Services

MUA is one of the few programs founded on the concept that only Latina immigrant women are equipped to find solutions to the problems that affect them most. MUA's direct services program is rooted in this philosophy, and ensures that the services we offer – individual and group counseling, support groups, referrals and accompaniment to other community resources, intervention in cases of domestic violence and sexual assault, and workforce development programs - are offered and implemented by immigrant Latina women. MUA draws on the strength of our community members, who serve as peer mentors, group facilitators, community educators and counselors.

 Latina immigrant women meet daily at MUA offices in San Francisco and Oakland to discuss the pressing issues of each day: immigration laws that seem to change from day to day; increasing widespread unemployment; the denial to workers of their basic rights; cuts in education, social and health services. With their children playing nearby, MUA members share their stories that show how this political context has caused tensions in the family, more domestic violence and fears about the future. This scene is similar to others depicted around the Bay Area: women bearing the brunt of unprecedented attacks on immigrant communities. At MUA, however, the scene is different. While sharing their concerns, MUA members are building alternatives, healing themselves and others, learning to organize politically and raise their voices, developing new economic strategies, and raising a clear message from the grassroots: immigrant Latina women. We are a powerful force for change.