Richard Poole, a humanitarian aid worker, has died at 81. He dedicated 45 years to organisations such as International Voluntary Services, American Refugee Committee, and Trócaire of Ireland, holding country and regional director posts.
His career, which began with Voluntary Service Overseas in Ecuador in 1968, led him to live and work in various troubled zones. These included countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa, such as Guinea, Angola, Rwanda, Sudan, and Zimbabwe.
Poole also authored five books, from 1993's The Inca Smiled to 2013's Mankind’s Last Chance, which explored global issues through the lens of his Bahá’í faith. He was born in Bristol and educated at Fairfield grammar school before studying Spanish and French at Southampton University.
He retired after marrying Alice Otiato, a Kenyan doctor and fellow aid worker, in 2015. They settled in Colchester, Essex, in 2020. Poole is survived by his wife Alice, her daughter Patricia, his elder brother Steve, and two nieces.