Our beginnings

It had long been the vision of Squadron Leader Mike Cole OBE (Ret'd) to reach and help distant and isolated communities not served by any aid or charity organisation. In 1995 Mike Cole led a team of volunteers across Nicaragua over the rapids of the San Juan River in a British built hovercraft, seeking to discover a permanent solution to a communication problem and to join the West and East coasts and their communities together.

From that endeavour the work of the Peace and Hope Trust developed, accelerated by the tragic after effects of hurricane Mitch in 1998. Relief work revealed a great need in the Southern Autonomous Region of the country and along the Atlantic Coast.

Since then many volunteers, of all ages, skills and experience have caught the same vision to help out in a country that is regularly ravaged by volcanic eruption, earthquake, hurricane and floods. Today Nicaragua remains one of the poorest countries on earth and is second only to Haiti as the poorest in the Western Hemisphere.

In 1997 The USA Peace and Hope Trust was formed and now has its own Board of Directors and is financially independent of the UK operation. However, the ties are extremely close and Trustees on both sides of the Atlantic work together for the benefit of the poor in Nicaragua.

Some of Our Team

  • alt Jackie & Michael Cole OBE Founder & Chairman
  • alt Ken Pollard Founder member of the Trust
  • alt Richard Geary Richard Geary