Village By Village

This December, for my 60th birthday, I’m heading to Ghana to volunteer with Village by Village, a small but extraordinary charity run by two old friends of mine for over 20 years.

Their mission is simple but life-changing: digging wells in rural villages so families can access clean, safe water right where they live. Right now, many villagers—often women and children—walk miles each day to reach a river that isn’t always safe. It’s exhausting, dangerous, and steals hours that could be spent learning, working, or caring for family.

When clean water arrives in a village, everything changes.

Children go to school.

Women regain time and opportunity.

Communities grow healthier, stronger, and more hopeful.

I’m giving my time and energy because this cause is close to my heart—and because I’ve seen how deeply this charity changes lives.

I’ve paid 100% of my own travel and accommodation, so every penny you donate goes directly to Village by Village and straight into the projects that matter.

If you were thinking of sending a birthday card or gift, I’d be truly grateful if instead you would donate—large or small—to help transform a village’s future.

Thank you so much for your generosity and support.

Together, we can give the gift of clean water and opportunity.

Hello, my name is George Barks

Firstly To everyone who’s has donated, followed, shared, or supported this journey in any way. I see it, and I truly appreciate you.

I am cycling over 4,300 miles across the USA from West coast Astoria, Oregon to East coast Yorktown, Virginia to raise funds and physically help Village by Village, a UK charity helping some of the most remote communities in rural Ghana, West Africa.

 I fly out on August 3rd to begin this solo ride. I’ll be carrying all my own gear, camping wild, riding 70+ miles on average a day for nearly three months with no support crew. 

You can follow the whole journey on my Instagram and track my live location throughout. This isn’t a guided tour or a challenge for social media.

 Why I’m Doing This

In a world that feels increasingly divided and uncertain, I’ve decided to take action to support people who are often overlooked and unheard. We don’t get forever on this planet, and I want to spend my time doing things that actually matter. That means helping others and stepping outside the bubble of comfort. You don’t have to be elite, rich, or famous to do something meaningful. You just need the courage to start. This ride is about service, challenge, and something that brings hope, health, and opportunity to others.

 Why Village by Village? 

 Village by Village is a small UK-based charity that’s been working inside rural Ghana since 2006. They don’t operate from glass offices. They live in the villages they support, working directly with the communities. 

 They build: 

 • Clean water systems 

 • Composting toilets and handwashing stations 

 • Preschools and classrooms 

 • After-school tech programmes with offline tablets 

 • Hygiene training programmes backed by the Ghana Health Service 

 They don’t give handouts — they give tools, education, and support. And after this ride, I’ll be joining them on the ground in Ghana to volunteer in person. 

 Their impact so far: 

 ✅ 1,011 education scholarships

 ✅ 100+ sanitation projects

 ✅ 12 rainwater harvesting systems

 ✅ 46 toilet blocks built

 ✅ 5 kindergartens & 3 junior high schools ✅ 5 wells and a borehole

 ✅ 4 health clinics

 ✅ 6,000+ children trained in hygiene

  Learn more: www.villagebyvillage.org.uk  

How You Can Help

1. Donate — even a small amount has a huge impact

 2. Share this page — socials, WhatsApp, email, word of mouth 

 3. Follow the journey — I’ll post regular updates, videos, and GPS location  

Instagram: @georgebarks

Location: https://eur-share.explore.garmin.com/Barks95

 Charity: www.villagebyvillage.org.uk

Thank you so much for your support, I can’t wait to bring you along for the ride! 

With gratitude,

George 

Hi and thanks for visiting my page!

I'm so excited to share that the school at Kukua has been completed and officially handed over to the Ghana Education Service. It makes me feel very proud to have contributed to this amazing achievement and I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has generously donated to my fundraising appeal - you too are part of giving hope and opportunity for a better future to the children, parents and staff who will benefit.

I am back in the UK and committed to reaching my fundraising target with lots of local activities - I'm nearly there!

If anyone feels inspired to to make a donation however small it would be so appreciated.

Village By Village have many projects lined up - please check out their website if you would like to know more.

There are lots of images of the Kukua Primary School journey on Instagram - so inspiring to see what can be achieved!

https://www.instagram.com/villagebyvillage/?e=e5dd8ffc-740e-47ad-b864-2018e4bb62b0&g=5

Hope you've been inspired and thanks for sharing!

Joe

Here is some information about Village By Village - take a look at their website (https://villagebyvillage.org.uk) for some truly inspirational stories: We want to transform the relationship between the world's richest and poorest. We live in a rural remote village living in poverty in Africa and talk to the people and elders to discover what will have the biggest impact in their community. We return to the UK and raise the funds and then move on to the next village and start the process again.

We want to reduce the needless suffering and deaths of children living in poverty in remote rural African villages, with our main focus on 10 villages.

My son, Ben, and I are travelling to Abenta, Ghana, at the end of February to volunteer with Village by Village. We are fully self funded for the trip but would like to create awareness of the work this Charity does and hope to bring additional funds through your support - every penny makes a difference - will you lean in? Do you want to join us in making that difference? We are raising money in aid of Village By Village and every cent of every donation will go directly to the Charity. Thank you in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to us.

More information about Village By Village: We want to transform the relationship between the world's richest and poorest. We live in a rural remote village living in poverty in Africa and talk to the people and elders to discover what will have the biggest impact in their community. We return to the UK and raise the funds and then move on to the next village and start the process again.

We want to reduce the needless suffering and deaths of children living in poverty in remote rural African villages, with our main focus on 10 villages. www.villagebyvillage.com

I'm raising money in aid of Village By Village and every donation will help. This summer I am travelling to rural Ghana with Village by Village to help run a sports camp for the local children. I love sports and want to share my passion with the local children who might not otherwise have the opportunity to participate.

To make this possible I need to raise £1500 for the charity Village by Village. In order to do this I am going to shave my head and would be grateful for any support you could give me.

Village by Village wants to transform the relationship between the world's richest and poorest. The charity works in rural remote villages living in poverty in Africa and talk to the people and elders to discover what will have the biggest impact on their community. Village by Village raises the funds and then moves on to the next village and starts the process again.

Village by Village aims to reduce the needless suffering and deaths of children living in poverty in remote rural African villages, with their main focus on 10 villages.