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