Women Build 2023 

**End of year update** This project will be completed by the end of December. We are extraordinarily pleased, but not surprised by the outpouring of support. Approximately 300 women helped build this house and they also raised almost $60,000! Wow!

Women Build is a movement that began in 1991 with a group of women volunteers who built an entire Habitat house in North Carolina. In ‘97, as part of the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project, U.S. first lady Hillary Clinton, Kentucky first lady Libby Jones, and Oklahoma first lady Cathy Keating participated in a Women Build project. This gave momentum to what would quickly become a nationwide opportunity to engage new volunteers at the construction site and build more Habitat homes. At its core, Women Build is not about the exclusion of men. Rather, it is a concerted effort to, “Create an inclusive environment where women feel comfortable and confident at the Habitat jobsite.”

A critical component at any Habitat construction site is education. We enjoy teaching unskilled, but goodhearted, volunteers how to build and we focus intently on maintaining a safe work environment. We want to remove any barriers or perceived obstacles for women to join us in home construction. Women Build is also a terrific way to involve your friends and family of all ages in crucial work with a lasting impact. Women helping women sends a positive and powerful message. The atmosphere is collaborative and friendly.

Locally, in 2023, Women Build will construct a single detached 3 bedroom home on Warm Spring Road in Chambersburg. Monthly leadership meetings are happening now and we have a place for you on one of our focus groups: Construction, Volunteers, Fundraising, and Marketing. To join Contact Us for more information.