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Walking Unidos began with local citizens who recognized a great need for a clinic to give accident and landmine victims prosthetic devices that would enable them to have more normal mobility and more hope for a productive life. Over the past seven years, this innovative venture has evolved into a thriving center of medical and humanitarian hope through the dedication and generous contributions from many individuals and organizations.
Beginning in 1996, the citizens prepared plans for the clinic and created a local board of directors to manage the new project.
In 1997 the Polus Center, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit group dedicated to advocacy for disabled and disenfranchised people, sent volunteers to Leon to help develop the project. The specialized knowledge and skills from Polus helped to make the clinic and the production of prosthetic devices a reality. The clinic opened in August 1999 and expanded six months later, in February 2000, with the arrival of a Polus Center donation of hospital beds, prosthetic devices and medical supplies.
Early in the development of the clinic, it became apparent that a steady flow of income would be essential to the goal of providing free services and prosthetics to impoverished landmine victims. That income source evolved from the ideas and support of Dean's Beans into the Café Ben Linder.
Dean Cycon of Dean's Beans Organic Coffee has been working on progressive development with poor communities of the world for more than 25 years. His company, Dean's Beans, supports independent coffee growers in several areas of the world with fair trade prices and practices. He was able to ship coffee roasters, brewers, grinders and other equipment to Leon and to help train the staff to operate the new coffee roasterie. And through his connections with coffee growers, he arranged for PRODECOOP, a cooperative of small growers in Estelí, to donate coffee beans to the venture. The Café Ben Linder opened in February 2000.
With the clinic and cafe in operation, Walking Unidos Executive Director, Santiago Castellon, began looking for a way to expand the medical reach of the clinic with improved information and communication resources. Connections with WiRED International led to the Community Information Center portion of the venture.
Wired International set up computers, CD-ROM libraries of medical information, and Internet access in the Café Ben Linder facility. Health professionals, school children, and members of the public who are unable to pay can access the computer resources for free. University students and the general public pay a small fee to use the computers. The Cyber Café opened in December 2001.
In 2000, the first full year of operation, the Walking Unidos program provided 112 new above and below the knee artificial legs, 88 prosthetic repairs including new foot replacements and 17 new orthoses (braces). These services are at modest or no cost to the recipients. Without Walking Unidos and the full list of individuals and organizations that have made the program a reality, most of the recipients would be unable to get the prosthetic devices they need to regain mobility and hope for a more productive life.
As the Walking Unidos Clinic and Ben Linder Cafe work towards becoming solid, self-sufficient organizations, each of the organizations that contributed to the program continue to expand their own mission. Walking Unidos and Polus Center are expanding their work with accident and landmine victims to other parts of Central America. Dean's Beans plans to establish cafés for farmer cooperatives in Estelí and Matagalpa. And WiRED is awaiting final word from the UNDP to open ten municipal Community Information Centers in Leon province.
Layout by Brian Colombe.
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