Check out a few things that Mano a Mano has been working on over the past few weeks across our 5 counterpart organizations in Minnesota and Bolivia.

New Video: Why Mano a Mano Started, Our Partnership-Based Approach, and the People That Make Our Work Possible

Mano a Mano’s mission is: “Partnering together – Hand in Hand – to transform the health and well-being of Bolivian communities in need.” 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.

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.

Memorial Service for Joan Velásquez on May 24th at Unity Church

A celebration of life will be held for Mano a Mano Co-Founder Joan Velásquez at Unity Church-Unitarian (733 Portland Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104) on Saturday, May 24th, 2025 at 1pm.

It will also be livestreamed on Youtube at the following link: https://bit.ly/jvelasquezmem

In lieu of flowers, 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 Segundo).

Mano a Mano Airport is Progressing

Mano a Mano’s airport is progressing!

Continuing Health Education Workshop: May 26-27, 2025

Our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Bolivia is hosting its 34th International Acute Care Conference, in partnership with volunteer medical professionals from Mayo Clinic on May 26-27, 2025. These courses are a combination of theory and practical sessions for Bolivian health professionals, and are accredited with local Bolivian medical organizations.

In addition to International Acute Care Conferences, which are in partnership with organizations including Mayo Clinic and Medical Educators for Latin America (Minnesota and Idaho), Mano a Mano Bolivia also hosts their own continuing health education workshops for Bolivian medical professionals 8-12 times annually. Mano a Mano Bolivia hosted 9 workshops in 2024 with 586 total attendees.

Continuing health education workshops are a critical component of Mano a Mano’s health programs in Bolivia, and serve as a complement to the construction of community clinics throughout rural Bolivia. In 2024, Mano a Mano’s network of 187 clinics throughout Bolivia had 1,465,860 patient contacts.

PT Workshop for Universidad Mayor de San Simón Students

Physical Therapy students from the Universidad Mayor de San Simón in Cochabamba, Bolivia recently participated in workshops at Mano a Mano’s El Abra location on topics ranging from mechanical therapy, orthotics and casts, and wheelchair fitting, providing an opportunity to expand their knowledge to better serve their future patients. Almost all of the equipment available in this workshop (and seen in the video) is shipped from Minnesota, where we collect donated items destined for the landfill and send them to Bolivia, where they are put to good use for people and organizations throughout the country.

Check out a quick Youtube video from the recent PT workshop, interviewing a few participants:

Vilaque Clinic is 35% Complete

Our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Bolivia started construction on a new health clinic in Vilaque, Bolivia in March, and the project is now 35% complete! Vilaque is a community about an hour outside of the city of Cochabamba, and has a population of 1,500.

With Mano a Mano clinics, they become part of the Bolivian healthcare system and are the official provider for their catchment area, making them eligible for services and reimbursement through Health Ministry-funded programs. All staff salaries in Mano a Mano’s clinics are paid for by sources within Bolivia (we currently have 554 medical professionals – 204 doctors, 270 nurses, and 80 dentists – working in Mano a Mano clinics). Our clinic program’s approach is that health outcomes can be dramatically improved with simple yet effective interventions, beginning with the basic ability to consistently access quality services in their own communities.

Every project is a partnership: our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Bolivia oversees the process of building clinics from start to finish; the local community and municipal government are involved throughout the process and take over management of each project once they are complete; and US funders (typically; there are supporters in other countries as well!) provide the seed money that make each project possible. We have completed 187 clinics to date (2 new clinics finished in April, and El Carmen completed in September 2024), multiple communities with signed agreements for a clinic, and 25 communities on our clinic project waiting list actively seeking to partner with Mano a Mano.

Distributing Supplies and Equipment Sent From Minnesota Throughout Bolivia

Volunteers organizing supplies and equipment in Minnesota:

We partner with some local organizations in and around Minnesota, sharing supplies and equipment with each other that fits our organizational needs:

The vast majority of the supplies and equipment we receive are sent to Bolivia, for distribution by our counterpart organizations in Bolivia supporting individuals and organizations throughout the country:

Containers of supplies and equipment arriving at our El Abra warehouse

Map of distributions of supplies and equipment by type, recipient, and location in 2024.

Mano a Mano regularly hosts large-scale distribution events for many organizations that come to our warehouse from throughout Bolivia, like this distribution in mid-April distributing more than 9,400 pounds of supplies and equipment:

Learn More

Mano a Mano’s mission is: “Partnering together – Hand in Hand – to transform the health and well-being of Bolivian communities in need.” We are so grateful to our 5 counterpart organizations; every Bolivian community we work with; every volunteer, intern, and supporter that is a part of Mano a Mano. This work isn’t easy, and only together can we accomplish things that none of us can do on our own. Thank you!

Month in Review: April 2025