Caroline came travelling to Guatemala for the first time in 2000, after having worked in Holland for several years as a project manager in housing and real estate projects and social housing. During the gap year and her introduction to Guatemala she had already began to help in the construction of some houses and a school and got to know several NGO’ ́s. When she settled herself in Guatemala in 2001, she continued working and helping in different NGO’ ́s. In 2004 she started in partnership with a Dutch social housing company and two local organizations with the very first 2 Constru Casa houses. Her dream was to help families in need in their development and to provide them dignified living conditions.

She could not have imagined that nowadays the organization of Constru Casa would continue to help hundreds of families per year and even entire communities in their development towards a brighter future. With the school constructions, community programs, the realization of clinics, sport fields, water and cooking programs and partnerships with local organizations that are experts in education or healthcare programs, she realizes that Constru Casa can continue contributing towards a broader need of community development for the most needy communities in Guatemala. After having lived for 14 years in Guatemala and 4 years in Spain, she resettled herself and her daughter back in her home country of Holland. She continues managing the entire organization of Constru Casa – including the partner organizations in the US and in Holland – and working on promotion and fundraising while keeping her dream in mind, to be able to provide dignified living conditions to the most needy in Guatemala