Locally-led charity saving lives in rural West Africa

Help us empower communities by providing education, clean water, and hope

Children are suffering and you have the opportunity to support them. Will you help?

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.

Construction volunteers in Afric, build a school, health clinic or information center

Mission and Values

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

Our 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.

One day, we hope African children do not needlessly die or suffer from preventable diseases that we in the wealthier Northern hemisphere no longer consider a threat to our children.

We want a connected educated community of donors that sees children in poverty as vibrant, energetic, worthy kids and not as stereotypical poverty victims.

How we work

Embedded in local communities

We believe in living our organisational values through our behaviour. We live in the communities we support (including the ones without electricity or running water) rather than arriving for an afternoon and then returning to a comfortable hotel in the capital.

We work with the local communities, government, teachers, and health workers in rural West Africa to foster long-lasting change.

Creating a lasting impact

We build our head offices in rural villages, designed so that when we move the building will become a health clinic or Junior High School.

We try our hardest to build things that will last a very long time and we will not work with anyone we feel does not truly want to help themselves.

All our projects are designed to enable transformational change that saves lives and improves outcomes for generations.

Supporting a locally-led team

Our teams in Ghana and the UK share the same values and mission statement. The Chair of the Ghana-registered nonprofit organisation is the CEO of the UK-registered charity.

We take pride in our status as a digital charity. By utilising digital tools, we can maintain close connections between our locally-led teams in Ghana and the UK, as well as our volunteers and donors worldwide.

Our locally-led team in Ghana

At the heart of our organisation are the individuals who breathe life into our mission. Aikins Mensah, our Director of Operations, and Emmanuel Mensah, our Director and Construction Manager, embody the very spirit of our mission.

Both Aikins and Emmanuel have had their horizons expanded as beneficiaries of Village by Village projects and by working alongside volunteers from across the globe. They swiftly climbed the organisational ladder and now form the senior management team, overseeing a dedicated team of over 20 and spearheading project implementation in Ghana.

Aikins Mensah

Aikins hails from the humble village of Gboloo Kofi in Ghana’s Eastern Region. Despite early hardships due to the loss of his father at just ten, Aikins worked hard. Village by Village recognised his potential and provided him with a scholarship to attend vocational college, where he trained as an electrician.

Aikins’ childhood was characterised by adversity, growing up in a mud hut without basic amenities. His mother, a widow, toiled as a farmer and seamstress to support her five children. A pivotal moment arrived in 2006 when Village by Village entered Gboloo Kofi, building essential infrastructure like wells and household latrines, even one at Aikins’ home. His siblings benefited from the kindergarten, and Aikins and his brothers attended the local school and local health clinic.

Emmanuel Mensah

In 2014, when our organisation relocated to Abenta, Aikins crossed paths with Emmanuel, who had also experienced poverty in his upbringing. Emmanuel’s school was a dilapidated mud and stick building, but together, they contributed to constructing a new school facility.

Now, with families of their own, their journey embodies the essence of development. They’ve transformed their lives and the futures of their families, working tirelessly to provide life-changing opportunities to countless children born into poverty in rural Ghana. Their dedication and unwavering commitment form the cornerstone of our mission’s success.

Since 2006 we have helped over 30,000 people living in poverty

Projects We've built

Schools, preschools & libraries

Wells, rain water harvesting projects, and boreholes

Health clinics

Toilet projects with hand washing programmes

Projects we've run 

Scholarships for children to educate their way out of poverty

Teach2Teach sessions

Villages reached

Girl empowerment projects

Help us keep up the good work...

Being a child born into poverty in the heart of Ghana is a deeply challenging journey. We stand with the children, their families, and their communities.

Imagine a life where every day is a challenge, where the most basic needs are often out of reach. For these children, each dawn brings a new battle against breaking the relentless cycle of poverty.

In remote rural villages like Abenta, hope can feel like a distant dream. Access to quality education is a rare opportunity, as schools are often far away and lack the most basic resources.

Some families barely have enough to survive, let alone invest in education. The costs of uniforms, textbooks, and school materials are heavy burdens, forcing many children to stay home, work in the fields rather than attend school.

For girls, the barriers are even higher, sometimes facing sexual and physical violence. Traditional roles and society’s norms often dictate that they prioritise domestic chores and early marriages over schooling. Discrimination and inequality persist, limiting their potential and stifling their dreams.

Children hold within them the spark of hope, the desire for knowledge, and the dream of a better future.

Village by Village stands with these children, their families, and their communities. We believe that every child deserves a chance, and that poverty should not determine one’s destiny. We work tirelessly to break down the barriers that keep these young minds from reaching their full potential.

Be part of lasting, sustainable change for children in rural Africa

Volunteer Overseas

Volunteering will probably be one of the most worthwhile things that you ever do.

We take around 50 volunteers a year out to Africa. Doctors, Nurses, Teachers, Bricklayers, Mechanics, and students, all pay their own costs and raise money for the projects they work on.

We have opportunities to work on a wide range of projects that save lives and create transformational change.

Without volunteers, many projects would not exist. Discover our volunteer opportunities.

Donate to a project, or fund one!

Every day, millions of children around the world face injustice and violence. Too many families are suffering needlessly.

But there is hope... Village by Village is a community-led organisation that works with children on effective, long-term solutions to fight poverty and injustice.

Make a one-off/monthly donation or fund an entire school, clinic, or transformational change project.

Will you be a part of this long-term change, by making a donation today?