Martial arts superstar, Jet Li (李连杰), has been an active philanthropist in recent years. Born in humble beginnings in Beijing, China, Jet dealt with financial challenges since he was very little. Apart from offering financial assistance, Jet often labored together with volunteers to benefit charitable causes. Today, Jet Li will be participating in a Habitat for Humanity Youth BUILD event, participating with 4,000 volunteer workers to construct safe homes for up to 500 families in China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, and Thailand. Regardless of his international success as an actor, Jet Li was often known as a compassionate man who under no circumstances forgot his humble roots. Jet Li stated, “I believe everyone should have a place they can call home. A healthy and safe living setting where we can raise our little ones. In Asia, you can find 500 million people staying in the slums that are vulnerable to disasters. To me, home is a place on earth that is filled with love.” Even with China’s rapidly expanding economy, there are numerous rural spots that are in desperate need of improved housing conditions, inadequate modern sanitary, plumbing, and sewage systems. Many local families cannot afford to construct safer housing despite having active government subsidies. Habitat for Humanity Youth BUILD has stepped in to supply the desperate need for safer housing and provide families an improved peace of mind. Jet Li will be in Shuiweidong today, an extremely poor village in Guangdong, China, remodeling 110 mud homes into safe homes for locals. Many families presently live in primitive mud homes, sharing the space with their livestock in their living space. The mud homes are dangerous and vulnerable to flooding caused by typhoons. Jet Li will be setting bricks and mixing cement alongside thousands of volunteer workers, creating more structurally sound homes with considerably improved sanitary conditions. Today's Habitat for Humanity Youth BUILD multi-country event marks the end of a five month work effort to raise awareness and money to support the establishment of safe housing for impoverished families in the Asia-Pacific areas. In Thailand, volunteers will be constructing a community and evacuation center for families suffering from a severe flood last year. In the Philippines, 200 homes will be built for families whose houses were demolished by Typhoon Nesat and Severe Tropical Storm Washi. Habitat for Humanity Youth BUILD ambassadors include Filipino boxer turned politician Manny Pacquiao, Hong Kong actress and singer-songwriter Karen Mok, Bollywood actress Aditi Rao Hydari, Indonesian singer Delon Thamrin, Filipino actor Matteo Guidicelli, Hong Kong entrepreneur Christie Wo, Indian American actor Omi Vaidya, Filipino theater actress Cris Villonco, and Thai pop singer and pianist Tor Saksit. Creds: Habitat for Humanity Youth BUILD
