La Cooperativa

La Cooperativa de Mujeres

'Cooperative Maria Luisa Ortiz working for the health and dignity of the campesina woman.'

The Cooperative Maria Luisa Ortiz was started in 1990 by Nicaraguan Grethl Sequeira Montoya and the American nurse, Dorothy Granada.

But let’s go back a little further.

Grethel and her husband, Noel, moved to the area in the 1970s and started a construction material cooperative in 1988 after Hurricane Juan wiped out the town on Oct. 20 of that year.  They helped women build houses and put the titles in their names. Noel’s family owned a lot of the land in the area and donated it to the town and the Cooperative.   

The area was home to a Sandinista military training school and many relocated to the area seeking safety from Contra violence. After the war many people were still armed and there was a lot of violence against women (there still is, but rates in Mulukuku have declined in comparison to surrounding areas). 

Dorothy went down to Nicaragua in the 1970s and met Grethel. The two women wanted to do as much as possible to address violence against women. By 1990 Dorothy and Grethel opened a clinic and started educational programs, which is still known as La Cooperativa Maria Luisa Ortiz. 

Outside the Clinic

They’ve stayed focused on women’s issue, especially domestic violence and reproductive health.

 Part of the mural that wraps two sides of the clinic building

The Cooperative has served about 38,000 patients since they opened the clinic and about 12,000 through the justice program which helps women who seek support to address domestic violence, sexual abuse, divorce and any other issues affecting women in the local area.

Today (Feb. 9, 2011) we got a personal tour of the Cooperative from Grethel. The compound occupies a small town block and is surrounded by a fence.  

The Cooperative as seen from the radio tower

Inside it houses a clinic, lab, pharmacy, birthing room, children's room, computer lab, future library, offices for their justice program and administration as well as rooms for the doctors, women, and visitors who reside here for varied durations. There are communal showers, bathrooms, sinks and covered outdoor meeting spaces.  Across the street is the radio station and next to the radio station is the mediation center. 

(The Cooperative does more than I could get my mind around, so this is not a complete list of what they have or do. It’s only what we saw.)

Radio Mulukuku

Radio Mulukuku sign 'At the service of the community'

Wednesday Feb. 9, 2011

Sleep was sabroso (delicious) and mosquito free, thanks to the nets provided. After a quick breakfast of oranges, bananas, and pineapple we headed across the basketball court to the radio station.  

Front of Radio Mulukuku building

Radio Mulukuku studio and interview room.

Radio Mulukuku is housed in a lovely three room building with a large party/meeting room next to it.  The tower out back is 150 ft. high.  We'll be climbing it early tomorrow to see why the transmitter shuts off when it rains.

Today (Feb. 9, 2011) Petri led a five-hour workshop building itty bitty transmitters, I assisted.  It was a great success.  Every group got theirs working.  One of them will be used as a remote transmitter to broadcast from events around town. 

Workshop participants, Radio Mulukuku team.

Participants building itty bitty transmitters.

We’ve been spending most of our time at the radio station with the six people who staff Radio Mulukuku and a couple others who are always around. Couldn’t ask for a better crew.  Four men and two women who had little to no prior training are running a 300 watt station and it sounds great!

After the workshop we attended a going away celebration for Eric, a third year medical resident from Boston who has been working here for about 5 weeks.  Stories were shared and improvements suggested for the clinic. 

The clinic could definitely use more medical volunteers, equipment, and like every organization, funds. The Cooperative’s goal is to raise 1.5 million so they become totally independent and sustainable.  The money would be lent to farmers in the area at a low interest rate and the cooperative would fund itself off the interest.

“Es el sueño¨ (“It´s the dream”) says Grethel.

Everyone has been incredibly hospitable.  We are served every meal in a quaint, but incredibly cozy outdoor thatched hut. Everything is fresh and vegetarian (at our request).  Pinky the dog is unimpressed, we leave him no scraps. 

Petri about to eat.

By 9 O’clock we’re all wiped, but we stay up for a couple hours more to share stories with Michelle, the other visiting American med student ... and of course, to get our internet fix.