Fedor van Kuyk to join volunteers building homes in South Africa

Fedor van Kuyk is due to leave Nuenen on 21 November with 14 volunteers to help build homes in Mulima, South Africa. The team hopes to contribute to at least six houses for families living in vulnerable homes, including shelters made from corrugated metal.

The 58-year-old says his previous building trip, to Guatemala in March 2025, left him deeply moved. Working with students from the Latin American organisation TECHO, the group helped build six simple wooden houses. Van Kuyk recalls being struck by how families with little shared what they had. At a reflection after the work, he struggled to speak when asked what had affected him most.

His earlier building trip to Guatemala has prompted him to take part in another project, this time with Bouwteam Nuenen and the charity HomePlan.

In Mulima, volunteers will work alongside local tradespeople on stone houses. HomePlan works with local partners who, Van Kuyk says, identify families in need. He says the bricks are made locally, supporting employment in the area.

The volunteers pay their own travel and accommodation costs. They raise money for construction through donations, selling handmade bird boxes and charity events. Van Kuyk says the personal contact with families and local builders is part of the value of going. He has promised to show donors photographs of how the money was used after the group returns.