Women Build History

In 1991, a group of women in Charlotte, N.C., completed the first women-built Habitat for Humanity house. With this, the seeds for Habitat for Humanity's Women Build program were planted. A handful of Habitat for Humanity affiliates such as Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver and Atlanta Habitat for Humanity built houses with women crews over the next few years.

Then in 1997, as part of the Jimmy 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. There the idea for First Ladies Build was born, and in May 1998, Habitat for Humanity International officially formed the Women Build department.

From April 1999 through April 2001, the Women Build department put forth its first formal initiative, First Ladies Build. Through “First Ladies Build,” women governors and first ladies in each of the 50 states joined Habitat for Humanity to build houses with families in need. The 2006-2007 “First Families Building Homes Across America” initiative continued this legacy, with 52 homes built throughout the country.

In May of 2001, Women Build launched its second program, “Women Building A Legacy,” through which state first ladies, celebrities and women from all walks of life swung hammers to actively address the problem of children in poverty. In combination with these programs and individual affiliate sponsored builds, between 1991 and 2003, women crews built more than 350 Habitat houses in the United States.

Since 2003, in large part due to the support of our underwriter, Lowe’s, and major sponsor Home Interiors and Gifts, Inc., the program has more than doubled in size. In 2006, approximately 32,000 volunteers helped complete 160 Women Build houses. Last year, in 2007, Women Build volunteers built more than 200 houses. To date, more than 1,200 official Women Builds have been completed since 1998, and the program is growing across international borders to empower women everywhere to address the problem of poverty housing for themselves, their families and their neighbors.