The Tireless Women of Mulukukú By Jennifer Perry

I awoke to the insistent crying of my two year old neighbor whose wails easily carried through the thin-walled partition separating us. It was 4am and the toddler's young mom was up making tortillas and gallo pinto (a typical Nicaraguan dish of black beans and rice). Her son's cries were heart wrenching. I pictured her working in the dark of the early morning, preparing breakfast for her family and wondering how she would attend to both her crying son and the fire over which she cooked. I heard her husband's snores adding to the ruckus.

“Mulukukú is a town of resettled Nicaraguans who left their homes during the contra war of the 80's. The town was literally built by the sweat and muscle of the women of the Maria Luisa Ortiz Cooperative.”

I thought of all the women of Mulukukú making tortillas before the roosters' call, hauling water from the well in large buckets on their heads, consoling crying children so the rest of the family would not awaken. These same hardworking women built their community and continue struggling daily against abuse and economic hardship.

I arrived in Mulukukú over a month ago and have had the pleasure of working with the nurses, promotoras and natural health practitioner of the Maria Luisa Ortiz Women's Center. Mulukukú is a town of resettled Nicaraguans who left their homes during the contra war of the 80's. The town was literally built by the sweat and muscle of the women of the Maria Luisa Ortiz Cooperative. It is located midway between the North and South Autonomous Atlantic Regions in eastern Nicaragua and is divided by the Tuma River. Mulukukú was once rich in vegetation and wildlife but today the 7,000 inhabitants live in a denuded area stripped of trees and replanted with grass for cow pastures. Fresh milk is trucked out of the community and, for those families who can afford it, powdered milk is the only available option.

The highway from Rio Blanco to Puerto Cabezas passes through Mulukukú and serves as the only way in and out of the town. Some say this "highway"—a dirt road navigable only by truck or bus that is completely impassable at times during the rainy season—speaks to the government's lack of concern for the area. Public transportation is expensive, infrequent and unfeasible for the majority of Mulukuke–os.

Dorothy Granada, the founder of the Mulukukú Women's Clinic.

In 1988, Hurricane Joan flooded and destroyed most of the town. At this time the women of the pueblo, whose husbands were fighting the contras or were killed in the war to defeat the Somoza regime, organized themselves into a cooperative. They set up a brick-making and a carpentry workshop, and began building their homes. After the conservative UNO party came to power in 1990 and the contras were no longer funded by the US, these ex-contra men settled in the area with their families. Taught to kill and destroy the Sandanista "enemy," these men knew nothing but violence. Ten years later, Mulukukú has problems that directly stem from these violent tendencies: abuse against women, children, animals and the environment. The Maria Luisa Ortiz Women's Cooperative has responded to this by implementing a women's consulate within the police department, a legal office to deal with cases of abuse against women and children, and a health clinic.

The health clinic began in 1990 after Grethel Sequeira, a cooperative founding member, met Dorothy Granada, a nurse from the US who was in Nicaragua as a Witness for Peace volunteer. Dorothy's original plan was to stay a couple of years in order to help get the clinic started. Those two years turned into 13 and still counting.

The clinic's services focus on disease prevention, and women's and children's health. Since Nicaragua is the third country in the world with the highest rate of deaths from cervical-uterine cancer, a program for the early detection and treatment of the disease is a large focus of the clinic. The Instituto Centroamericano de Salud is now providing the clinic free Pap smear lab analysis, follow-up biopsy pathology reports, and treatment for women with cancer. The clinic also provides family planning education and contraceptives, along with monthly prenatal care. General consults are available for all and a simple laboratory and pharmacy are on site. The clinic has a good working relationship with the Ministry of Health's (MINSA) small, bare-bones clinic in town. Referrals are made to the MINSA doctor by the co-op nurses and vice versa.

During Aleman's corrupt presidential term, he took aggressive action against non-governmental organizations in Nicaragua and the cooperative's clinic was affected. The government viewed the clinic as a threat, claiming it only treated Sandanistas and that abortions were performed there. Dorothy was deported and the clinic shut down in late 2000. Thanks to national and international supporters, the women were able to welcome Dorothy back and the clinic reopened with the Ministry of Health demanding a long list of "revisions."

Two thousand and three promises to be a successful and busy year for the cooperative. A social worker, in collaboration with the nurses, is working on implementing public health teaching in eight communities. A physician is joining the staff in April and will be starting an adolescent health clinic in Mulukukú. A natural medicine practitioner, who is also a licensed acupuncturist, has joined the clinic full time and is in the process of creating an herbal pharmacy. With the help of a delegation of students from Canada, a medicinal plant garden has been started.

I have been following the political hardships of the women's clinic via the internet since the year 2000. It has been wonderful to be able to put a human face to the stories, and a privilege to share the experiences and learn from the women of the Cooperative. Their daily work to seek refuge for battered women, justice for abused children, and access to dignified health care is incomparable. These women work tirelessly and love what they do. They serve as a wonderful example of community and solidarity for Mulukukú and for the global community as a whole.

- DGH helps recruit volunteers for the Mulukukú women's clinic. Dorothy Granada will be the Health and Human Rights speaker at the Eighth Annual DGH General Assembly in Berkeley, CA, from July 25 to 27. Check the DGH web site for details.

In This Issue:

DGH Profile: Juan Manuel Canales
People's Health in People's Hands
The Tireless Women of Mulukukú
Marching in the Streets of San Salvador
La Marcha Blanca: An Insider's Point of View
Human Rights Around the World
A Day's Life... Dominic Fontino