The annual Jimmy Carter Work Project is held in a different location each year and attracts thousands of volunteers. The 2005 event was held in the Michigan, in the US, in June; hundreds of volunteers helped build 238 homes in partnership with families in need.

In 1999, the Jimmy Carter Work Project was held in the Philippines and in 2001 in Seoul, South Korea. The 2004 Jimmy Carter Work Project was held at two sites in Mexico in October 2004.

Since leaving office, Carter has gained a reputation as a tireless champion for social justice. "Habitat has successfully removed the stigma of charity by substituting it with a sense of partnership," says the former president. "The people who will live in the homes work side by side with the volunteers, so they feel very much that they are on an equal level."

Of the annual the Jimmy Carter Work Project, which he and his wife Rosalynn lead, he says: "We have become small players in an exciting global effort to alleviate the curse of homelessness."

"With our many new friends, we have worked to raise funds, to publicize the good work of Habitat, to recruit other volunteers, to visit overseas projects and even build a few houses."