Welcome to the Spring newsletter of the Peace and Hope Trust. Although working in Nicaragua presents real challenges, the past few months have been full of encouragement and progress. Thank you for your support and being part of this journey. Unfortunately, any photos we can share are limited for security reasons.

Supporting Schools in Bluefields, Nicaragua

As reported in our previous newsletter, Richard Geary’s team built a new early years’ classroom at a school in Bluefields last autumn. The local authorities consequently undertook a much‑needed upgrade of the rest of the school. This required the school to be closed temporarily, and pupils transferred to a new site across town. To ensure the continuity of education for the poorest students, the Trust stepped and paid for their transport. The work is now complete, and the school has re-opened. We have also provided the Headteacher with a new laptop, as her previous one was beyond repair.

Since our last report to you….

Supporting Kagando Hospital, Uganda

Beyond Nicaragua, we continue to part‑fund a Senior Doctor at Kagando Hospital in Uganda. This support has proved extremely valuable to the hospital and the local community, particularly at a time when government‑funded senior doctors have been withdrawn.

Below is a message of thanks from Dr Oli Penny, a hospital trustee, which explains the impact this role has had on leadership, training, patient care and hospital stability:

Dear Peace and Hope Trust,

We are extremely grateful for the help you have given so far to Friends of Kagando.
The extra work given by a Physician at Kagando has proved extremely valuable to the Hospital for these reasons

• It gives confidence to the local population that a senior person will take charge of them and their loved ones.
• Dr Dalton has inspired the juniors with leadership and regular teaching
• The Government has recently pulled out some of the senior Doctors – and without them no juniors are allowed so his position is absolutely key to the staffing of the hospital
• I have regular WhatsApp conversations with him about various topics – equipment needed, training for the defibrillator we sent out, problems with Xray, aspergillosis testing – he has always been responsive and given us a good insight into the way the medical ward is working
• The hospital receives very sick patients that the local health centres cannot manage – with him there they have the security for the community
• His value has been assessed in the recent comprehensive 100-page hospital annual report and they have pointed out that many more patients have been referred to ITU with his guidance
• This scheme is what the management wanted and so it is highly valued – very important in a sector where it is easy to put money into the wrong thing.

The local management are extremely pleased that they are getting funding for something so important.

For this hospital it is very hard to attract good specialists to somewhere so far from Kampala as it is considered ” bush”.

In an ideal world they would love to have enough money to pay for more sessions either from a Physician like Dr Dalton or possibly an extra session for one of other specialities’ ( at the moment they cannot afford to pay for a full time Specialist Surgeon and Paediatrician).

Container Operations

report by Tim Sharpe

• We have recently packed and sent a 40ft container to the Philippines, and Marissa will hopefully be there to help with some of the distribution.
• We have been busy in the warehouse fitting new safety barriers to the top level of the racking, we only have a few more left to do, once we have sourced the last parts we need.
• We are also looking into purchasing a ‘staircase’ that we can use instead of the current ladder, to reach the top racking.
• We also have been donated some industrial netting that we plan to use to help prevent any items from falling from the lower racking bays.
• Plans are underway to purchase a replacement shipping container shed for the owners of the warehouse, plus a new one for our us to use for shop PAT safety testing, storage of equipment spare parts, and a ‘canteen’ area.
• We are receiving donations of unwanted ‘medical’ equipment on a regular basis, some from our own contacts, and some from Belief in Actions (BIA) contacts, so we are close to being able to send our next consignment, which will hopefully be to Tanzania, following a request from Su from BIA.

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Thank you once again for your help and support.

Will Hanks

will@peaceandhope.org.uk

Dear Supporters,

Richard Geary, along with Trust stalwart Dennis Higgins, Steven Puleston (Richard’s nephew) and Roger Shelton, have just returned from a challenging three weeks in Nicaragua building a new classroom in memory of Richard’s late sister and Roger’s wife, Jacq, who was a passionate early year’s teacher. This new facility is a very fitting memorial.

