A big-hearted builder will be helping to improve the lives of families and orphans in Africa later this year when he swaps a North-east building site for one in Kenya.
Darren Cocker, site manager at Bancon Homes’ Eden at Maidencraig development in Aberdeen, will be flying to Kenya in October to oversee the building of homes for underprivileged children and families as part of the Gathimba Edwards Foundation’s (GEF) annual charity build.
The GEF is an Aberdeen-based charity, founded by Myles Edwards, that is dedicated to improving and supporting the lives of deprived Kenyan families and orphans.
Darren – who has volunteered for GEF for the past two years, managing on-site construction – has been asked to be this year’s project manager.
Bancon Homes has granted Darren time off work to travel to Africa and is also supplying t-shirts for the team to work on site.
Commenting on his involvement with the charity, Darren said: “As a father to Jake (3) and Tyler (8), it was a harsh reality seeing the heart-breaking conditions that these families and orphaned children live in.
“I now commit much of my spare time to planning, fundraising and co-ordinating the annual charity builds on top of my day job as a construction site manager at Eden at Maidencraig for Bancon Homes.”
This year’s GEF annual build takes place in Katarina, one hour from Kenya’s capital city Nairobi.
Volunteers have built six houses and a 16-bed dormitory between 2015 and 2016, and have completed a total of 17 houses for 66 children since becoming a foundation in 2014.
The new builds provide safe and clean homes for Kenyan families and children who, in many cases, are parentless, homeless and are looking after their younger siblings.
This year, the eight-day programme comprises the construction of two semi-detached properties that will create four homes, two of which will provide separate accommodation for older boys.
The team includes many UK volunteers, as well as five volunteers from America and local labour. Darren will have the task of managing the project and teaching the volunteers how to build strong and sustainable homes.
Darren has learned from previous years’ experience and is working on simplifying the build process and developing an informative presentation to educate the volunteers on basic construction skills.
He said: “One of the best parts of volunteering with GEF is working with people from all walks of life. However, as they are not all from the construction industry, it’s my responsibility to teach them basic building techniques. I enjoy being a guidance figure and helping others, which has led me to gaining more responsibility in the projects each year.
“It can also be a challenge working with the Kenyan culture as they have a rather relaxed attitude towards schedules. We constantly have to chase people for materials to ensure the construction process moves forward.”
During last year’s build, Darren met eight-year old Faith, who moved into one of the new homes with her brother, sister, cousins and aunt who looks after them.
Faith lost both her parents due to illness and in January 2017, Darren and his partner Sarah, who live in Montrose, decided to sponsor her, paying for her monthly school fees.
Darren said: “Faith’s name had a strong meaning to us and this year is particularly exciting as Sarah will be coming to meet her for the first time.”
Darren’s contribution to the GEF annual charity build includes not only his expertise in site management, but also his dedication throughout the year with ongoing planning and fundraising.
In the run-up to October, Darren will be holding a fundraising event in Montrose on September 2 in aid of the project. In addition to raising awareness of the charity, the goal is to raise £2,000 to cover the cost of one of the homes.
The event will be held at the British Legion in Montrose and will involve a quiz and raffle followed by live music from BACKTRAX.
Allan Clow, managing director at Bancon Group, said: “Bancon Homes is pleased to be supporting the Gathimba Edwards Foundation and we are all extremely proud of Darren for his commitment to this fantastic project, which really makes such a huge difference to the lives of the people who will benefit from the accommodation.
“Darren is a key part of our team at Eden at Maidencraig and the charity will benefit from the housebuilding skills and experience he will take with him to Kenya.”
To support the project, visit www.gathimbaedwardsfoundation.org