Creating a Current of Change

The Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project: The Mekong Build 2009 will connect nations, strengthen communities and bring new life to families throughout the region.

Named after Southeast Asia’s longest river, the Mekong Build 2009 will create a current of change as strong and as lasting as the great Mekong River itself. “Mekong” translates to “mother of rivers” in Thai and Lao. The river is a lifeline for millions, providing transportation, sustenance and livelihoods through the abundance of fish and the silt that enriches the soil for rice fields.

The region’s diverse geography — from the remote mountains of China and Laos to the lush forests and lowlands of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam — is rich in natural resources. Yet some 50 million of the approximately 250 million people who live in the region survive on less than the equivalent of US$1 a day. Although these five nations that border the Mekong are at different levels of development, millions of families live in poverty and risk further desolation from natural or manmade disasters and turmoil.

In November 2009, the Carter Work Project will take place at build sites in northern Thailand, Vietnam, southwestern China, Laos and Cambodia. Like the river that flows through the five countries, the Carter Work Project will bring new life to families through stable homes, safe and accessible water, and training and support for financial security.