Dear Compañera Rosario:

I am writing you out of a deep concern for an injustice that is being perpetrated on a group of poor women in Ciudad Sandino.  Following the devastation of Hurricane Mitch, the newly formed community of Nueva Vida began to reorganize their lives and plan for the future working in conjunction with the NGO Jubilee House Community (a Mission International invited to Nicaragua by Father Miguel D'Escoto in 1993 to work in sustainable development).  One result of this grassroots organizing was the formation of several cooperatives to provide employment to the residents of Nueva Vida, principally single mothers.  Today these cooperatives include the women's sewing cooperative Cooperativa Maquiladora Mujeres de Nueva Vida (COMAMNUVI) which now operates under the trade name Fair Trade Zone /Zona de Comercio Justo as the world's only worker-owned free trade zone; the spinning plant cooperative Cooperativa de Mujeres Hilandería "Génesis"; and the agricultural cooperative Cooperativa de Productores Orgánicos y Tradicionales y Exportadores de Nicaragua (COPROEXNIC) among others.  All of these cooperatives are located in a small industrial park which provides over 100 jobs with justice, primarily to poor women.

Now all of this work is being put at risk by the efforts of Señora Yelba Carvajal, who is attempting to have title to the property, which is legally registered by the government of Nicaragua to the Jubilee House Community foundation, annulled and ownership passed to her.  The information that I have received is that Señora Carvajal is well known for her unscrupulous and immoral practices in repeated attempts to deprive the poor of Nicaragua of their property rights.  As a defender of the poor and particularly poor women, I would request that you investigate this situation and use the full weight of your office to assure that justice is done.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

 
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