Cooperativa Maquiladora Mujeres was developed after Hurricane Mitch destroyed the region. It was a joint partnership between the Center for Development in Central America (CDCA) and Maggie’s Organics inMichigan,USA. This project is to help combat the 80% umemployment rate in Nueva Vida.  The idea came about to form the first worker owned sewing cooperative in the Free Trade Zones. In the Free Trade Zones mainly women work in “sweatshops” producing clothing under unacceptable conditions, long hours and low pay. In Cooperativa Maquiladora Mujeres the woman workers are the owners. They work together to create sustainable employment in the community so that they can support themselves and their families. In 2002 123 heads of household were given employment. They special in producing high quality t-shirts of organic or conventional cotton fabric for export. They are the only worker-owned cooperative in the world currently producing “clean” tees. They maket-shirts, camisoles, nightshirts, shorts and more. They are a fully equipped sew shop and guarantee that all of our products are ethically made by the worker-owners in their cooperative. Meet the women of Nicaragua on our Fair Trade Tour. 
 
Meet one of the women and learn her story during the speech she gave at the Green Festival in San Francisco 2003. Rosa Isabel Dávila Alonso.