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Mendota Heights and Bolivia are pretty much opposites when it comes to geography, climate and financial situation.

But, with the help of volunteers from Mendota Heights and other suburbs, the people of Bolivia are seeing a difference in how they a treated when medical issues arise.

Started 10 years ago, Mano a Mano (Spanish for hand to hand) has grown as a non-profit organization dedicated to provide the people of Bolivia with medical supplies and clinics.

We started as a totally volunteer-based organization, said co-founder Joan Velasquez. We just hired our first full-time staff person in June. We have grown over the years and hopefully made a difference.

Joan and her husband, Segundo, met in Bolivia, when Joan was in the Peace Corps.

When my husband came to America he was amazed by the waste that we generate, she said. We decided to find a way to use the surplus supplies here in America and get them to those who could really use them in Bolivia.

With the help of volunteers, the organization has increased its amount of supplies delivered from 500 pounds its first year to 200,000 last year.

Our success is attributed totally to our volunteers, both here locally and in Bolivia, said Velasquez. We have grown as an organization over time thanks to the hard work of those who want to make a difference.

In addition to medical supplies, Mano a Mano has become involved in the last few years to help construct clinics in areas of Bolivia where medical service is hard to come by.

Thanks to a $2 million donation, in 2000, from an anonymous donor the organization had the resources to construct and staff 30 clinics.

We were very surprised to get our first grant, said Velasquez. It helped us to achieve some of our goals.

Recently, the organization got word that the same donor has offered a $3.6 million grant to continue clinic-building projects.

Its a matching grant. We will need to raise funds to receive the entire donation, said Velasquez. We dont know who the donor is, but we are very grateful for the support.

Velasquez said the donation will help Mano a Mano build approximately 100 additional clinics in rural Bolivia, pay for improvements in basic services and fund other projects.

Each of the clinics has about 50,000 visits per year, she said. We have already have had 2,000 babies born in our clinics. So far we have not experienced any babies or mothers dying. With an infant mortality rate of 10 percent in the country, that is a good sign.

Velasquez said that each clinic has a doctor and nurse living on site to attend to the needs of residents.

With the help of these donations, we are able to achieve our plans for improving the lives of the people of Bolivia, she said. We now need to work on raising our own funds to ensure we can continue with everything we have planned.

Mano a Mano has conducted craft sales and solicited donations from local individuals in the past.

People have been great in understanding our needs and helping us, said Velasquez. As a group we have the ability and the resources to serve the people of Bolivia in a great way and ensure that they are receiving the best health care we can provide.