Local volunteer story

London, June 2025. World Villages for Children, a charity whose mission is ending poverty through education, would like to share the story of local Leeds-based volunteer, Geoffrey Barker and the value his participation has added to World Villages for Children in National Volunteers Week.

World Villages for Children works with the Sisters of Mary in six countries worldwide to provide free, quality education and care for the word’s most impoverished children.

A World Villages for Children supporter for more than 20 years, Geoffrey Braker visited World Villages’ programmes for the first time in Tanzania in March 2025.

During the visit, Geoffrey witnessed the extreme poverty that the children come from during local community visits and had time to speak to the children and learn about the struggles they faced before being offered a place at school with the Sisters of Mary.

• In Tanzania, 74% of children experience multidimensional poverty (‘Child Poverty in Tanzania’ – UNICEF)
• One in six children worldwide live in extreme poverty (UNICEF and World Bank Report)

Geoffrey also used his skills as a cricket coach to run two cricket clinics at Dodoma Boystown, World Villages for Children’s newest secondary school for boys in Dodoma, and Kisarawe Girlstown, the secondary school for girls near Dar es Salaam. There, the children learned fundamental cricket skills and principles and enjoyed an afternoon of play and learning.

On his return the UK, Geoffrey, who was deeply moved by the experience of meeting the children in person and seeing the impact the Sisters make, enthusiastically set about spreading the word about World Villages for Children’s programmes to his local community as a volunteer ambassador.

On the 30 May 2025, Geoffrey kindly arranged a meeting for Sr Elena and Sr Margarita from the Sisters of Mary at his home church St Edmund’s in Roundhay, Leeds. Through Geoffrey’s efforts, a successful event brought new and old supporters together for an afternoon with the Sisters where people could see and hear in person what the Sisters do for poor children around the world. Geoffrey’s support helped World Villages for Children and the Sisters share their work and help local supporters gain a deeper understanding of the reality of poverty that children live with every day and how they can change children’s circumstances and life prospects by giving them a quality education and care with the Sisters of Mary.

During National Volunteer Week, World Villages for Children gratefully acknowledges the real impact generous volunteers like Geoffrey make on their work. Volunteers who give their time and skills add so much value to the lives of children in our programmes. Through volunteer support, World Villages for Children can reach out to more people in the UK who have the desire to help children living in poverty. This helps to raise more funds to offer a child a place in school and a life-changing education. Whether volunteers are based in the UK or farther afield, their actions make a direct impact on poor children’s futures. An education with the Sisters of Mary gives poor children who are otherwise unable to afford or access school the knowledge and skills that empowers with independence and opportunity for decent work after school. This means they can live a life free from poverty – for good.

For media inquiries, please contact

Carey Evans

Fundraising and Communications Manager

www.worldvillages.org.uk

cevans@worldvillges.org.uk

0207 629 3050

Notes to Editors

• Interviews with Interviews with World Villages for Children UK Manager and the Sisters of Mary, or Geoffrey may be arranged on request
• Images of World Villages’ work available on request
• World Villages for Children (WVC) supports the humanitarian programmes of the Sisters of Mary who have established schools – the majority of which are live-in schools – for the most vulnerable children worldwide. They provide them with access to food, healthcare and shelter as well as quality accredited education and vocational training tailored to the skill needs of the local economy. World Villages has 13 secondary schools, one elementary school, five day-care centres, three medical centres, and one training centre for out of school young women. These programmes operate in The Philippines, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Brazil, and Tanzania.
• WVC, along with affiliated charities in the US and EU, provide the funding needed to operate these programmes.
• The programme supports children of all faiths or none and is accredited by the education authority in each country.
• The humanitarian programmes of the Sisters of Mary work towards 9 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, promote good health and nutrition and provide access to quality education for all children.

 About World Villages for Children

World Villages for Children is an international development children’s charity dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty through education. With a commitment to providing underprivileged children with access to quality education, vocational training, and essential life skills, World Villages envisions a world where every child has the opportunity to realize their full potential and contribute positively to their families and communities, breaking the cycle of poverty for good.

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