Welcome to Zona Franca Masili - a worker&＃39;s owned cooperative producing clothing in 100% organic cotton to the world market.We are a small worker-owned cooperative (Zona Franca Masili Fair Trade Zone / COMAMNUVI / Nueva Vida) in Ciudad Sandino, Nicaragua, and we are the first worker-owned free trade zone in the world, sewing clothing in 100% organic and fair trade-certified cotton for export to the U. S. and Europe.The idea behind the cooperative was formed after Hurricane Mitch devastated Nicaragua in 1998, and flooded the shores of Lake Managua where many of us lived and worked. With thousands living on the streets, the Nicaraguan government relocated over 1200 families to Nueva Vida, a community carved out of Ciudad Sandino, a densely-populated, poverty-ridden suburb of Managua with more than 80% unemployment!A strong sense of purpose, a commitment to human dignity and sheer tenacity drove these women to turn their backs on a life in sweat shops and make the effort to create their own co-op. Through the help of some NGOs and after enduring many challenges (not the least of which was their having to learn carpentry and masonry to actually build their own building! ) , they succeeded. After ten years, the facility is now operating completely independently. Every member and every employee works under fair and equitable working conditions, and we have now obtained full Fair Trade certification from the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO).In our cooperative, which is in the hands of the workers, we are the ownersof our work and invest our labor so that the business functions well. Being worker-owners requires a true promise and commitment to provide other women in our community with better working conditions. For the members of the cooperative, our dream for the future is to increase our production levels to give full-time jobs to more families in our community, which is why YOUR order is important to us - by increasing our sales we will in the end be able to employ more people and make a bigger difference for people in our community.