Here is the Asia-Pacific website http://www.habitat.org/ap/

[Ijustwannateach]

He has been one of the most exemplar former presidents we've had in my lifetime, not that that's saying a lot. Even Clinton just seems to have been concerned with cleaning up on speaking fees and positioning to 'help' his wife.

[Puwa]

I agree that Carter is a fine person and that Habitat is a solid organization. I'm afraid our "development" worker hasn't done his homework.

In fact, there is a real institutional struggle in Thailand's low-cost housing services sector. On one side is the national housing authority's Baan Uea Athorn program, which builds large blocks of low-cost flats and sells them to the qualified poor at highly subsidized rates. These are the new ones you can see right on the Ping river at the first ring road, with more going up nearby. A totally different approach belongs to the Baan Mankong program of CODI, the Community Organizations Development Institute, a quasi-gov't agency that evolved out of a community-based slum development program started in Bangkok in the 1980s. While by no means did Thaksin create the program, he deserves credit for seeing its value and allowing it to manage a good chunk of the national housing budget, about $70 million. CODI helps slum people to secure land rights, improve their housing, and create better neighborhoods in the places where they already live. The two programs couldn't be more different. The first is huge, top-down, open to vast corruption, and fails to involve people meaningfully in improving their lot in life. The second is pretty transparent, efficient, and helps people pull themselves up and solve their own problems. Anyone who is interested can google CODI or the Asian Coalition on Housing Rights to see how it works.

[britmaveric]

Well Carter has lost the plot, but won't argue with building homes for nought - unfortunately this is the only thing to like about the lad.

[brennanstimpy]

I have never understood this to be a handout. I thought it was a form of development. Thais will own their house, each family will work long hours building the home, and they pay back the mortgage, with interest - right?

Here is the Asia-Pacific website http://www.habitat.org/ap/

This doesn't give all the details, but if they in fact build the house and have to pay for it, that seems like a decent thing. Although, it really limits who is actually eligible for this program. And as far as Puwa's comments, the CODI project sounds decent as well, but I think Puwa needs to understand a little better the difference between relief and development, and when which is more appropriate.

[TJAN]

and again the farang has to pay more than the thai.

If you read the story properly it will tell you why,stop your moaning.

[tom21]

and again the farang has to pay more than the thai.

If you read the story properly it will tell you why,stop your moaning.

ok explain why?

[silverhawk_usa]

Where exactly is Moo Baan Nong Kan Kru?

[Deke]

Habitat for Humanity is no doubt a noble effort but their history is checkered and typical of many NGO efforts.

A good portion (most?) of the recipients of these houses don't have the means or the inclination to maintain them. In a lot of their past project areas, many of the houses that were built are now pretty much falling down.

[brennanstimpy]

Habitat for Humanity is no doubt a noble effort but their history is checkered and typical of many NGO efforts.

A good portion (most?) of the recipients of these houses don't have the means or the inclination to maintain them. In a lot of their past project areas, many of the houses that were built are now pretty much falling down.

Thank you for this comment, that is exactly what I meant about Thais not needing more handouts.

[stevehaigh]

hope he and the farang volunteers have a work permit lest they be kicked out, fined or imprisoned.

[sriracha john]

They'll just say they're farang tourist police volunteers... then they should be good as gold.

[Digitalman]

Be prepared for some people to say bad things about President Jimmy Carter as he wasn't considered a successful president. But he is as fine a HUMAN BEING as you will find anywhere. Never enough Jimmy Carters in the world, now eat some grits.

Agreed, one of the best post presidents in American history....

[Rinrada]

Where exactly is Moo Baan Nong Kan Kru?

DITTO....Yu tee Nai Krup........Moo Baan Nong Kan Kru?

and agree the Ex Peanut King /President is a nice guy....

[Jingthing]

Agreed, one of the best post presidents in American history....

Good one. Irony lives.

Oops. I thought you wrote one of the best presidents, not POST presidents. Never mind!

Edited February 28, 2009 by Jingthing

[mcgriffith]

I just assumed you meant "post-war" presidents, Jingthing

Didn't miss a beat reading it....think "post" sounds better still; kinda catchy!

[bassmaster50]

This sounds like a good thing but some things seem strange. it costs 1000 dollars for Thai people who live in Chiang Mai and don't ner

ed accommodation. What about farangs who live in Chiang Mai and don't need accommodations. Do they still pay 1,700 dollars? if so, why?

I have no problem volunteering to help build houses for poor people but then to ask for 1700 dollars on top of that seems ridiculous. Where does all this money go really? As for carter, he was a rotten president and a traitor, so he might as well do something for somebody.

[Jingthing]

As for carter, he was a rotten president and a traitor

I predicted this. Thank you for performing on cue.

Don't worry, farangs won't get those houses.

[Ulysses G.]

Well Carter has lost the plot, but won't argue with building homes for nought - unfortunately this is the only thing to like about the lad.

Hamas love Jimmy and vice versa. Who says he ain't popular?

Edited March 1, 2009 by Ulysses G.

[cmsally]

Habitat for Humanity in fact already build houses in Chiang Mai. Last year I had a vague (friend of a friend) connection with a couple of volunteers who were here as part of a group and were building a house in Saraphi?? I think. Occasionally I see a Habitat for Humanity truck tootling around and they seemed to have at least a couple of Thais who seemed to be staff, so I was assuming they had some sort of established presence?

Seeing as they had around 15pax to build one house, 80 houses sounds like a bit of a mega effort.

As I understood it the new owners of the house participated in the building. I have no idea about ownership and choosing location, maybe the office knows more (if they have one that is).

[samuibeachcomber]

He has been one of the most exemplar former presidents we've had in my lifetime, not that that's saying a lot. Even Clinton just seems to have been concerned with cleaning up on speaking fees and positioning to 'help' his wife.

so true,with many its all about being seen,good on jimmy carter,every little bit helps.lets not forget too,how charites around the world help rebuild aceh.It would n't be hard to help africa,if it was n't for the despots running the countries.

truly how much does it cost to ensure clean water,sanitation,a chance at a good education,teaching more efficent farming techniques,for everyone,instead of spending money on arms and ridiculous amounts on space probes when 2/3 of the world lives in poverty.ok another rant,i know,but it does make very angry at the selfishness of people in power who could do so much good.

[Jingthing]

Well Carter has lost the plot, but won't argue with building homes for nought - unfortunately this is the only thing to like about the lad.

Hamas love Jimmy and vice versa. Who says he ain't popular?

His heart is clearly in the right place, working towards peace, whether or not one agrees with his exact positions or whether his approach has worked/will work.

[Ulysses G.]

Many people think that his heart was in the right place when he was the president, yet few would claim that he was any good at politics.

In my opinion, a man who has glorified Hamas in his books and seems to agree with the concept of using terrorism as a political weapon, should stick to building free houses for the poor around the world and keep his nose out of a complex political situation that he is so ill equipped to deal with.

[sriracha john]

Indeed, after he left office, he should have sat around the house and drooled... like Reagan.