Mano a Mano Flights this Weekend

Weekends are busy times for our aviation program! Below are a few of the flights and current projects happening right now:

Medical Capacitation Workshop

Mano a Mano Bolivia personnel left for a medical capacitation workshop in Mojocoya, a community south of Cochabamba, Saturday morning in the CP-2511. The workshop will include teaching community members basic first aid and how to be first responders in emergencies. The personnel returned Sunday afternoon.

Weekend Health Clinic in the Beni (postponed due to weather)

A scheduled weekend clinic to the Beni, due also to leave Saturday morning, was postponed due to extreme weather. The large cold front and electric storms that made the flight impossible are expected to move through the area by the end of the weekend.

Private Flight

We also received a call for a private flight to transport a body (coffin) to Cobija-Pando. The flight was completed Sunday morning in the Piper Navajo. These private flights are very important for our aviation program, as they generate revenue and allow us the ability to provide the emergency flights free of charge to rural Bolivians who would be unable to afford the flight.

Training Course for EMTs in Bolivia Wrapping Up

In the month of June, Mano a Mano partnered with A Tu Lado – a Minnesota nonprofit that focuses on providing self-sustaining systems of paramedicine – and local Bolivian organizations and universities to provide EMT training in support of our aviation program. As an example of the type of training this course focused on, students worked on improving their techniques for backboarding and loading patients into an airplane, something that is very important for Mano a Mano as we continue to work on providing the best possible care for patients who fly in our planes. You can read more about the training course on A Tu Lado’s website.

Special thanks to Mano a Mano volunteer Libby Arnosti for compiling information on the many activities we have going on with our aviation program.