About us
Our Story: From Displacement to Restoration
Hope for Communities was born from a shared calling and a profound understanding of what it means to lose everything.
Our founders, Sharo and Alexis, come from two different worlds but share one mission. Sharo, originally from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, experienced the reality of the refugee crisis first hand when he was forced to flee his homeland with his family as a child. Alexis, a doctor from the UK, joined him in a shared commitment to healing and restoration.
A Response to Global Crisis
As a nurse and a doctor, Sharo and Alexis witnessed the escalating global refugee crisis with a unique perspective. They saw families driven by such desperation that they were willing to risk their lives for the slim hope of a safer future.
Moved by these stories of survival and the immense need for sustainable support, they made a life-changing decision: to move their own family back to the Kurdish region of Iraq.
They established Hope for Communities to serve refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) on the ground. Our charity was founded on a singular, driving vision: to see hope restored to communities where it has been stripped away by war, displacement, and poverty.
Today, we work to rebuild what has been broken, ensuring that those who have lost the most are given the tools and the hope to start again.
Compassion
We believe empathy must be followed by tangible service. As medical professionals
Presence
We don’t work from a distance, living and working within the Kurdish region
Resilience
We believe that every community, possesses the strength to rebuild
Stewardship
We are committed to transparency and the responsible use of resources
Vision
Mission
Meet the trustes
Experts in giving your children best start
Andy McCullough is the author of Global Humility: Attitudes for Mission. He has a BSc in Human Environmental Science and a Masters Degree in Contextual Theology with Mission. He is currently based in Reading, UK
John Greenway runs his own leadership consultancy firm, Saltmine Ventures, which involves working with businesses in the UK and internationally, as well as writing some books on the subject. He has been privileged to have led business functions, managed departments, led global accounts, sat on senior management teams, worked with Aid Organisations in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, sat on School Boards, chaired a not-for-profit company and coached sports teams.
Abey is a qualified Chartered Accountant with 10 years’ experience working within FMCG businesses. His work has ranged from setting up new companies and putting in place relevant financial controls and systems in order for those businesses to grow sustainably.Having grown up in Kenya and India, Abey came to the UK at 16 and has benefitted immensely from the diverse communities he has been a part of. He has a desire to continue learning how best to serve the community in Northern Iraq through his role as a trustee with Hope for Communities.
Sarah grew up in Wales and has found her home in London, and loves the multicultural aspects of the area she lives in. The idea of building relationships and showing hospitality is an important area of her life. She is a wife to one and a mum of two beautiful boys.Sarah currently provides part time support in finance for a global charity based in the UK and enjoys a challenge or new experience. She has over 25 years of volunteering experience starting in her teens with the RSCPA, then student work and continue with toddler groups, foodbanks, school governing and now a trustee.
Phill Gray grew up in the UK where his parents worked in Nursing and Social Work. One of three brothers he lived in various cities and towns across the UK.Phill left school at 16 and trained as a chef, later achieving a degree in Hospitality. And Institutional Management. His career then took him around the world including stints in France and Hong Kong. As this developed Phill moved into the events world which saw him oversee some of the country’s most prestigious occasions including state banquets and major sporting occasions.In 1993 he met and then married Rachel and they now have 3 Adult boys and became grandparents for the first time in 2022.A move into the non-profit sector following roles with various corporate companies including HSBC & Price Waterhouse Coopers. This involved a move out of London to Buckinghamshire in the UK, where the family still reside.In 2006 Phill took a role with Newfrontiers, a large global network. This role included oversight of one of the UK’s and Europe’s largest Youth gatherings. The success of this event and its continued growth from 3,000 to over 8,000 delegates attending, saw the event go from strength to strength making a significant impact on the emerging generation of young leaders.Late in 2016 Phill was approached by Care for Children to come onto the UK board of trustees and very quickly it became clear that his knowledge and experience would be of great advantage in an operational role. So, in early 2017 Phill stepped into the Head of Group Operations role supporting the CEO in oversight of the global operations and involved management of teams across China, Thailand, Vietnam & Cambodia as well as fundraising hubs in the US & Hong Kong.Autumn of 2022 Phill joined The Revitalise Trust to Head Events including oversight of Focus the HTB Networks summer festival and Transform our Learning Community gathering.