Offsite timber system manufacturer Stewart Milne Timber Systems is supporting seven of its employees on a charity mission to Africa to help build new homes with volunteers of the Gathimba Edwards Foundation.

The volunteers, who will depart for Kenya this Saturday, will join a total group of 29 people from outside of Kenya to deliver the project.

On this latest housebuilding mission, the team of seven employees from three offices, including Aberdeen’s Westhill headquarters, Tannochside, and Witney, will be building four homes for families who are currently living in cramped conditions in temporary mud huts in Iten, Kenya.

The Gathimba Edwards Foundation was set up by Kenyan International athlete, Gideon Gathimba, and Scottish 1,500m champion, Myles Edwards. After meeting at the opening of Aberdeen Sports Village in 2009, the pair of athletes continued their friendship, which led to an inspirational visit to the Pavilion Village children’s home in Karatina, Kenya. This visit acted as a catalyst in establishing their foundation.

Since 2014, the Gathimba Edwards Foundation has built 30 houses for 127 children, as well as supporting a total of 278 children with education, shelter, clothing and sustainable food solutions. On-going support is essential to continue building much needed homes for families, many of which continue to live in cramped and unsafe conditions.

The planned trip by Stewart Milne Timber Systems’ group of volunteers will be the third charity trip for the housebuilder, who last worked on a housebuilding project with the Gathimba Edwards Foundation in 2015.

At the time, Myles Edwards, co-founder of the Gathimba Edwards Foundation, remarked that the company’s support and expertise in housebuilding was an important contribution to help the team of volunteers to complete the project in less than two weeks, as well as provide additional support for the foundation.

Commenting on the company’s 2015 trip, Edwards said: “By offering to send qualified, experienced builders and tradesmen to Kenya is a massive help. They have also donated personal protection equipment and thousands of pounds worth of tools, I have been truly blown away by the firm’s generosity. There is still a huge amount to be done but together I believe we can open doors and create opportunities that will transform the lives of so many children.”

During the previous trip, the employees joined a group of 51 volunteers who worked together to build a 16-bed dormitory with a study area, living room and shower facility, along with a 3-bedroom house, all of which has provided a new home for orphaned children.

For this year’s trip, which will see the group leave for Kenya on Saturday 21st July, the team of seven volunteers will join a total group of 29 people from outside of Kenya, with volunteers coming from Australia, Israel, Scotland, and England to build new homes for four Kenyan families.

Stewart Milne Timber Systems will cover all costs for travel, accommodation and food, and arrange for special leave for each of the volunteers, who have been set the task of raising £1,000 each towards a target of £10,000. This total fund will help to pay for the materials required to build the houses. The remainder of the funds are being raised through company-wide fundraising events and activities.

Alex Goodfellow, group managing director of Stewart Milne Timber Systems, said: “Our team of seven volunteers are very much looking forward to taking part in this extraordinary foundation that was set up to give kids in Kenya a better start in life and a more promising future.

“We have already reached nearly £8,500 of our £10,000 target through the hard work and efforts of our volunteers and all our employees, who have been actively fundraising to support this project. We feel positive that we will exceed our target and look forward to the completion of another successful trip to Kenya with the Gathimba Edwards Foundation.”

Lydia Ross, based at Stewart Milne Timber Systems’ Aberdeen site, said: “I feel extremely lucky to have been chosen for this project, as this is an opportunity that I would never have gotten the chance to experience if it weren’t for the funding of Stewart Milne Timber Systems. I decided to volunteer for this build as I believe it is such a worthwhile cause. Nobody deserves the living conditions that these families currently have to endure, and I am sure the new homes we are building will make a considerable difference to their quality of life. I’m also very excited to meet the family’s and get the chance to learn about and experience their culture. “

Over the past years, Stewart Milne have been involved in several charity projects, including helping build children’s homes in South Africa and Romania, as well as in Peterborough for BBC’s Children in Need in recent years.