All full course attendees are invited to build on site on special women only days to be announced after the completion of the courses. *Participation is limited to 20 people. Attendees must be 18 years of age or older.
Cost: $295 for all 8 weeks or $45 per class. Cancellations made after the start of the first class are non-refundable. Register Here  For other ways to get involved visit our Women Build page.

Diane Howard
Diane Howard owns a 100 year-old home in southwest Philadelphia that she and her husband have been rehabilitating. After a bad contracting experience, she heard about the Women's Build training course and thought, "Why not learn something for myself? I like hands-on work. I want to learn how to tile my kitchen and bathroom myself!" Diane, at 52 years old, promptly joined the class and is now thankful for the confidence she has gained to help with rehabbing her own property. "I had a mantelpiece sitting out from the wall. I wanted the wall to be flat. I went home and knocked it down!" Catherine McCann
Also in her early 50s, Catherine McCann from Broomall, PA came to the classes with a background in managing new construction housing projects. Currently, she manages the maintenance of 2.2 million electric meters and gas modules for PECO. When asked what motivated her to attend the classes, she says, "I would like to say that it was some overpowering need to help out, but it wasn't. I have always liked construction work and have always helped my husband with projects. I thought it would be fun to get together with women and learn. I manage men all day long and look forward to those things I can do with women." Catherine is taking the course with her grade-school friend Anne, and the two have talked about using their new-found skills in helping to build a Habitat home. Simone Cartwright
Simone Cartwright, a home inspector from Philadelphia confesses, "I love homes and building them and understanding what's going on behind the walls. I'm also a Habitat Philadelphia volunteer so this training helps me to be more of an asset." And yet? "The simplest thing tended to be the hardest! Using the cat's crawl to put out a nail? It looks so simple, and yet I had the roughest time doing it." Simone, 42, and her husband buy properties and renovate them to sell. They work with contractors often, and so she decided to take the construction course to help her understand how to do more herself. "I think all women should take these classes because when it comes to contractors, women need to know what's going on so they're getting things done. You don't need to hire anyone - just do it yourself. I'm also able to tell someone who wants to buy my property what they can do themselves and when to hire professional." Sister Frankie Vaughan
Not every woman who participates in the course, however, has a background or comfort with typical housing construction. Sister Frankie's Medical Missions Sisters are a Society of Catholic Medical Missionaries, most of whom are trained doctors, nurses, midwives, and other medical personnel serving developing countries. Sister Frankie herself spent 13 years in Ghana, West Africa until a bout with malaria in 1991 sent her home. While in Ghana, she helped make mud bricks for rudimentary dwellings. When Katrina first hit New Orleans, she was hoping and wishing with her sisters that she could go down to assist, but it was just not possible due to her leadership position. "We're not as young as we used to be - I have gray hair." One of her employees, however, was able to travel down to help with the rebuilding efforts, heard of Habitat Philadelphia there, and told Sister Frankie of the Women's Build classes. "In the long range, after my leadership service is over," says Sister Frankie. "I'm trying to get to New Orleans to help. If not, then maybe Mississippi, I don't care where I go, I just want to help with the rebuild." When asked what stands out the most to her about the class, she does not hesitate. "Framing, roofing, hand tools - all being taught by women. That makes it really easy to ask questions that in another setting would be much more difficult to express without editing," Sister Frankie affirms. "I have very much appreciated these very young teachers - they are able to handle themselves in heavy-duty construction without being muscle-bound - it's using your head." As for putting her new skills to use in the near future, Sister Frankie says, "I might try to see if I can find a way to do a build sometime in Philly. I was always impressed with Habitat. Damn, I wish I did this 40 years ago."