For Cynthia Kersey, celebrated motivational speaker and best-selling author of the book Unstoppable, it was the cumulation of a yearlong labor of love. On December 29th, 2000, Cynthia, along with 18 other volunteers, arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal. From there they were taken to the remote city of Pokara, and made the two-hour walk to a building site outside of town. There, surrounded by the legendary Himalayan Mountains, these 19 Americans began a process that would change the lives of 100 Nepalese families forever.
It was during the 1999 holiday season, with the year 2000 looming on the horizon, that Cynthia made a promise to herself: "I vowed that the next holiday I was going to be doing something for somebody else." That year Cynthia began the Unstoppable Nepal 100-home build program. Working through the Habitat for Humanity International Global Village Program and in partnership with Hollywood for Habitat, her goal was to raise enough funds to build 100 homes for 100 families in Nepal. It was an ambitious project, the largest ever attempted by Habitat for Humanity, but Cynthia was determined to make it happen. Still some people wondered, "why Nepal?"
"As I did my research," says Cynthia, "I discovered that Nepal is one of the most impoverished nations in the world, even more impoverished than Bangladesh, and in Nepal you can build a house for $2000." In fact more then 90% of Nepalese families subsist on small-scale farming, or factory work, and earn as little as $12 a month. For these people the idea of owning a real home, with four walls and a roof, is nothing more than a dream.
For the next 12 months, Cynthia worked every opportunity to promote the Nepal build. "I want to do these types of projects. I find people that I speak too, leaders in organizations, businesses, or offices and try to enroll them in being a part of this project. And working with Habitat for Humanity makes it easier, because they already have the infrastructure in place. We can hit the ground running." Thanks to Cynthia's tireless devotion to her project, and the wonderful generosity of those she approached, she was able to raise the $200,000 her project needed, and when Cynthia and her fellow volunteers arrived in Nepal they did indeed hit the ground running. "It was incredible. We built three of the houses while we were there." The other houses will be built over the course of 2001. "It is such a powerful thing. These families saved for 12 years in order to just buy the land for their homes, and then, because of Habitat they were able to get a house. You have no idea how great an impact a simple $2000 donation can have on a family."
Having returned from her Nepal experience, Cynthia is not content to rest on her laurels. Next year she plans to be in the trenches once again, building 125 new homes, for 125 families in Guatemala. "I think we all need to find something that is bigger than us, to really have purpose, and meaning, and joy in our life. And while what I do in my business is very, very satisfying and I feel so blessed to be doing it. My involvement with Habitat and these projects give me greater satisfaction than anything that I do."
If you would like to be a part of Cynthia's Guatemalan building team, or if you would just like to make a tax-deductible donation please contact Habitat for Humanity or call toll free at 1-800-422-4828 ext: 2549 for more information. 
