Last week, at the Mano a Mano Aviation hangar, Mano a Mano hosted the distribution of nearly 200 wheelchairs to Bolivians with disabilities, each of which was custom-fitted to every recipient. It is so rewarding to see these wheelchairs being distributed – this project has been a HUGE effort and has involved literally hundreds of volunteers in both the US and Bolivia over almost 2 years. It began in the summer of 2012 with Hope Haven International sending these wheelchairs to the Mano a Mano US warehouse, and Mano a Mano volunteers then packed and shipped them to Bolivia in January 2013.

A wheelchair recipient.

A  happy wheelchair recipient!

This led to the enormous task led by Mano a Mano staff member Blanca Velasquez in Bolivia to organize the nearly 200 beneficiaries (plus their relatives) to travel to the Mano a Mano hangar and also organize dozens of Bolivian volunteers to help arrange for the distribution, which included representatives from the Ministry of Health, professors and students from the Universidad Mayor de San Simon, volunteers from SAR, Rotary International members from Bolivia and the US, volunteers from Hope Haven International, and Mano a Mano staff.

Thanks

We are extremely grateful to everyone that has made this project possible, which has in the end directly improved the lives of nearly 200 Bolivians. THANKS!

 More Pictures on Facebook

Check out more pictures of the distribution on our Facebook page.