Mano a Mano’s mission is: “Partnering together – Hand in Hand – to transform the health and well-being of Bolivian communities in need.” In 2025, Mano a Mano continued its mission of bridging resources between Minnesota and Bolivia.

What We Accomplished Together in 2025 – 2025 Annual Report

Thank you to the many people that work together to make everything we do possible! Below is a snapshot of what we were able to do together.

What Does Mano a Mano Do?

Established in Minnesota in 1994, Mano a Mano has been guided by the simple, yet powerful premise that groups of committed individuals can reach across national boundaries to make a dramatic difference in the lives of others. The power of this premise has been demonstrated by the extent to which the organization has grown from a small, all-volunteer organization that distributed 500 pounds of medical supplies to Bolivia in 1994 to one that involves hundreds of Minnesotans and impacts the lives of hundreds of thousands of rural Bolivians.

Learn more about our daily projects and programs here.

Shipped 12 Containers with 321,661 Pounds of Supplies & Equipment From Minnesota to Bolivia

Mano a Mano collects donated supplies, mobility equipment, and other in-demand items in Minnesota for shipment to Bolivia, where they are distributed to people & organizations in need throughout the country. Most of these items were destined for the landfill in Minnesota; instead they get put to good use in Bolivia, where they are often unavailable or cost-prohibitive.

Loading 5 containers with supplies and equipment at our St. Paul, MN warehouse in December 2025.

From Minnesota to Bolivia: Distributing Supplies and Equipment for 33 Healthcare Organizations (October 2, 2025)

The vast majority of these supplies (333,924 pounds total were received in St. Paul in 2025) are shipped to Bolivia for distribution, but we also provide supplies and equipment to people locally and to organizations in Minnesota, other states, and other countries. 74,757 pounds were distributed to other individuals and organizations in 2025. Only 2.76% of supplies we received ended up in the waste. This work is made possible by hundreds of local volunteers in Minnesota dedicating thousands of hours of their time – thank you to everyone that is a part of the process!

Constructed New Schools & Health Clinics in 4 Communities

Every Mano a Mano project is a partnership; thank you to our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Bolivia, who oversees the process of building clinics and schools from start to finish; the local communities and municipal governments that are involved throughout the process; and donors from Minnesota, the US, and elsewhere that provide the seed money that make each project possible! When Mano a Mano dedicates a clinic or school project, it is always fully furnished and equipped. Many of the furnishings are constructed by Mano a Mano Bolivia in their workshop in Cochabamba.

Dedicating Mano a Mano’s 190th health clinic in Vilaque, Bolivia in October 2025.

Dedicating Mano a Mano’s 71st School Project in Rocha Rancho, Bolivia (September 17th, 2025)

Center for Ecological Agriculture: Training & Tools for Bolivian Farm Families

Mano a Mano’s Center for Ecological Agriculture (CEA) in Cochabamba, Bolivia provides training and tools for Bolivian farmers with the goal of increasing food security and nutrition using an ecological approach. Our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Internacional manages this program at its site in El Abra.

Below are a few of the CEA’s activities in 2025:

Visitors: The CEA hosted 1,520 visitors, including 710 school students who participated in guided tours focused on experiential learning.
Technical Training Workshops: 5,529 individuals were trained through 244 specialized workshops. Of the total participants, 1,900 attended workshops on the efficient use of water, a vital component of the well-drilling program. This initiative benefited 22 communities, achieving a 30% improvement in knowledge impact following the sessions.
Internships: The CEA hosted 31 interns, who completed a total of 5,876 hours of professional practice in the agricultural field.
Tools in Bolivian Communities: 9 school livestock modules and 2 solar greenhouses (tunnels/greenhouses) were built for local learning and production; 390 family gardens were implemented to strengthen the nutrition and economy of families in the Valle Alto of Cochabamba. These tools built supported 4,349 direct and indirect beneficiaries.
Huertos: This program, known as huertos, or “One garden at a time” focuses on putting infertile land into production and improving soil health. It included training for 1,800 family members in farming practices in 2025.The program provides classroom training, guidance as farmers develop covered gardens, and the distribution of incentives. Incentives include a 250 liter cistern with tubing for drip irrigation, seeds, tools, and ongoing expert advice.

A Mano a Mano agricultural training workshop.

Drilling 14 Deep Water Wells to Improve Consistent Access to Water

Our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Nuevo Mundo is constructing or has finished constructing 14 deep water wells to provide clean water access to rural communities in the Cochabamba Valley. Each well benefits 600-3,000 people. Mano a Mano also acquired a new well excavation machine which will allow more wells to be dug at half the time and cost.

