Providing Access to Healthcare in Bolivia for Over 2 Decades: Mano a Mano Bolivia
Mano a Mano’s first counterpart organization established in Bolivia was Mano a Mano Bolivia, which has been working in Bolivia since 1996. To date, Mano a Mano Bolivia has constructed 178 health clinics throughout Bolivia, which had over 1 million patient visits in 2021. We recently dedicated our 2 newest clinic projects in Estaño Colorado and Guadalupe at the end of March 2022. Check out this video on Youtube to learn more about Mano a Mano Bolivia and how we partner with Bolivian communities to provide access to healthcare:
Providing Emergency Flights for 61 People and Transporting 74,300 Pounds of Cargo
Mano a Mano’s aviation program has 2 primary programs working with Bolivian communities that have minimal access to health care: emergency rescue of ill and injured individuals, transporting them to urban hospitals for life-saving treatment; and weekend clinics for which we transport volunteer health care professionals into remote areas to provide primary medical & dental care. In the first 3 months of 2022, we provided emergency flights for 61 people and transported health care professionals to provide 5 weekend health clinics. In total, we flew a total of 62 hours on 82 flights. We also transported 74,300 pounds of medical supplies, mobility equipment, food and supplies, and other needed items.
We Need Mobility Equipment – Our Current Wishlist
Our recent shipment of 3 containers from Minnesota to Bolivia includes more than 1,500 pieces of mobility equipment – wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, canes, etc. These items are in high demand in Bolivia, but we are now struggling to collect as many of these items as we need in Minnesota. If you have any of the items listed (or have any potential sources), let us know!
Physical Therapy Workshop in Cochabamba, Bolivia: April 8-10, 2022
Our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Internacional hosted a workshop for 35-40 physical therapy professionals over the weekend of April 8-10. There were theory and practice based sessions, working with supplies and equipment sent from Minnesota, and attendees received some donations of needed items to take back to their organizations.
Dedicating Two New Clinics in Bolivia on March 30th and March 31st
Mano a Mano dedicated a new clinic in the community of Estaño Colorado on March 31st! Estaño Colorado joins our network of 177 clinic projects in Bolivia, which had 1,107,024 patient visits in 2021. Estaño Colorado is located in the municipality of Chimore, province of Carrasco, department of Cochabamba. The community has a population of 1,120 and is a 6-hour drive from Cochabamba. Construction began on December 2, 2021 and was completed on March 24, 2022. Because of the long drives involved, staff from Mano a Mano Bolivia scheduled dedications for the new clinics in Guadalupe (8+ hour drive from Cochabamba) and Estaño Colorado (on the way back from Guadalupe) on back to back days.
We have added videos about both of these clinic projects, which you can check out at the links below:
Other Recent Updates
Below are links about other recent Mano a Mano projects over the past few weeks:
- Skydiving From the Mano a Mano Plane
- Sending Nearly 80,000 Pounds of Medical Supplies and Equipment From Minnesota to Bolivia
- Dedicating Mano a Mano’s New School in Chirusi Rosario, Bolivia on March 25th
- Dedicating a New Water Well in Chirusi, Bolivia
- What Do We Do With the Shipping Containers We Send to Bolivia from Minnesota?