The container operations’ team continue to work tirelessly under the leadership of Tim Sharpe. They collect donated goods from all over the country and bring them back to the Linton warehouse where the items are sorted, packed, catalogued and stored, ready for distribution. We are fortunate donations continue to flood in.
The latest Peace and Hope container, packed full of valuable items such as hospital beds, medical aids and school equipment, arrived safely in the Philippines last month. This aid is a joint venture with Gorsley Baptist Church, who take charge of the container and its distribution once it reaches the country. Marissa Dowding, Richard and Zena Geary, Dave Farance , Janet Beacon, and Sharon McCusker were all out there to help and they were welcomed with tremendous enthusiasm and kindness. The local people are hugely positive and grateful. Details of the team’s very successful and moving trip have been documented by Dave Farance on the ‘Peace and Hope Facebook’ page and they are well worth a read.
While in the Philippines, Richard visited a ‘Centre for Disaster Risk Management’. The country is prone to natural disasters, and he was concerned that the unit did not have high quality searchlights for their search and rescue teams. With a donation from the Trust he was able to rectify this problem.
In conjunction with ‘Belief in Action’, the latest container for Romania is being loaded at the Linton Warehouse on the 9th of August. ‘Belief in Action’ work with the physically handicapped, hence much of the container is packed with specialist equipment to assist their work.
Things have continued apace in Nicaragua. Since the UK team left in May, Roxanna has purchased uniforms for 50 of the poorest children and new ‘white boards’ have arrived from Managua and been distributed to the appropriate schools. ‘Our schools’ have used the paint we supplied and look so much fresher as a result. The rice mill in La Barra is up and running again and the new roof we provided for the village clinic is also complete.
We are aiming to provide one of our rural schools with a computer, an overhead projector and internet access. This would allow the school to become a centre for local teachers to do their ‘Continuing Professional Development’ locally, while also providing a valuable teaching tool for the pupils.
In partnership with ‘Frontier Mission’, we paid for a new freshwater system and latrines to be installed in schools in two of the remote villages along the Rio Grande. Please have a look at:
https://www.missionhope.org/peace-hope
https://vimeo.com/957860110/04fee07164?share=copy
We intend to fund further work like this in the future.
Last month we funded a dental expedition along the Rio Grande to provide treatment for some of the remote villages way upriver. The feedback report told us that there remains a great need for basic pain relief in the region and we therefore intend to run further trips in the future. Dr Jose, our Nicaraguan dentist, managed to treat over 160 patients. Thanks go once again to ‘Frontier Mission’, who provided accommodation for Jose and his team during the trip.
We have also confirmed that we will continue to fund a feeding programme for 50 poor children in the Beholden area of Bluefields for at least the next three years. This project provides the children with one good sized wholesome and nutritious meal each day.
None of this would be possible without sufficient funds. Thank you so much to all our supporters and benefactors. Thanks also to all those who volunteer in our shop in Ross. The shop team is expecting another busy summer. Please continue to donate items for sale. Good quality pieces get snapped up quickly and provide us with valuable funds. If anyone is interested in helping in the shop, even if you can only do the occasional morning or afternoon, please do get in touch. Full training is provided!
It was with great sadness that we learnt of the death of Bill Gladstone.
In addition to volunteering in Nicaragua, Bill became a Trustee of the charity for many years and then served as Chairman until illness forced him to stand down. Following generous donations to the Trust in Bill’s memory, we have been able to buy 25 desks and chairs for a small rural school about ten miles outside Bluefields. We hope this is a fittingly positive and practical memorial for this lovely man.
Thank you once again for your support,
Will Hanks. Will@peaceandhope.org.uk