Who We Are

Gunda Buhr
Jan 19
3 min read

Activity Village was born from a simple observation: ageing doesn’t mean stepping back — it means staying connected, capable, and valued.

We are an early-stage social impact venture rethinking how society supports later life. Our focus is not on care alone, but on purpose, participation, and belonging.

Behind Activity Village is a belief that older adults hold immense knowledge, skills, and life experience — and that communities are stronger when this is shared rather than sidelined.

Eye-level view of a community garden with diverse individuals working together — Laughter and Passion for Life is our Motto

What We Stand For

We believe that people thrive when they:

Feel connected to others
Have opportunities to contribute
Remain active — mentally, socially, and creatively

Activity Village is about creating environments where ageing is not something to retreat from, but something to grow into with confidence.

Our Approach

Rather than traditional retirement models, we explore curated, activity-led villages designed to sit alongside existing communities.

These villages bring together:

Purposeful spaces for learning, creating, and sharing
Opportunities for intergenerational exchange
Environments that support independence, dignity, and wellbeing

Our model is designed to be repeatable, adaptable, and human at its core.

Who Is Behind Activity Village

We are sisters, raised in South Africa in a family business environment, where work, responsibility, and people were never abstract concepts. From an early age, we experienced what it means to build something that serves a community — and what it takes to sustain it over time.

Our professional paths took different shapes, but they share a common foundation: people, place, and long-term thinking.

One of us spent many years managing game lodges across South Africa — from small, hands-on environments to larger corporate structures. This work shaped a deep understanding of people leadership, hospitality, operational flow, and the importance of atmosphere, consistency, and care. Today, this experience continues in a remote role supporting German-speaking customers for an international organisation.

The other began in architectural drafting before moving into the aviation industry, working for over two decades with an international cargo airline. This included experience across local operations and global headquarters environments — navigating structure, compliance, scale, and international collaboration. This role is now carried out fully remotely within a global team.

Between us, we bring both heart and discipline — an understanding of how environments are designed, how operations function, and how ideas must work in the real world to be sustainable.

Why This Matters to Us

The idea for Activity Village is also deeply personal.

Like many families, we are witnessing the later stages of life of a parent we deeply love. Our father is 94, and despite care and structure, his world has grown smaller and lonelier — a reality that is difficult to change, even with the best intentions, as adult children living full lives of our own.

At the same time, we see younger generations growing up in an increasingly digital world, often disconnected from lived experience, craft, and intergenerational exchange.

Activity Village emerges from this tension.

It is a space for contributors and observers, teachers and learners — not forcing participation, but inviting presence. A place where people are not managed out of life, but gently held within it.

Where We Are Today

Activity Village is currently at concept stage, shaped by research, lived experience, and a growing network of supporters who believe in a better way to age.

We are laying the foundations deliberately — ensuring the concept, leadership principles, and cultural guardrails are right from the start. Because how something begins matters just as much as what it becomes.