When the villagers from Mina Canaria arrived in Lima, Marie-Claire Nadeau was serving as a volunteer for Service universitaire canadien outre-mer (SUCO), working with community groups. She and a friend -- Peruvian literacy worker Consuelo Garcia -- met the women from the Walk of Sacrifice in their makeshift village. They helped create the Filomena Tomaira Pacsi Group. 

The first objectives were to: 

1. support the women in their efforts to get the attention of government authorities, and 
2. build some sort of school on the soccer field for the 800 children. 

The women and their families attracted a great deal of attention in Lima by their protest marches and press conferences. The women spoke powerfully about the health conditions in the camp and the lack of fresh foods. 

In the meantime, Marie-Claire Nadeau and others taught in a makeshift school built by parents on the soccer field. Local university students and literacy groups also helped out. A donation from the Canadian embassy helped with construction and provided milk and bread for the children. The Filomenas worked as vegetable sellers on the streets of Lima and pooled their earnings into a common fund. 

Eventually, the protest worked. The government ordered the company to reopen the mine and provide adequate water and electrical services in the mining camp. Although the power needs of the mine continue to come first resulting in frequent blackouts, the situation is an improvement over previous times. 

In the next few years the government was more sensitive to popular opinion and tried to improve conditions in the mining areas. However, the government was also under pressure from international lenders to reduce the budget deficit by reducing spending. Health programs in particular were affected. 

The changes that did take place were brought about by the Filomena Group, which returned to Mina Canaria with a new sense of purpose. Literacy and health education courses were started. A manual was prepared on starting and running a women's group. As a collective, decisions were reached by consensus. Consuelo Garcia, Marie-Claire Nadeau and others from Lima helped to find funding for training and special projects. The Filomena Group also taught and organized "barefoot doctors" - women who brought basic health care to remote communities. For information on primary health care, go to Where There is No Doctor. Many of these projects were funded by Canadians through the non-governmental organization SUCO. 

Soon the "Filomena phenomenon" spread, and women in other villagers formed groups. In order to reduce the isolation between groups, a newsletter in the local Quechua language was prepared. A regular radio program was broadcast that addressed the concerns of mining villages. 

More schools were opened by the government, and roads were improved which allowed supplies of fruit and vegetables to reach the camps more easily. 

Protests for the rights of mine workers and their families continued. On February 13, 1989, Consuelo Garcia took part in a solidarity march with Saul Cantoral, general Secretary of the Mining Federation, at her side. Both of them were brutally murdered by members of the Shining Path guerrila movement, apparently due to their refusal to support its cause. 

Marie-Claire Nadeau lost a colleague, and especially a friend. However, the work of the Filomenas continued, In 1996, a new health centre was opened in the mining camp and named after Consuelo Garcia. The clinic offers support for women in childbirth and to promote preventative health in the villages. 

Marie-Claire sums up the situation by saying that "we can only develop if we stop being scared... Development needs peace and democracy. And, all things considered, organization is liberty itself." 

Although her position with SUCO ended in 1987, when she returned to Montreal, Marie-Claire Nadeau has continued to lend a hand. Using the experience gained in Peru, she has helped to coordinate a loan cooperative for the women and in 1997, financing has been provided for 20 micro-businesses, each managed by 15 women. 

In 1991 and 1996, three "Filomenas" were invited by SUCO to tour several regions of Québec, including the asbestos region, and to participate in a conference on women's economic development. 

Marie-Claire Nadeau has always wanted to make a difference. Born in Montréal in 1945, she taught for many years before earning a degree in adult education from the University of Québec in Montréal. 

From 1965 to 1975, she was a community organizer for a youth movement called the Young Catholic Workers. 

"The creation of groups that deal with the various kinds of situations which young workers face has led me to become familiar with every region of Québec, says Ms. Nadeau. She was also inspired by her participation in an international youth conference in Lebanon in 1969, attended by representatives of over 50 countries. "It opened my eyes to the problems of young people in the developing world." 

From 1975 to 1982, Marie-Claire Nadeau helped create a public kindergarten in a working-class neighborhood in Québec City. The success of the kindergarten influenced reforms to the child care laws in the province. 

Marie-Claire's work with the Filomenas in Peru was excellent preparation for her current job, in charge of training projects for RESO (Regroupement pour le relance économique et sociale du Sud-Ouest de Montréal). This non-profit organization is dedicated to improving economic and social conditions in southwest Montreal, an area where about 30% of adults can't find work. RESO works with businesses to offer training and other kinds of direct help to those who are unemployed. It also gives support to local community organizations. 
 

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