Mission Statement

Short history of Quest for Peace

During the 1980s, the Quest for Peace was one of the leaders in the effort to end the Reagan Administration's contra war against the Sandinista government. The Quest was launched as a challenge to the Reagan adminstration. We committed to match every dollar that the U.S. government appropriated for military aid to the contras with an equivalent value in donated aid and services to help the people of Nicaragua survive while we worked in Congress to end the war.

In 1986 Quest constituents matched $27 million and in both 1987 and 1988 over $100 million. Quest coordinated shipping for up to four 22-ton cargo containers of material aid to Nicaragua a week at the peak of the campaign.

Throughout the years we've also responded with physical aid and emergency funding at times of natural disasters such as Hurricane Joan (1988), the seaquake tidal wave (1992), a volcanic eruption (1995) and Hurricane Mitch (1998).

Since 1985 the staff of the Quest for Peace has been blessed by a partnership with the staff of the Institute of John XXIII, a social action agency of Nicaragua’s Central American University. We have witnessed their staff’s courage, imagination, and commitment to the poor of Nicaragua. Their integrity and accountability have earned the trust of countless Quest supporters.

Ketxu Amezua, a long time toiler in the struggle for justice, coordinates the Quest at the Institute. The Quest for Peace has worked with the Institute of John XXIII to fund large-scale, local projects such as long-desired electrification in Regadio and El Dorado as well as the repair and building of homes after the devastation of Hurricane Mitch.

As a result of the Quest and Institute's friendship culminating in the intense community-building that took place during the year after the hurricane, 22 local committees have incorporated as independent, non-profit organizations. The local committees have elected officers for the new organizations; 52 percent of those elected are women. The Institute continues to befriend these communities as they function independently.

The independent communities have formed a federation for development, called FEDICAMP. This model of empowerment is now being applied to 16 other communities with whom the Institute is working and the Quest for Peace supports through the Program of Human Development.