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….
Improving School Facilities
We continue to support other schools near Bluefields by providing building materials. This has enabled the construction of a new latrine and wash area, essential roof repairs, and the replacement of mud floors with concrete ones — simple but vital improvements that make schools safer and more comfortable places to learn.
School Uniforms and Supplies
Our work supplying school uniforms for the poorest children is ongoing. Difficulties in transferring money have caused some delays, but we are providing a total of 84 uniforms this year, helping children attend school with dignity and confidence.
In addition, we have supplied stationery and other school essentials to 376 students and 22 teachers across nine schools. We are currently extending this same support to a further two schools, benefiting another 109 pupils and eight teachers.
Dental Outreach Along the Rio Grande
The latest Peace and Hope dental team have returned safely to Bluefields after treating residents from remote villages along the Rio Grande de Matagalpa. We were hosted by Frontier Mission and used their clinic in the far‑flung settlement of Kansas City.
In total, 171 patients were treated and 292 extractions carried out. Encouragingly, the number of extractions per patient continues to fall, which we hope reflects improving oral health in these communities.
Celebrating an MBE
Congratulations to Margaret Storey, who received her MBE from Princess Anne at Windsor Castle on 13 January for her services to the local community in Bluefields, Nicaragua, through her work with the charity SIFT.
Living in Nicaragua for months at a time, Margaret has played a pivotal role in many of our projects over the years and is always willing to help. We wish her well as she prepares for her next trip, starting in March.
Remembering Yadira
Sadly, we must also share some difficult news. Yadira, a great friend of the Trust, passed away in early December. Many volunteers will remember her wholesome food, her generosity and cheerful nature.
She was a remarkable woman who cared for and fed many people in her community for many years, and she will be deeply missed by all who knew her.
Another Bluefields friend who has recently died is Luis Gibbs Wilson, affectionally known as Flat Cap. He will be well known to any team member who has travelled ‘upriver’ for his help loading the pangas at the wharf.
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.