Friday, October 15, 2004
8 to 9 a.m. Diocesan Pastoral Center
40 N. Main Avenue, Albany
First floor conference room. Bagels and coffee served.
Freewill donation for the co-op. Sample t-shirts available for $6 & $7.

10:30 to 11:30 a.m. News Conference, Siena College Student Union

12:30-1:30 p.m. First Presbyterian Church
362 State Street, Albany
Rose Room. Brown bag lunch
Freewill donation for the co-op. Sample t-shirts available for $6 & $7.

Nueva Vida Women's Sewing Cooperative in Nicaragua
Learn about the worker-owned Nueva Vida Women's Sewing Cooperative in Nicaragua and their struggle to build and run a t-shirt factory while successfully competing against nearby sweatshops. You can support fair trade and just wages by buying t-shirts, blouses, and camisoles from these amazing women. Visit the Fair Trade Zone web site to learn more: http://www.fairtradezone.jhc-cdca.org/products.htm
Hosted by: New York State Labor-Religion Coalition 518/ 213-6000, ext. 6294.

National tour sponsored by: Campaign for Labor Rights, Nicaragua Network, North Country Fair Trade, Presbyterian Hunger Program, and SweatFree Communities. For information about these sponsors, visit the Campaign for Labor Rights site: http://www.campaignforlaborrights.org
For information about the speakers, see reverse/ below.

Ruth Mena
Inspector/Hemmer, Member at Large Board of Directors

I was born in Managua; in my family there were 15 children. My mother was a street vendor and my father made shoes. I studied up through sophomore year in high school. Before Hurricane Mitch I lived in Acahualinca in Managua working making pajamas and blouses, but after Mitch I was left jobless. The hurricane really affected me because we had a house built and we lost everything. There aren't many jobs here, the source for jobs is still going in to the market, and there is little public transportation here. I started in the cooperative because I wanted a stable job and I wanted to give work to others. In the co-op we started with a positive attitude and with the willingness to thrive.

I'm now 36 years old and I live in Nueva Vida with my two children, José Andrés who is 13 and Carlos Miguel who is six. My hope is that they are able to do well in school and that I am able to offer them a good education. I feel that we have made great strides in the co-op and that we are going to continue forward as long as we are united and we respect the rights of everyone.

Yadira Vallejos
Administration, President Board of Directors

I was born in León into a family of nine children. My father died a long time ago and with my mother we made bread in the house. I'm 28 now, I'm a high school graduate and I'm in my second year studying business administration at college on Saturdays. I live with my mother and my wonderful three-year-old son Elvis Eleazer who will start preschool next year. If God lets us live that long, my hope is that my son studies, that he becomes a good person and a professional.

I was interested in the project because I wanted to be able to help other people through the co-op. I continued because we had started the project and we wanted to finish it. We didn't know if it was going to be a success, but I didn't want to quit in the middle, my hope pushed me to carry on.
In my community the youth is very much into drugs and gangs. We say that they are going to run our country one day but they need to dedicate their time to studying and not just bumming around. I wish that it were a dream community, without the gang fights because they really are terrifying - taxi drivers won't even go into Nueva Vida after nine o'clock at night. I don't want to be rich, but my hope is that God gives me my health and my daily bread, as we Nicaraguans say.

Last Updated: 10/12/2004
© New York State Labor-Religion Coalition