2012 Annual Report
2012 was a busy year for Mano a Mano! As we begin a new year we wanted to look back at a few of the things that we were able to accomplish with our amazing staff, donors, volunteers, and communities in the US and Bolivia (our financial information is available here):
Organized Trips to Bolivia for 70 People
Traveling to Bolivia is a tremendous opportunity for Mano a Mano supporters to see first-hand what we are doing and how their efforts are making a difference.
- Our office manager Dana Dallavalle wrote about her first trip to Bolivia with Mano a Mano here.
- Building Bridges Worldwide detailed their summer project in Cochabamba here.
- Photos of some of our travelers in August 2012
Mano a Mano Co-Founder Segundo Velasquez Awarded $100,000 as a Finalist for the Opus Prize
At an awards ceremony in November at St. Kates University in St. Paul, Segundo Velasquez was honored as a finalist for the Opus Prize which recognizes unsung heroes that are conquering the world’s most persistent social problems.
Built 9 New Health Clinics
We built new clinics in the following communities:
- Colorado
- Quehua
- Zona Sud
- Pocona
- Campo Vibora
- Villque
- Jironkota
- Cotani Bajo
- Iruma Vinto
Started Construction on a Demonstration and Training Center and New Warehouses for Mano a Mano Bolivia and Mano a Mano Nuevo Mundo on a single site in El Abra
You can read more about the project here.
Completed 3 Large Water Reservoirs
Dedication ceremony at the Sancayani reservoir. This water project is located more than 14,000 feet above sea level!
- Sancayani – this reservoir will provide water to more than 20,000 Bolivians.
- Jusku Molle – 350 Bolivian families benefit from this project.
- Pasorapa
Provided Emergency Flights to 395 People
With the addition of two new airplanes in 2011, this past year has been very busy. Our pilots have flown hundreds of hours, providing emergency air rescues and food drops, transporting staff and equipment, and flying tourists and other organizations (to generate income and subsidize the emergency flights). Here are a few top stories from the past year:
- Our first international flight to Santiago, Chile
- Emergency flight for two children in San Lorenzo, Bolivia
- 18-year-old Sisi returned home cancer-free after a long battle with a tumor in her head
- Emergency flight for 3 patients in Manupari. The flight reduced the trip to 3 hours each way from 25 hours (2-hour canoe trip and a 23-hour bus ride) without the plane.
- Our first flight in our twin-engine Navajo plane
Road Projects
We completed a 10-kilometer road in Santa Rosa (described by the mayor as “the best road in the municipality”) and are currently working on a 56-kilometer road in El Palmar, among many other projects.
Training and Education
- Mano a Mano Bolivia held continuing education workshops with 543 medical professionals attending; trained 124 health promoters in our clinic communities; and volunteer Bolivian doctors and nurses provided care to 1,460 patients in weekend health clinics (including this one to San Pablo in June). (All numbers are only through first 3 quarters of 2012.)
- The MELA (Medical Educators for Latin America) team from St. Paul traveled to Bolivia in May and held their 5th Acute Care conference that was attended by 259 Bolivian medical professionals. They are currently preparing for their 2013 conference which will take place in March.
- Held 2 workshops for EMT Training to Improve our Aviation Program, in partnership with A Tu Lado.
Shipped 3 Containers with 58,998 pounds of Medical Supplies
These medical supplies will be distributed to Mano a Mano’s network of clinics, as part of our integrated model that provides all aspects needed to ensure projects are successful.
Built New Schools in 3 Communities in Bolivia
- Camacho Rancho
- Putucuni
- Campo Vibora
Bought an Office/Warehouse Space in St. Paul
Mano a Mano has moved out of our co-founders’ home, which was our office for 18 years, and have our own place in St. Paul! Stay tuned for announcements on our upcoming open house to check out our new space.
925 Pierce Butler Road, St. Paul MN 55104 – our new location
In reality this is only a brief overview of what we did in 2012. We are only able to accomplish this much, with such a small budget, because of everyone in the US and Bolivia working together with the same goal – to improve lives in Bolivia.