Saws Rasp, Hammers Ring And Dreams Come True
Published: 05 Jan. 2003, 19:49
Mr. Fuller is the founder of Habitat for Humanity, an international nonprofit organization that builds houses for families in need. The construction site here was filled Monday with the loud noises of hammering and drilling.
Although the weather was sizzling hot, more than 2,200 volunteers were energetically cutting wood panels and putting up siding on outer walls. Their shorts and T-shirts were soaked with sweat, but it did not seem to bother them.
About 800 of the volunteers were foreigners who came to Korea solely to participate in the event. Jimmy Carter, the former U.S. president, and Corazon Aquino, the former president of the Philippines, were among them.
Twenty houses that will become homes for 80 families were being built under a hill. Here and at five other sites in Korea, 136 houses in all will be built. Gyeongsan in North Kyongsang pro-vince, Jinju in South Kyongsang pro-vince, Taebaek in Kangwon province, Paju in Kyonggi province and Gunsan in North Cholla province are the other sites.
Mr. Carter and his wife Rosalynn, in jeans and white shirts, started in side by side at 7 a.m. to install siding on walls. Their skilled hammering impressed young workers. "My health is still good," the former president, 76, said, smiling, "so I'll continue building houses as long as my situation allows. For 18 years, we have been building houses for families in need all around the world. It's nice to come to Korea this time to share warmth and love."
About 10:50 a.m., President Kim Dae-jung and first lady Lee Hee-ho arrived at the site to encourage the volunteers. President Kim said, "I hope the love and devotion of these people will lead the house-building project successfully."
Volunteers were busy at their assigned work in various parts of the site.
Kim Hyun-seong, a Korean-American college student from Philadelphia, was sawing a wood panel. "It's just amazing to see this many people here," she said. "I came to my mother country after 13 years to participate in the project, and it is nice to see everybody here fulfilling their responsibilities so diligently."
Sonia Street, an American from Baltimore, said she lives in a house that was provided by Habitat for Humanity in 1992. Now, she travels around the world with the organization to return what she had received. "I've got Habitat fever," she said. "My dream is to open up free shelters for homeless people. I thank Mr. Carter who changed my life forever."
Most of the families will be first-time home owners. Their faces seemed to glow as they watched their new nests being built by thousands of people.
"When I heard the news that we were to own our house in January," said Jeong Kyeong-eun, who will move in with her family on Friday, "I and my husband almost fell down with joy."
Ms. Jeong said her family had to move five times in 1999 due to their unstable financial condition. "I learned today that many volunteers here are not that wealthy themselves. We thank them for their compassion and great love."
by Lee Jung-kyu
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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