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en español

May 20, 2008

Dear Supporters of the Maria Luisa Ortiz Cooperative Cliinic in Mulukuku, Nicaragua

Today in Mulukuku there is good news and bad news.

The good news is that better cooperation from the Ministry of Health and increased interest from the Nicaraguan government in the health of its people has meant that immunization programs are happening in the countryside again. And a larger, more effective Health Center has become operational in Mulukuku to provide primary care for the poor who live in town.

This means our clinic staff can focus more on reproductive health care, safe birthing and cancer prevention for the women of the entire municipality with outreach into remote communities accessible only by horseback or boat.

The bad news is that the same forces that are causing food shortages and gasoline price increases worldwide are at work in Central America. The results are devastating. New government studies show that 40% of the Nicaraguan population lives in EXTREME poverty, up 140% in the last ten years. Estimates are that people in neighboring El Salvador will have to decrease what they can eat by 30% this year because of the shortages. In Nicaragua, 39% of rural children under 5 already suffer from chronic malnutrition and a decrease of 30% of their calories will mean starvation.

If people have less food, more people will need our services because they are sicker and have less money with which to purchase help. Additionally, this crisis means that the Cooperative has to spend more money to feed the patients that we have at the Casa Materna and the staff we send out to the rural communities. And we have to pay more for gasoline for our ambulance. Malnourished pregnant women will have more complicated deliveries and will deliver babies who need more assistance. And we need to assure adequate caloric intake for women to breastfeed.

We all wish we could do something about this worldwide food crisis. You CAN help with this little corner of the world. We hope you will consider an additional gift to the Women's Empowerment Network at this time to help meet this extraordinary need.

Thank you.

Connie Adler, M.D. President, Women's Empowerment Network

13th Annual End-of-Year Appeal

It is amazing what a difference it makes to have a government that cares about the health and welfare of its people. The spirit of hope and change is palpable in Mulukuku and Dorothy has new spring in her step and a smile on her face. This year has brought surgical teams from the Ministry of Health to Mulukuku to do eye surgery and tubal ligation surgeries to prevent future pregnancies, a new laboratory technician for the clinic, a dentist, a food program for pregnant women, and hope for free medications.

In 2001, the President of the Republic closed the clinic and tried to chase Dorothy out of the country. In 2007, she was awarded the Ruben Dario Award, the country’s highest honor, for her contribution to the health rights of poor women.

International recognition came in the form of the Global Health Fund’s award to the Maria Luisa Ortiz Cooperative and Dorothy of the Best Practices in Global Health award. Tremendous solidarity from the US was manifested in the building of the Casa Materna, trainings in ultrasound and LEEP procedures for treatment of precancerous cervical lesions and the lifesaving gift of an ambulance. Medical residency rotations and other health care volunteers, the annual visit of the delegation from Galveston, and PINCC’s (Prevention International No Cervical Cancer) visit to treat women with cervical dysplasia all raised the level of care in the community . The recent installation of a satellite internet system represents a leap forward in communication and information for staff at the MLO clinic.

All this represents tremendous potential. But only potential. The ambulance needs diesel and a driver. The lab tech needs a lab. The birthing room needs staffing and supplies and doctors to do deliveries. The brigades to the outlying communities need food, staff and medicines. The exam rooms need floors. The resources available to the clinic were stretched to the maximum and then Hurricane Felix hit the Atlantic Coast area, and people began coming into Mulukuku begging for help for communities stranded without shelter, food, water, or medicines. There are always more people to serve.

We again ask for your help to achieve this potential. We need your support to put diesel in the tank, both literally and figuratively. I have been volunteering in Mulukuku since 1999. The differences in the clinic over that time are astounding – solar power, clean water, a Nicaraguan doctor, a dentist, an operating room, a delivery room , the Casa Materna, and, now, the internet. But none of it functions without the support of our donors who pay for the doctors, medicines, driver, supplies, building, repairs, etc, etc. It is you who make it all possible. And for that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Standing outside a house in Matagalpa the other day on my way back from Mulukuku, a woman walking up the street stopped to watch me admire the beauty of Nicaragua in front of me. She said, “My country is beautiful. My country is beautiful and there is room here for everyone.” She was inviting me to share her country with her, as the people of Mulukuku have been gracious enough to do. Please help us share the gifts that we as North Americans have in abundance with these generous people who share their country, their pride, and their hope for a healthier and more just world with us. Please help us realize that vision.

In Solidarity,
Connie Adler, President, Women’s Empowerment Network