Mano a Mano Activities – November 2019

We just sent out an e-newsletter yesterday (which you can sign up for here in the bottom right corner) updating some of our recent news and activities. Read more below:

• A Photographic Journey to Bolivia with Mano a Mano: Wednesday, December 4th at Unity Church in St. Paul. Paul Rogne traveled to Bolivia with Mano a Mano in March and September, 2019. He documented the people he met, the rural and urban scenes he saw, and the amazing transformative work that Mano a Mano has been doing for nearly 25 years. Mano a Mano has worked to upgrade medical and educational services, improve the water supply, train farmers in more sustainable techniques, and care for seriously ill or injured patients by providing air transportation to hospitals and clinics. Paul and others who have visited Bolivia will describe — using many of his photos — this transformative work and experience. Join us at Unity Church in St. Paul, Minnesota for Wellspring Wednesday on Wednesday, December 4 at 7pm (there will also be a Mano a Mano Open House and Bolivian Photo Art Reception on Friday, December 13 from 5:30-8pm at Unity Church).
• More than 90,000 Pounds En Route to Bolivia. More than 90,000 pounds of donated supplies and equipment are now en route from our Saint Paul, Minnesota warehouse to Cochabamba, Bolivia, where they will be distributed to people & organizations in need throughout the country. In 2018, Mano a Mano sent 8 containers with 166,607 pounds of supplies from Minnesota to Bolivia, and in 2019 these 4 containers will make it 9 containers sent this year. Thanks to everyone that helped load containers over the past 2 weeks!
• Unloading Equipment for the Laguna Carmen, Bolivia Water Reservoir Project. Mano a Mano’s heavy equipment arrived recently to continue work on a water reservoir project in collaboration with the community of Laguna Carmen in Bolivia (just outside of Cochabamba). Mano a Mano is also working on a water reservoir expansion in Laguna Sulti.
• SHADES OF GREEN: Reflections on gratitude pass through a filter of travel experiences (including a trip to Bolivia with Mano a Mano in 2012). “As part of a travel group in 2012, I saw examples of all five types of project development firsthand, and it was impressive. Many moments I was awestruck, and some, like a road dedication ceremony held in the Andean highlands, humbled with profound gratitude. In a remote village called La Abra, I marveled that several hundred people were traveling on their own village road, where previously nothing more than a single-track foot trail had been.” Greg Imbur wrote an article in The Goshen News last week.
• Recent Mano a Mano Flights in Bolivia. Mano a Mano flew 2 flights this week, transporting meat from Cochabamba to Oruro and bringing produce back to Cochabamba; we have a number of similar flights scheduled for the near future. This past month in Bolivia has been challenging in many ways, and brings real questions about the future. But we as an organization continue to work. Our mission is to create partnerships with Bolivian communities to improve their lives, and we are committed to fulfilling that mission as best as we are able in a safe and effective manner – now and in the future.
• Thank You Minnesota Teachers! Thank you to the Minnesota teachers that came to Mano a Mano in mid-November for a discussion and celebration of our 7 years of teacher trips to Bolivia! These Minnesota-Bolivia Teacher Trips were a chance to meet together and discuss teaching methods, develop curriculum, learn how they keep parents involved, and have an opportunity to interact in informal as well as classroom settings. Over the 7 years many people participated: 40 US teachers & education professionals, 495 Bolivian teachers, 15 Bolivian schools, and 5 Bolivian school districts.
• Congratulations Sr. Catherine Mutindi – Opus Prize 2019 Winner! Congratulations to Sr. Catherine Mutindi, founder of Bon Pasteure, who won the 2019 Opus Prize this week at the annual Opus Prize event, held this year at Saint Louis University. The Opus Prize is a special award to Mano a Mano, since our co-founder Segundo Velasquez was a finalist for the 2012 Opus Prize, which was held at St. Kate’s on November 8, 2012.