By the time he was 29 years old, Millard Fuller was a millionaire. "I pursued a life of material things," he says, "and justified it in my own mind by saying that later on in my life I would start caring again." The near break-up of his marriage made him re-think that philosophy, and upon their reconciliation, he and his wife decided to start a new life. They sold their business interests, and gave the money to charity. Following several years of building houses for the indigent in Georgia, and later in Africa, Fuller founded Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization made up of volunteers who assist the underprivileged to build their own homes. For a minimal down payment and a commitment of "sweat equity"-participation in the building process-low-income families were promised a decent home and an interest-free mortgage. Mortgage payments, often lower than the rent the families had been paying for the shack they lived in previously, were returned to fund the construction of the next house. Since its inception in 1976, Habitat for Humanity has organized over 378 affiliated projects in the US, Canada, and South Africa, and more than 71 projects in 26 developing countries. Thousands of people are involved, and houses are being built at the rate of one an hour. "One of the most beautiful things in the world is to care about somebody else," Fuller says. "You find the deepest meaning in your own existence when you reach out and touch someone else."
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