Witness for Peace was founded in 1983 after activists from around the United States traveled to Central America to see for themselves the human cost of US-funded wars. In the region, they
found wars being waged not against a government or an army, but rather against the people.
Witness for Peace was founded as a result of the energy and commitment of ordinary citizens to
change US policies from those which supported death, destruction and poverty to ones which
fostered peace, equality and self-determined development. Today, Witness for Peace continues
to send US citizens to the region, to gain an understanding of the "human face" of US policy and
corporate practices, and to work with our partners in the region to develop just alternatives.

Witness for Peace maintains a permanent presence with and office and staff in Nicaragua, Mexico and Colombia. Witness for Peace volunteers travel to these countries, and others, including Venezuela and Cuba. In the US, Witness for Peace maintains a small operating office in Washington DC, and regional offices--for grassroots organizing and activism--in 7 regions around the country. These offices are located in North Carolina, Delaware, Vermont, Ohio, Minnesota, Oregon and California.

WFP was founded in 1983, as the Contra War raged in Nicaragua. We established an ongoing presence there and sent U.S. citizens to accompany the Nicaraguan people in war zones and to document the “human face” of the Reagan Administration’s military policy. WFP led the way in bringing the brutal facts of those policies home to the U.S. public through grassroots education and large-scale media outreach. During this initial period, WFP established its successful model of merging the powerful forces of on-the-ground documentation, assertive media strategies, a dynamic delegations program, and stateside grassroots mobilization. 
Through the years, WFP has answered prophetic calls to accompany people most affected by harmful U.S. policies and corporate practices. Currently, our “witness” is sited in Nicaragua, Mexico, Cuba, and Colombia. We document the human costs of unfair trade and military policy, transform U.S. citizens who travel with us to our sites, and mobilize a motivated grassroots network of nonviolent, faith-based activists who hold policymakers accountable and work for positive change. 
In the past twenty years, WFP developed and maintained an energized nationwide base of 15,000 members, sent more than 10,000 people to Latin American and the Caribbean on short-term transformative delegations, and sustained a highly skilled team of international volunteers in our program sites abroad.

Witness for Peace Regional Organizers can plug you into Witness for Peace events, activism, and issues in your area. Some of the most important work of Witness for Peace happens in the regions where deep connections and relationships, which are necessary for building the change we wish to see in the world, are made.



Witness for Peace, New England

Joanne Ranney

wfpne@witnessforpeace.org

www.witnessforpeace.org/newenland



Witness for peace, Upper Midwest

Patrick Leet

wfpumw@witnessforpeace.org

www.wfpuppermidwest.org



Witness for Peace, Mid-Atlantic

John Mateyko

wfpma@witnessforpeace.org

www.witnessforpeace.org/midatlantic



Witness for Peace, Northwest

Beth Poteet

wfpnw@witnessforpeace.org

www.witnessforpeace.org



Witness for Peace, Southeast

Gail Phares

wfpse@witnessforpeace.org

www.citca.org



For other parts of the country please contact the Witness for Peace office in Washington DC

Morrigan Phillips

morrigan@witnessforpeace.org

www.witnessforpeace.org

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