Hear from founder Drew Reinhardt on how her journey to Mujeres Que Mueven began.

Hi, I’m Drew. I founded Mujeres Que Mueven because I wanted to help the community I lived in during a time of crisis.

I grew up in Massachusetts but had been living in Nicaragua for two and a half years when the political conflict of 2018 began. Violence was pervasive. Tourism came to a screeching halt. The economy crumbled. The country took a turn for the worst. 

I was completely overwhelmed by my feeling of helplessness as I watched all of my friends lose pieces of their lives and businesses that they had taken years to construct. Their days had been so full and now they were completely empty. Depression spread through the community. Alcoholism became prevalent. It was devastating. I wanted to help, but didn’t know how.

I fell back on my healthy habits to cope with what was happening. I quit drinking and pushed myself to create a routine around fitness, surfing, and nutritious eating. And then it hit me. If this is how I get well, shouldn’t this work for other women, too?

So I invited two women to join me to exercise. We didn’t have any equipment or mats, just towels laid out on the floor. But it worked. We felt connected, supported. Healthier. Happier. Eventually, we had fifteen women from the community joining us three times a week. 

When I had to return to the States to work, the women were sad to lose this part of their daily routine that, for the first time, was something they felt that they owned. Something that they were doing for themselves. So I filmed and sent them workout videos and, to my surprise, they followed them. The women continued to exercise with the guidance of these videos for six months.

That inspired me to try and really expand this program. I set up social media accounts to share this story with a broader audience and accepted donations from people who wanted to help. I returned to Nicaragua and legally founded Mujeres Que Mueven—which translates to Women Who Move—to try and promote healthier habits across the community.

Now, we have thirty-five regular participants and meet five times throughout the week. Four of those days are reserved for exercise classes and on Thursdays, the women learn about nutrition and healthy cooking habits.

The group exercises with small pieces of equipment that I have brought back from the U.S. and larger pieces of equipment that I have made with the resources I have, like barbells made of paint cans and metal rods or weights made from wooden logs and empty milk gallons.

Mujeres Que Mueven doesn’t aim for perfection; we aim for progress. The more I challenge these women, the more they ask to be challenged further. They are warriors, nothing short of inspiring. They are digging deep within themselves, facing and fighting discomfort, and doing something different in a community that does not readily accept individuality. They are challenging the status quo and overcoming their own personal doubts and fears all to arrive in a place of sound health. 

This group has created the first women-focused community that Aserradores has seen. Mujeres Que Mueven offers a safe space for women to find empowerment and confidence as they learn new skills to take their health into their own hands. It is my mission to continue to aid them in moving forward with this journey in any way that I can, and I hope that you will too.

Want to get a closer look at our program? Check out the video below.