As the large festive hall in León’s historic center fills with guests from across the city, Doña Rosa María Espinoza smiles as she moves through the crowd, shaking countless hands. “We receive support from such a diverse group of people who are part of our wonderful community. Every time we hold an event, I see people from all walks of life coming together,” says the Executive Director of Mary Barreda, contentedly.
Indeed, the audience gathered to celebrate the 35th anniversary could not have been more diverse: journalists, national and international social workers, municipal employees, university students, ministry envoys, and representatives of the local police force are among those present. As Doña Rosa María Espinoza and Doña Mercedes Toruño — both founding members of Mary Barreda — reminisce about the organization's early days, old photographs are projected onto the wall.
The Mary Barreda Association has been deeply rooted and well-respected in the local community of León, Nicaragua, ever since it was established in the late 1980s. Mary Barreda primarily works with children, adolescents, and women who have experienced gender-based and sexual violence as well as sexual exploitation.
The key goal of the Mary Barreda Association is to make sexual and domestic violence in all its forms and dimensions visible, denaturalize it, and raise awareness among both victims and perpetrators to achieve lasting changes in behavioral patterns. In doing so, Mary Barreda employs a holistic approach that also includes men and young boys, who play a crucial role in bringing about change within their peers, families, and communities. The organization also provides people with entrepreneurship training programs to reduce financial dependence and help them kick-start a new life standing on their own feet.
What truly inspires me is seeing how we help people transform their lives, break the cycle of violence they have been trapped in, and adopt a different way of thinking
When asked about the key factors behind Mary Barreda’s success, she highlights the organization’s commitment to reaching across the aisle and maintaining connections with all sectors of society and various institutional stakeholders.
One of the many women whose lives have taken a turn thanks to Mary Barreda is Blanca López, a local community leader from the “Los Poetas” Neighborhood in León and a single mother of two. Blanca has been working for the organization as a volunteer despite raising her two children on her own.
“There are children and adults who are victims of sexual violence but do not recognize it; they consider it normal.
At Mary Barreda, they learn to identify it for what it is and to speak out instead of keeping it inside,” López states. “Expressing yourself and opening up are important parts of the healing process,” she adds. Another key pillar of Mary Barreda’s work is the support it provides to sex workers in León. Although prostitution is legal in Nicaragua, the Mary Barreda Association views it as a symptom of structural power inequality rooted in both gender and age.