The project had been suggested by the school when Richard, Will and Fi were visiting last February, but it was only a week before flying out that the final permission to go ahead was granted. The school was originally built by the Trust eight years ago to rehouse 90 children and their teachers who had been forced to re-locate when the owners of their former buildings wanted to develop the site. Since then, the school has grown and grown. It now educates over 240 pupils and is consequently in desperate need of more classroom space, especially for reception children. When the Trust was offered a legacy to honour Jacq, the project seemed a perfect fit and Roger even found himself signing up for three weeks hard labour to help build it.

The team were joined by old friends of the Trust, Ensword and Norvin, along with several newcomers, along with parents and grandparents from the school. They started by clearing the site. It seemed wherever they dug there were palm tree roots in the way. This put them behind schedule immediately but by working long hours, including  weekends, they were still able to produce this stunning building.

The school wanted to thank the team for their efforts, so they threw a party to celebrate the classroom’s completion. It was great fun and very emotional. Roger gave a speech, the essence of which is in his following testimonial:

‘Heartbreaking, humbling and very rewarding. I was unsure what to expect and shocked at what I initially saw in terms of the living conditions. This was however offset by the resilience that was shown and the feeling that the people strive to better themselves and their children. I will never forget that in the face of adversity the people were still openly friendly, cheerful and the children always had smiles on their faces. They have a true trust in the Lord.

I make no apologies to say again that Jacq always said that every child has a place in this world, and it is a teacher’s job to help them find that place. The teachers I saw truly believe that as well and despite the conditions do an outstanding job in this regard. Hopefully we can continue to support them in the future.’

Things remain tough for the locals. The team were delighted to be able to buy stone from the rock breakers. This picture shows a pupil of the school alongside her grandmother who is working away, despite having a broken hip.

The tip remains a concern. The school educates the children of families that work here in dreadful conditions.

The trust is sponsoring several trainee teachers from the rural communities. These students often arrive at college with only the clothes they stand up in. We are providing them with professional clothes, along with stationery and equipment.

Margaret Storey has completed another set of 40 maternity kits which she distributed to the new mums at the Casa Materna in Bluefields on 29^th May. It was a joyous occasion. There were three sets of twins, so naturally these mums got two packs each. Everyone also got a crochet red heart to celebrate Mother’s Day.

Yadira has not been well and recently part of her house collapsed. The team were able to arrange new materials and employ a couple of local builders to do the necessary repairs. We are delighted to report that Yadira seems to be on the mend.

The shop is going well, with plenty of stock coming in -and sometimes straight out within a couple of hours! BUT we’ve been having to close some afternoons due to our regular volunteers not being able to cover the whole month of May, and as the holiday season approaches the shop may be closed more often unless we can encourage our wider base of supporters to help us out a little.

We would really welcome any supporters who live locally (Ross/Hereford/Monmouth)

This is a great way to support the work of the Trust -and even a few hours a week or month would help us to raise valuable funds. Finding the sign ‘Sorry closed today’ won’t raise any funds at all, and our regular customers will go elsewhere! Full training is given. If you are interested in learning more, please email Ruth Gibbins on ruth@peaceandhope.org.uk.

The Warehouse Team continue to be busy collecting, sorting and distributing equipment. The container full of useful items sent to the Philippines, which I reported on in March, has arrived safely. Thank you again to Marrisa Dowding and Gorsley Chapel.  Tim Sharpe’s report about his recent trip to Romania is being sent out with this newsletter. The Trust partners with Belief in Action in sending out mobility aids and other useful equipment to Romania. This partnership may develop into helping other parts of the world soon.

Thank you all for your continued support and generosity. Will Hanks will@peaceandhope.org.uk

The Nicaraguan government has continued to tighten its grip on power by clamping down on organizations it considers potentially critical. Over 5,000 NGOs have been closed down since the political troubles began in 2018, along with considerable restrictions placed on media outlets, churches, and universities. Unfortunately, Nicaragua remains a difficult country to operate in, but we are still able to help.

We used the kind donations given to the Trust in memory of our former Chairman, Bill Gladstone, to buy desks for a small school outside Bluefields. When Richard Geary and I visited in May, this school was borrowing chairs, tables, and whiteboards from a local church. We were immediately able to provide stationery and new whiteboards, much to the delight of the teachers and pupils. We were also able to commission a local manufacturer to produce 36 new desks with chairs, which were delivered last month.

