The last TWP meeting of the year 2009 was held at Ben's Café on Dec 1st.
The theme of the December meeting was "Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project 2009 (JRCWP09)." The project was completed last month with 15 volunteers from Japan and others from across the globe. About half of the participants (7 to be exact) joined this TWP meeting and every one was still very excited about their experiences in the 5 day building project. Some of the volunteers were so impressed with the project that they are considering to participate again next year. This is the power of Habitat!
The Habitat staffs who took part in this project briefly explained the history and purposes of JRCWP. This was the first time this project was held across 5 countries. There were about 2000 volunteers and 82 houses built in Chiang Mai, Thailand alone. How big is this magnitude? Audiences may have difficulty imagining the scale of this event by listening to the speaker alone, so Habitat prepared many photos and videos to make everyone have a better understanding. As always, a picture is worth a thousand words!
For the second half of the presentation, Habitat invited a volunteer, who also participated in GV program during her school time, to comment on the differences between JRCWP and GV.
She said, "Jimmy Carter is of course the most important person in JRCWP and there are times when our daily schedule depends on his itinerary. Even though he is not the President anymore, his presence is still immense." She continued, "The members in GV program are from the same club in school, whereas the members in JRCWP are from all over the world. I was very nervous the first time since I did not know anyone in the team. However, it was a very good experience and I learned many different perspectives from the various participants. This is difficult to achieve in GV."
"In the GV program, the travel allowances are funded through donations and part time jobs. The presents prepared for home owner are also handmade. On the other hand, everything is very systematic and prepared for us under the JRCWP program. I feel like I am an Olympic participant!"
Finally, she concluded, "Both projects aim at completing one single house, and I believe it is an unforgettable experience for both the home owners and the volunteers. I have no preferences on either of the two projects since they both provide wonderful experience and memories."
◆If you are interested in TWP in Nov 2009, click HERE.