Mid-2025 Update From Mano a Mano (June 2025)

We sent out a letter to our mailing list this month; the PDF version is available here, and you can read an extended version below in this post.

Mid-2025 Update From Mano a Mano

There is no other place for us to start a review of the past 12 months than with the tragic deaths of Joan Velásquez, Mano a Mano Co-Founder, in December, and Ivo Daniel Martínez Velásquez, Lead Pilot of Mano a Mano’s Aviation Program in Bolivia, in June 2024. We are grateful to so many of you for your condolences, kind words, and best wishes. Both Joan and Ivo were instrumental in what we as an organization have been able to accomplish over decades, and their impact and legacy will continue to be felt far into the future.

Ivo Daniel Martínez Velásquez: 1988-2024

Memorial Service for Joan Velásquez was Held in May 2025

A celebration of life was held for Mano a Mano Co-Founder Joan Velásquez at Unity Church-Unitarian on May 24th, 2025, which is on Mano a Mano’s Youtube page:

Memorial donations may be made to Mano a Mano International Partners (925 Pierce Butler Route, St. Paul, MN 55104): https://manoamano.org/donate/ (shared on behalf of Joan’s husband and Mano a Mano Co-Founder Segundo).

From the Mano a Mano Board of Directors: Welcoming Matt Hartranft as Mano a Mano Executive Director

The Mano a Mano International Partners Board of Directors is excited to welcome Matt Hartranft as our next Executive Director! Matt is an accomplished attorney, has years of experience working in international nonprofits, and speaks Spanish proficiently; he also has a longtime connection with Mano a Mano, having previously served on our Board, and has traveled to Bolivia with us. He started with Mano a Mano in May, in a planned transition and onboarding process over the coming weeks in collaboration with our current Executive Director Nate Knatterud-Hubinger and Board President Segundo Velásquez. We are also excited to share that Nate will transition into a new leadership role with Mano a Mano after Matt gets acclimated, as we work to grow our US team and build for the future, always in support of our mission of “Partnering together – Hand in Hand – to transform the health and well-being of Bolivian communities in need.”

Thank You

Mano a Mano was established in Minnesota in 1994, and 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.

30+ years later, we are now 5 counterpart organizations – 4 in Cochabamba, Bolivia and 1 in Saint Paul, Minnesota – with a variety of complementary projects and programs, a shared goal of improving people’s lives throughout Bolivia, and a commitment to working together – “mano a mano” – so that we can accomplish things together that none of us could do on our own.

As we remember Joan and Ivo Daniel and the impact they made; recognize our staff, volunteers, donors, and community partners in Bolivia, Minnesota, and elsewhere; and work to grow so that we continue to make a difference for many years to come – in what is currently a very uncertain and challenging time in the world – we are grateful to you for being a part of Mano a Mano.

Shipping supplies and equipment from Minnesota to Bolivia in February 2025

Putting shipped equipment to use during a recent PT workshop with Bolivian university students

Dedicating Mano a Mano’s 187th clinic in El Carmen in September 2024.

Providing an emergency flight from Riberalta to Cochabamba in November 2024.

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

Learn More

We typically post a few updates a week on our website and social media; we also share a monthly update, which you can check out below. You can stay connected to our work on your platform of choice – all links are on our Linktree page here.