Two weeks ago, Jimmy Carter happily informed his Sunday school class at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains that his fourth treatment for brain cancer would have to be delayed slightly.
The reason?
His doctors had given him the go-ahead to travel to Nepal in early November to build houses with Habitat for Humanity International.
But that all changed Thursday when Habitat announced it was cancelling its 32nd annual Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project, which had been scheduled to take place November 1-6, 2015, in the Chitwan District of Nepal. The decision was not related to the former president’s health, but rather, the civil unrest in Nepal ever since the small mountainous country that borders India adopted a new constitution.
In a statement, Habitat said that the influx of critical goods and materials into Nepal — including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and cooking fuel, as well as food and medical supplies — had halted or slowed to the point where it could affect its ability to safely and effectively complete the planned project. Also on Thursday, the U.S. Embassy in the capital city of Kathmandu advised travelers to “reevaluate” plans to visit Nepal, saying that “normal safety measures” in emergency situations could become unavailable there.
“I am saddened that we have had to cancel this year’s Carter Work Project,” said Jonathan Reckford, CEO, Habitat for Humanity International. “However, the severity of the shortages has proven to be insurmountable and given the circumstances, we would not be able to guarantee volunteer care and safety.”
Habitat’s most famous volunteer made clear he still has the organization’s back — and that of the Nepalese people.
“While I am disappointed that we are unable to build in Nepal due to such uncertain circumstances, Rosalynn and I understand and support Habitat’s decision,” Carter said in a statement Thursday. “We will keep the people of Nepal in our prayers and ask everyone to do the same. We look forward to our ongoing work with Habitat and continuing to help shine the light on the need for affordable housing.”
Every year since 1984, Carter and his wife Rosalynn have given a week of their time to help Habitat build or improve existing homes around the world. Last year’s weeklong project built some 150 new homes in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. This year it aimed to build 100 homes in an area of Nepal that was particularly devastated by the the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit the poor, landlocked country last spring.
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