The Dominican Republic will become the 15th country to host Habitat for Humanity’s Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project, the former U.S. president announced today. The announcement of the November 2020 build came at the conclusion of the 36th Carter Work Project in Nashville.

Former President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter mark the announcement of the 2020 Carter Work Project by passing a ceremonial trowel to Cesarina Fabián and Celso Marranzini representing Habitat for Humanity Dominican Republic.
 
Since beginning their work with Habitat for Humanity in 1984, President and Mrs. Carter have helped to build, renovate and repair 4,390 homes in 14 countries alongside more than 104,000 volunteers through their annual work project. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat has served more than 22 million people around the world.

“We are honored to host the 2020 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project in the Dominican Republic,” said Cesarina Fabián, national director of Habitat for Humanity Dominican Republic. “President and Mrs. Carter are shining examples of service. We are so grateful to their commitment to building a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live.”

The 2020 build will mark the third time the project has been hosted in the Caribbean. The former president and first lady traveled to Haiti to build alongside homeowners and hundreds of other volunteers in 2011 and 2012.

According to the Dominican Republic’s National Statistics Office, the country faces a deficit of more than 2.1 million housing units, which increases by 50,000-60,000 every year. About 60% of the housing deficit is due to the quality and safety of the housing available and about 40% is due to the lack of available homes.

This week in Nashville, the Carters joined hundreds of other volunteers to build 21 new Habitat for Humanity homes. An additional 12 new single-family homes and 26 new townhomes will be constructed by 2021 with support of funding raised for the project. In total, funds raised through the 2019 Carter Work Project will have served 59 Nashville families.