Before Richard and I returned to the UK we bought and distributed paint for four schools along with zinc sheeting to replace a clinic roof. I’m delighted to report that all the schools are now newly painted, and the clinic roof is complete and watertight.

We continue to fund a feeding programme allowing fifty children to have at least one nutritious meal a day.

One of the larger schools we support asked for a new computer, printer and overhead projector. This equipment will not only improve the school’s educational offerings to its pupils but will also allow the school to provide continual professional development sessions for the local teachers. The new equipment arrived in mid-October and the Headteacher is absolutely delighted. We are going to continue to monitor its usefulness and, if appropriate, provide further equipment to other schools in the future.  Three of the school’s older classrooms are without electricity and are very dark in the afternoon. We are also going to fund the wiring needed for good lighting and some electrical sockets.

Our friend and colleague Margaret Storey contacted us with some very sad news. On 10^th October a gas canister in the home of a family she has known for many years exploded. Two children were badly burnt. One daughter tragically received 96% burns and sadly died the following day. The explosion also blew out the windows and destroyed the roof and made the family homeless. Our friends from SIFT have paid for the house to be reroofed and we agreed to replacing and repairing the damaged windows.  I’m delighted to say that family are now back in the house, and we received this letter of thanks.

Another container full of Peace & Hope and Belief in Action equipment has made it safely to Romania. Sixteen volunteers loaded the container at our Linton Warehouse on 19^th October. Attached to this newsletter is a report from Tim Sharpe about his recent trip to Romania and how the donated equipment is used and distributed.

The Trust continues to fund a Physician in Kagando Hospital in Uganda for one day a week. This appointment has proved to be very worthwhile.  The doctor’s presence provides reassurance to patients and the local community that there is senior cover in the hospital, provides guidance for the junior doctors and allows for a weekly training session.

It was with great sadness that we learnt of the death of James Smith last month. James was a great volunteer, friend and supporter of the Trust for many years. He pioneered the dental trips to Nicaragua, treating many people in the remote villages along the Rio Grande where no dental treatment was available. The living conditions on these trips were very basic and uncomfortable and the buildings used as clinics simple, but his team succeeded in creating a clean environment to operate in and managed to provide pain relief for large numbers of people. James made many dental trips to Nicaragua but eventually his health stopped him from travelling. By then he had inspired a generation of dentists, nurses and helpers to continue this work, which carries onto this day. (The latest dental trip was earlier in the summer. The team was funded by the Peace and Hope Trust and manned by Nicaraguan colleagues).

James was also a regular volunteer in the shop at Ross-On-Wye until just a few weeks ago. We will all miss him.

Will Hanks.

by Richard Geary and Will Hanks

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It was great to be in Nicaragua again. Richard was welcomed back to Bluefields like a long lost son with crowds of people coming up to say hello, share their news and find out what the Trust’s plans are for the future. We were shown great kindness wherever we went.

Initially, we hired a truck in Managua, filled it with educational supplies and distributed them to the schools we support in and around Bluefields. It was wonderful seeing these schools, many built by Peace and Hope Trust teams, full to capacity with bright and eager young pupils grabbing their chance of getting an education. As you can imagine, the provisions we handed out were gratefully received by both staff and pupils. The schools were generally in good condition, but looking a little tired.

Two classrooms still had uneven earth floors and in one school themain teaching block was a basic wooden, rather dark building.Richard had the idea of internally lining this otherwise sound building with Plycem [interior boarding] and painting the rooms white to brighten things up. The Headmaster was delighted at this idea and arranged a small army of local helpers to carry out the refurbishment. We ordered the materials the same day and they were delivered that evening! Two days later we turned up with all the necessary nails and tools and the team of locals set to work.

By the end of the first day, two rooms were almost complete and a first coat of white paint had been applied. It was incredibly impressive how hard everyone worked, parents, village members School supplies being distributed Dark walls of the classroom. The volunteers and lined walls and teachers alike, all keen to volunteer and do their utmost to improve their village school.

