HABITAT for Humanity Philippines Ambassador Derek Ramsay led the launching of the Philippine Legacy Build at the Bon-Bon Resettlement Project Phase III in Silay City, Negros Occidental recently.

More than 250 representatives from the youth in Negros Occidental, the local government of Silay and the Katuwang community members joined Ramsay in building 86 homes for the future residents of Bon-Bon as part of the country’s first ever Legacy Build.

The Legacy Build is a series of special builds of Habitat in the Asia Pacific that aims to honor the contributions of former US president Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter for the last 35 years.

Every year since 1984, the couple has been building homes with Habitat through week-long “Carter Work Project” events that take place in different locations all over the world.

Their time and efforts helped raise awareness of the critical need for decent affordable housing and inspired thousands of volunteers to build homes. To date, the Carters have worked alongside more than 103,000 volunteers in 14 countries to help build, renovate or repair 4,331 homes.

The Philippines is one of the eight countries that will host a Legacy Build this year as it is the first Asian country to host a carter work project in 1999. Other countries include South Korea, Nepal, India, Thailand, China, Vietnam, and Cambodia. (PR)