In 1984, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter renovated 19 homes; 42 years later, 4,496 were built

In September 1984, former US President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter led Habitat for Humanity volunteers to New York, building alongside 19 families in need of safe, affordable housing. That was the inaugural Carter Work Project, now a weeklong event held somewhere in the world each year. According to Habitat for Humanity International, the project has since built 4,496 houses in 14 countries with the help of 112,031 volunteers. Builds have taken place in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. The 2026 project returned to Atlanta, Georgia, for the first time since 1988, where 24 new homes were built in five days.

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