We were then told of a small school, close to Bluefields, in desperate need of equipment and so we decided to pay a visit. The teachers were doing their best but it was obvious that they were urgently in need of chairs, desks, books and stationery. The only white board available was on loan from the local church, long with a number of pieces of furniture. We immediately set off back to the local shops, returning the next day with essential supplies, including three new whiteboards. We are sure that with a little bit of extra support and investment this school will go from strength to strength. A new pupil’s chair and desk made in Bluefields costs about £35 and we would like to instigate a ‘Sponsor a Desk’ scheme to do just this. Please let me know if you would be interested.

We provided each school with paint to smarten things up, both inside and out.

We called on the ‘rock breakers’ at the quarry and once again witnessed what a precarious and hard life they lead. The new road linking Bluefields to the rest of the country has meant that stone can now be transported from elsewhere easily and consequently there is much less local demand, resulting in even harsher economic circumstances for these people. We were upset to see that one of the ladies had sore and swollen eyes from the repeated trauma of small stone chips flying into them. There are now only around twenty people still working the quarry and so we went and bought enough safety glasses and protective gloves for them all. In addition, we bought a tarpaulin for them to hang up as protection against the extreme elements of rain and sun. We hope that the Trust will soon be allowed to build in Nica again and can return to buying stone from this community.

The Trust continues to support a feeding programme and It was heart-warming to see the children here tucking into a wholesome lunch. The Trust pays for fifty children to have a daily nutritious meal and we have just committed to funding this for a further three years.

We didn’t have time to travel up to La Barra ourselves, but we could send things there by the river boat. Hence we packaged up numerous school supplies, along with spares for the rice mill and enough corrugated iron to re-roof the village clinic. Since our return, we have received a message from La Barra saying that everything had arrived safely and to send thanks and best wishes to our supporters back home.

Presently it is not feasible to send a UK dental team up the Rio Grande de Matagalpa. In the past we have worked with a local Bluefields’ dentist, who is a great friend of the Trust. This time we met him, along with colleagues from Frontier Mission and have now arranged and paid for a five day trip for him and his nurse to travel up to Frontier Mission’s clinic in Kansas City (an extremely rural village many hours up river). The plan is then for people from surrounding villages to be brought by boat to see him.

It was also great to be able to get a favourable report from Frontier Mission on the water project we have paid for in the villages near Kansas City. Everything looks very positive at the moment.

One of the most moving moments of the trip occurred when visiting Casa Materna next to Bluefields Hospital. This is a maternity unit supporting women from the rural villages who travel to Bluefields for the birth of their babies. Most of the women are desperately poor, arriving with only the clothes they stand up in, and they may have to stay for several weeks before the due date. The accommodation is very basic and was full when we visited. We were there to distribute 50 Maternity Packs, assembled on our behalf by the wonderful Margaret Storey and her friend Jean. Margaret returns to Bluefields for roughly 6 months each year and is a fantastic friend and support to the Trust. She supports local employment by ensuring that, where possible, pack contents are manufactured by local women (one is a fourth year Medical Student). The packs contain an eclectic assortment of maternity essentials, ranging from soap and flannels to baby clothes and nappies and all are very gratefully received. Richard had the privilege of praying for some of the mums, babies and families, including one girl who was just 16 and particularly fearful. Margaret plans to distribute further packs soon and we are so grateful for all that she does.

A school uniform is still required for children attending the city schools. Roxanna has a list of roughly fifty children who need our help this year and she is in the process of buying and distributing what is required. Unfortunately, the shopkeeper we use was away in Managua during our trip and so we had to leave this in Roxanna’s capable hands.

We were wonderfully supported by three Nicaraguan colleagues:
Nestor who sourced the rice mill parts for La Barra, helped us navigate the stationery suppliers in Managua and recommended Alex, who became our excellent driver for the first part of the week. Roxanna was indispensable with her language skills and passion for the Trust’s work. She is a massive asset and a community leader in the making. We were also so impressed with the teams of volunteers who helped at the schools. It is a great privilege for the Trust to enable these amazing people to invest in their communities and to see them grab this opportunity with both hands.

