We are keeping busy at Mano a Mano! Here are a few updates from our projects in Bolivia & Minnesota over the past month:
Joan and Segundo Velasquez on 2022 Pollen 50 Over 50 List
Congratulations to Mano a Mano Co-Founders Joan and Segundo Velasquez for being on the 2022 50 Over 50 list! Check out the full 50 Over 50 list on Pollen Midwest here. “The 2022 50 Over 50 list celebrates and recognizes Minnesotans over the age of 50 who have made significant contributions and achievements in their communities.”
Providing Access to Healthcare and Education: Mano a Mano Bolivia Report for First Half of 2022
Our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Bolivia partners with Bolivian communities to provide access to healthcare and education through the construction of clinics and schools, as well as providing complementary programs that support these same goals. In the first half of 2022, we completed 2 new clinics and a new school – all during the last week of March 2022 – with 2 other clinics nearing completion, and other projects in process. Mano a Mano’s network of 178 clinic projects in Bolivia had 559,439 patient visits in the first half of 2022.
Workshop for Parents of Children Enrolled in Physical Therapy Program
Our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Internacional hosted a workshop for the parents and caregivers of the 12 children currently enrolled in our physical therapy program on Saturday, August 13th. The focus was on basic hygiene, personal care, and first aid. While parents participated in the workshop, the 12 children in our physical therapy program played games with Mano a Mano volunteers and physical therapy students, which complement the more direct rehabilitation and physical therapy sessions. This workshop was hosted in Mano a Mano Internacional’s office building in El Abra, Cochabamba, Bolivia.
Working on Water Projects in Cliza and Islas Malvinas
The community of Islas Malvinas lies on low ground near Laguna Sulti, Bolivia. Its land is close to the site of our recently expanded water reservoir and the runway to which our aviation program will be relocated in 2023. During the runway construction process, our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Nuevo Mundo has been able to create a win-win situation. Building the extended runway bed will require tons of dirt. Rows of dirt excavated from open land in the heart of Islas Malvinas are now being transported, truck by truck, to the runway site. A portion of this dirt will also be used to build a levee wall for a water reservoir around Islas Malvinas’ low-lying land.
Providing a Weekend Health Clinic in Comunidad Bermeo on August 6-7
Weekend health clinic in Comunidad Bermeo, August 6-7, 2022.
Our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Aviation hosted a weekend health clinic in Comunidad Bermeo in San Ignacio de Moxos, department of Beni, on August 6th and 7th. This jornada focused on dental and physical therapy care: 87 people received dental care, totaling 218 sessions, and 23 people received physical therapy care. People ranged in age from 2 to 45 years old. The community was very grateful for the weekend health clinic, and is hoping that we are able to return in the future.
68,797 Pounds of Supplies and Equipment On Their Way to Bolivia
In late July, Mano a Mano volunteers loaded 3 containers with 68,797 pounds of supplies at our St. Paul, Minnesota warehouse that are now on their way to Bolivia. We have now sent 6 containers with 148,495 pounds of supplies from Minnesota to Bolivia in 2022. Thank you to the many people that make these shipments possible!
A Few Other Updates From August
- Donating Firefighting Equipment and Medical Supplies for SAR-FAB in Cochabamba – August 6th, 2022
- Repairing Our Back Parking Lot
- Mano a Mano’s Aviation Program: First Half of 2022 Report
- Construction on New Clinic in San Rafael is Complete
- New Photos From Our Pollinator Garden at our St. Paul Warehouse