Dedicating a new deep water well in Mamanaca Sunchal in March 2025.

New well excavation equipment being picked up by Mano a Mano Nuevo Mundo staff. This equipment will allow more water wells to be dug at half the time and cost.

Providing Health Education & Training for 1,481 Participants

In addition to building new clinics throughout Bolivia that have over a million patient visits annually, our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Bolivia provides health education and training for medical professionals throughout the country.

18 courses were hosted in 2025, including 4 international courses.
A total of 91 instructors covered 104 topics, with 1,481 attendees.

1 of the 4 international courses hosted by Mano a Mano Bolivia in 2025.

Providing Physical Therapy for Children and Their Families

Since 1994, Mano a Mano’s Recovered Resources Program collects supplies and equipment destined for Minnesota landfills and ships them to Bolivia, where they are distributed to people and organizations in need. In recent years, we have established a comprehensive Physical Therapy Program in Bolivia; utilizing the specialized physical therapy, mobility, and orthopedic equipment sent from Minnesota and with a skilled technical staff, Mano a Mano provides physical therapy for primarily children (with a particular emphasis on Cerebral Palsy (PCI)) onsite in Cochabamba and in-home visits for patient’s families. Students and interns from local universities are incorporated into the PT Program.

Mano a Mano staff making a home visit for physical therapy care.

In 2025, Mano a Mano provided:

Specialized Rehabilitation Sessions: 1,371 sessions were conducted for children in the PCI program, totaling 1,165 hours of direct care.
Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR): 242 Community-Based Rehabilitation sessions (home visits) were carried out for children and their families.
Neurological Wheelchairs: 44 customized neurological wheelchairs were delivered, adjusted specifically for each beneficiary.
Outpatient Care: An additional 565 physical therapy sessions were provided to patients outside of the PCI program.
Physical Therapy Education and Training:
- 9 training workshops were held with a total of 207 attendees.
- 7 interns and professional rotation students completed 4,588 hours of practice in the program.
Rehabilitation Volunteering: 46 volunteers contributed 1,686 hours of dedicated work to the program.

Providing Emergency Flights, Weekend Health Clinics, and Cargo Transport on a Near-Daily Basis

Mano a Mano’s counterpart organization Mano a Mano Aviation has provided 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, for nearly 2 decades. Having an aviation program also allows Mano a Mano to transport cargo and people in support of these goals and our other programs.

A weekend health clinic in La Curva, Bolivia from May 5-7, 2025.

Mano a Mano staff and volunteers traveled on its Cessna Caravan to Trinidad, Beni in February 2025 to distribute 10,000 pounds of supplies and equipment initially shipped from Minnesota.

Increasing Mano a Mano’s Capacity as an Organization

To provide support for Mano a Mano projects and programs, we bring plenty of resources across our 5 counterpart organizations. Our capacity includes skilled staff in Bolivia and Minnesota; buildings that house our staff and programs; equipment that directly helps implement our projects and programs (aviation, heavy equipment, vehicles); and resources (funding, supplies). Our capacity as an organization is part of what we bring to the table in our partnership-based approach, so that together we can accomplish work that none of us can do on our own.

Mano a Mano is currently working on 2 major infrastructure projects towards the goal of increasing our capacity as an organization; in turn these projects will improve our ability to partner with Bolivian communities and improve their lives.

Mano a Mano Airport

Significant progress is being made on the Mano a Mano airport project in Laguna Sulty, Bolivia – the future home of Mano a Mano’s aviation program that provides emergency flights, weekend health clinics, and transport for people and cargo to isolated rural communities throughout the country for nearly 2 decades.

Physical Therapy Center

Plans are underway for a permanent home for the physical therapy program, which currently operates out of the main office building at the CEA. Many PTs are being trained at the current center – a larger center would be better. An exciting announcement is scheduled for May 2026 to coincide with the celebration of the life of Joan Velásquez, co-founder of Mano a Mano.

A PT workshop for students at the current home of the PT program in the Mano a Mano office building at the El Abra site.

2025 in Photos

More supplies and equipment on their way from Minnesota, February 2025

Daily Work, Daily Challenges in 2025

Although there are always challenges in our work, 2025 was particularly difficult; in this 6-part series on Youtube, we chat with some of our staff in Bolivia about what goes into their daily work across a variety of Mano a Mano projects and programs, and we are grateful for their commitment and ability to keep moving forward as Mano a Mano.

Mano a Mano 2025 Annual Report