Daniel Bailey (SH.19-24) spent this summer volunteering in Ghana, partly funded by a Malvernian Society grant.
Dan worked for Village by Village, a community-led organisation that works with children in Ghana on effective, long-term solutions to fight poverty and injustice.
Village is currently working with 10 villages in poverty and Dan was based in a small village called Abenta, which is a couple of hours north of the capital, Accra.
Dan said: “Village by Village raises the standard of living, through building schools, providing poly tanks for safe drinking water, ‘tech2teach’ schemes and many more initiatives.
“The charity is currently building a new pre-school, and I was able to help with this by cleaning and painting one of the classrooms. My favourite part was being with the children of the villages and spending time with them. Whether that be through playing football, playing games with them, or singing together.
“It was the most humbling experience of my life. There was rubbish everywhere, begging and starvation, and it made me realise how lucky I am and how in need third world countries really are. It was an amazing experience, and I will definitely be doing more like this again in the future.”
Sub-Saharan Africa faces entrenched poverty, lacks access to education, clean water, and healthcare. Village by Village addresses these challenges in rural Ghana, uplifting communities, whilst striving for sustainable development. Village by Village’s vision is of a world where children living in poverty in African villages do not die prematurely, have access to clean water, basic sanitation and are offered a chance for a better life through education.
Find out more about Village by Village: www.villagebyvillage.org.uk