Over the past few days, Mano a Mano volunteers have been busy loading 3 containers with 68,797 pounds of supplies at our St. Paul, Minnesota warehouse that will start their journey to Bolivia later this week. We have now sent 6 containers with 148,495 pounds of supplies from Minnesota to Bolivia in 2022. Thank you to the many people that make these shipments possible!
Loading 3 Containers with 68,797 Pounds of Supplies in Minnesota – July 2022
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- Container on the left is full (almost; you can see our volunteer in the container on top of the first layer making sure it’s as full as possible!) and container on the right is just getting started to be filled with donated medical supplies, mobility equipment, and other needed items at our St. Paul warehouse a few days ago.
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- Mano a Mano volunteers loading 3 containers with 68,797 pounds of supplies and equipment for Bolivia at our St. Paul warehouse – July/August 2022.
Unloading Containers of Supplies and Equipment Sent From Minnesota at our Warehouse in Bolivia
At the same time, volunteers at our Cochabamba, Bolivia warehouse have been busy unloading our previous shipment of 3 containers with 79,698 pounds of supplies sent in March that recently arrived in Cochabamba. All of these supplies are distributed to people and organizations in need throughout Bolivia. Almost all of these supplies would have ended up in the landfill in Minnesota; instead they are being put to good use in Bolivia.
We shipped 7 containers with 180,180 pounds of medical supplies, mobility equipment, and other items from Minnesota to Bolivia in 2021. 276 organizations in Bolivia received supplies and equipment from Mano a Mano last year.
How Supplies & Equipment are Distributed in Bolivia
In Bolivia, Mano a Mano staff distribute supplies in a variety of ways:
- donations of mobility equipment or other items for individuals in need (like this wheelchair for Gustavo in Trinidad in May 2021 – video below)
- larger donations of supplies and equipment at our warehouse in El Abra for organizations like clinics, hospitals, other Mano a Mano programs, other civic and nonprofit organizations, etc. (like this distribution for Cochabamba-area clinics and ambulances in February 2022)
- larger donations of supplies and equipment onsite for organizations around the country (like this donation for hospitals in Oruro on the Mano a Mano plane in April 2021)
Saving Medical Supplies From the Landfill in Minnesota and Putting Them to Use in Bolivia
Mano a Mano started in 1994 with the goal of saving surplus medical supplies from the landfill in Minnesota and shipping them to Bolivia, where we knew these supplies were desperately needed and could be used immediately. We have grown as an organization since then: building clinics, schools, water reservoirs, wells, water ponds, roads, and greenhouses in partnership with communities; providing emergency air transport; and providing health education and agricultural training programs, among other projects. But distributing medical supplies and equipment continues to be a critical component of our work.
Learn More About Mano a Mano’s Recovered Resources Program
- Halfway Through 2022: Working Together to Help Bolivian Communities
- Sending Nearly 80,000 Pounds of Medical Supplies and Equipment From Minnesota to Bolivia (March 2022)
- We Need Mobility Equipment – Our Current Wishlist
- Helping Provide Physical Therapy For Bolivian Children in Need (Video)
- Distributing Medical Supplies and Equipment in the Twin Cities and to Organizations Working Around the World
- What Do We Do With the Shipping Containers We Send to Bolivia from Minnesota?