There is plenty of scope for new projects. The schools we support need further maintenance. One needs a new room for the pre-school. We are attempting to form a partnership with the BICU University and supply some medical equipment for the poorer medical students. They are also requesting help in building a small clinic on the University Campus. We will keep you informed of how this progresses. There is also a call from one of the rural schools for a computer and projector. This would both open up many
educational opportunities and allow the school to become a CPD centre for local teachers. We will obviously continue to fund the feeding programme, water projects, dental and medical trips, school uniforms and school supplies.

Thank you so much for your support. It was incredibly gratifying to see what a difference the Trust is making to so many lives.

Best wishes,

Will (will@peaceandhope.org.uk)

It remains a challenging time for the Trust to be working in Nicaragua. Politically it remains tense, and the system continues to be hostile to charities and NGOs working in the country.

Having said that, we are very lucky to have some dedicated Nicaraguan colleagues who have continued the Trust’s work. Also, as the world learns to live with the pandemic, we hope that volunteer UK teams will soon be visiting the country once more. 
 
We are still unable to get Nicaraguan approval for sending out containers. It is very frustrating for the ‘Container Team’. They have collected, sorted and packed two warehouses full of useful items which are now waiting to be transported and distributed, and have done astonishingly well throughout a very difficult period. As you know from previous letters, we have been looking for other partners to take this equipment.

A short report by the Team’s lead, Tim Sharpe:

In February we loaded a 45′ lorry in collaboration with a charity called Belief in Action, which works both in Romania and more recently with Ukrainian refugees.  We loaded about 20 hospital beds and mattresses, plus numerous boxes and sacks of clothes, shoes, toys, bedding etc, along with chairs, tables, mobility aids etc
 
We loaded a 40/45′ curtain side artic. last Friday in partnership with Mission without Borders International. This has travelled to Romania, and the contents will then make their way into Ukraine.  We loaded about 40 hospital beds and mattresses, plus numerous boxes and sacks of clothes, shoes, toys, bedding etc, as well as chairs, tables, mobility aids and anything else we felt could be useful.
 
We have also delivered 40 hospital beds and mattresses to Hereford for onward travel into Europe and then Ukraine. This is also a collaboration, with a charity called GAiN (Global Aid Network).
 
As you are aware, we are having problems sending aid to Nicaragua and more recently to the Philippines, so we have been following many leads for sending aid overseas. The most recent two leads came thanks to Michael Harrison, and involves a logistics company called Mission and Relief Logistics.
 
We have maybe two or three more loads in our van to clear the Wolf warehouse, which we have to vacate ASAP! – ***TS***

Alvaro is in Bluefields at present. He is re-equipping the Mother and Toddler group at Santa Rosa, set up by Emily John about four years ago. He is also refurbishing the Marie Anne Vocational Centre as it starts to develop closer links with Paz y Esperanza school.

It is great to see that the new school being built at Santa Cruz on Ometepe is progressing well. This is a project championed by Carolyn Gibbs and is very much a community project. The Trust has paid for the roof, which looks a strong and stable structure.

Casa Rahab is full and supporting twelve girls. All are trying to escape a life of exploitation and abuse.

Once again the Trust supported an ‘up river’ medical trip, run by our colleague Dr Kelly. Her team visits some of the very remote villages along the Rio Grande, treating and educating people who have little opportunity of receiving medical or dental care elsewhere.
 We are still awaiting further details about Torsuani, the village south of Bluefields where we hope to build a new clinic. We need to gather more details about the disease profile and size of the local population before we can design an appropriate building. This information is being formulated and should be arriving soon.

Once it is appropriate for teams to return to Nicaragua, our first building project is likely to be a primary school for San Sebastian. The existing school is in poor condition and desperately needs replacing. San Sebastian is a community that Richard Geary knows well and they are very keen to help in the school’s construction.

Once again, thank you to all the volunteers who work in the shop. The money you make is vital to all our ongoing projects.

If you want to see photos of some of the projects mentioned about please look on Facebook, Twitter, or our website: https.//www.peaceandhope.org.uk

Thank you once again for all your support –
Best wishes, Will