Training Workshop for Physical Therapists in Cochabamba
Over the weekend of March 16-17, 2018, Mano a Mano hosted a training workshop for 40 physical therapists. The primary focus of the workshop was to ensure that people that work at organizations that receive donated medical and orthopedic supplies from Mano a Mano are able to maximize the use of these supplies.
Mano a Mano Co-Founder Segundo Velasquez attended the workshop alongside a group of travelers from the US. When he asked the therapists how many of these items they had at their centers, four of four asked said, “none.” One said, we have a few of these items, but we received them from Mano a Mano. People were very excited about this training, which is the first workshop of its kind that we have done. (Continuing education is a core program of Mano a Mano in topics ranging from health to education to agricultural development.)
Building a Physical Therapy Cage Out of Pallets
In Bolivia, as is the case in many communities & organizations with limited resources, it is essential to maximize what’s available. Part of the Physical Therapy Workshop was a practical section where attendees walked through a few different patient scenarios and what their response would be with the tools available. There were basic PT supplies available that had been shipped to Bolivia from Minnesota, and Mano a Mano staff built a Physical Therapy cage out of pallets that had also been shipped from Minnesota. Pulleys and various attachments could easily be attached depending on the need. As Segundo Velasquez mentioned, the physical therapy cage was “creative, inexpensive and actually extremely critical to carry out therapy work.”
The PT cage is nothing fancy by any means, but is another example of ways that Mano a Mano and the communities that we work with use anything and everything available to fill in the gaps and meet needs in the real world.