2018 in Pictures

2018 in Pictures

Check out just a few of Mano a Mano’s projects from 2018:

What We Have Done Together in 2018

In 2018, we supported Mano a Mano’s network of over 600 infrastructure projects, and continue to complete new projects that improve the lives of Bolivian communities. Together, we have:

• Shipped more than 3.5 million pounds of medical supplies & equipment from Minnesota to Bolivia (363,269 pounds in 2017 & 2018 alone).
• Built 165 clinics (including new clinics in Jatun Mayu, Candelaria, and Villa Rosario in 2018) and 62 schools, improving infant & maternal survival rates and expanding literacy.
• Built or improved more than 870 miles of roads.
• Constructed or improved 320 farm ponds; 52 surface wells in communities near rivers; 5 deep wells; and 9 large water reservoirs, providing water to more than 50,000.
• Provided emergency flights to 3,000 Bolivians.
• Provided agricultural training & technologies to more than 5,000 rural farmers. In 2018 we began constructing large community greenhouses, and we have completed over 210 greenhouses for farm families.

Two Containers of Recovered Resources En Route to Bolivia

Two Containers of Recovered Resources En Route to Bolivia

This morning, two containers filled with recovered resources (medical supplies, school supplies, wheelchairs, walkers, canes, crutches, and other items) were picked up to start their journey from Mano a Mano’s St. Paul, Minnesota warehouse to our warehouse in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

These supplies will be distributed to people & organizations in need throughout Bolivia.

8 Containers Shipped in 2018

This year, Mano a Mano has shipped 166,607 pounds of donated supplies. Once they arrive in Bolivia, they are organized and re-sorted by our Bolivian staff & volunteers. This shipment was made possible by the success of Mano a Mano’s Festival 2018 event in September.

They are then distributed in different ways:

Large Distribution Events

Bringing Supplies to Communities Outside of Cochabamba

Donating a Few Items at a Time at our Cochabamba Warehouse

Video: Distributing Supplies from Minnesota to Bolivia

Check out the video below for a better idea of Mano a Mano’s surplus program:

Donating a Wheelchair in Cochabamba, Bolivia

Donating a Wheelchair in Cochabamba, Bolivia

Leaving Mano a Mano’s warehouse in Cochabamba, Bolivia with a donated wheelchair sent from Minnesota. So far in 2018, we have sent 124,508 pounds of recovered resources from Minnesota to Bolivia. Some supplies are distributed one at a time – like this wheelchair – and some are distributed in large-scale events where dozens of organizations receive tens of thousands of pounds in one day.

Thanks Boy Scouts Troop 3089

Thanks Boy Scouts Troop 3089

Thanks to the volunteers from Boy Scouts Troop 3089 that helped sort & pack donated orthopedic supplies at Mano a Mano last night! Everything they helped pack will be sent to Bolivia, where it is distributed to people & organizations in need throughout the country.

Water Flowing at the Laguna Carmen Water Well

Water Flowing at the Laguna Carmen Water Well

Water is flowing at the deep water well Mano a Mano drilled in Laguna Carmen a few weeks ago. We are sending water samples from this well to the University of San Simon in Cochabamba, Bolivia to test for bacteria.

This pilot well now yields clean drinking water for about 1,800 people whose well was collapsing. They are elated, commenting that the water is “sweet and crystal clear”.

This pilot well project has further developed Mano a Mano’s capacity to respond to water scarcity and the resulting lack of sufficient food in this region. Soon we will proceed to the next community that we have partnered with, to drill the deep well for which we have received funding. We expect the next well to be completed in the coming months. Once completed, the new well will be tested by the same laboratory at the University of San Simon.

Drilling a Pilot Deep Water Well in Laguna Carmen, Bolivia

After searching for two years, Mano a Mano located and purchased equipment that can successfully drill for water through hard rock to a depth of 340 meters. Working through the challenges of removing this machinery from the mine where it had been used in the Bolivian Andes and then encountering repeated road blockades during protests, we arrived in Cochabamba, drill in tow. We made needed repairs and then took advantage of a generous, unanticipated offer. An engineer who had worked with this drill volunteered to provide specialized training for our engineer and mechanics.

The Laguna Carmen Deep Well

Taking advantage of this offer, we decided to pilot test the well drilling machine by drilling this well in the community of Laguna Carmen, which is nearby Cochabamba. (We have now starting drilling wells in other communities.)

Mano a Mano Water Projects

Deep wells are an exciting addition to Mano a Mano’s water projects. Mano a Mano seeks the most feasible means for accessing water when communities ask us to partner with them. We have constructed or improved 320 farm ponds in areas where tillable land plots are not side by side; 47 surface wells in communities that lie near banks of large rivers; and 9 large water reservoirs. We are currently dredging 83 ponds built by others, which have since filled with silt.