International Christian housing charity, Habitat for Humanity has launched a new website to build the Christmas spirit and help combat poverty housing.

The website, ECards4Homes.org.uk, allows people to select, personalise and send Christmas cards online and support the work of Habitat for Humanity at the same time.

"Visiting www.ECards4Homes.org.uk is a simple and effective way to send Christmas greetings to church members, colleagues, friends and family," explains Helen Flower, Habitat for Humanity's Marketing and New Media Manager.

"By using our online Christmas card service people will be helping a family in need to build a simple, decent home by making a donation to Habitat for Humanity for each card that is 'posted'. The new Christmas web service will also spread the word about our vital work to end poverty housing."

Last month, Habitat for Humanity built one hundred homes over one week during the annual project spearheaded by former US president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn.

More than 2,000 volunteers, including internationally renowned celebrities, took part in the scheme to build homes in partnership with low-income families from the Lonavala area of India.

Volunteers came from North and South America, Europe, Asia and from across India.

Working in 92 countries around the world, Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976 with the sole aim of tackling housing in high-poverty areas on a global scale. To date, over 230,000 homes have been built in partnership with the people who need them.