Month in Review: August 2025

A few updates from Mano a Mano for the month of August 2025:

Daily Projects, Daily Programs, Daily Work

There are 3 basic categories that Mano a Mano’s work falls into, across Mano a Mano’s 5 counterpart organizations (4 in Cochabamba, Bolivia, 1 in St. Paul, Minnesota):

PROJECTS. Projects are requested by communities in Bolivia, they actively participate in each project, and ownership is turned over to local leadership. Projects include health clinics, schools, deep water wells, greenhouses and community gardens, and larger infrastructure projects like reservoirs and roads. There is an active waiting list of communities asking to partner with Mano a Mano on clinics, schools, wells, and agricultural projects; with more funding, we could partner with more communities. (Larger infrastructure projects like reservoirs and roads are only considered with significant and full funding in place, as they are much more costly and much more likely to run into delays and cost overruns.) At any given time, there are multiple projects underway.
PROGRAMS. Programs are run by Mano a Mano to complement community-based infrastructure projects (listed above) and/or to address identified needs that we have the potential capacity to respond to. Current programs include:
- Recovered Resources Program – Mano a Mano collects donated supplies, mobility equipment, and other in-demand items in Minnesota for shipment to Bolivia, where they are distributed to people & organizations in need throughout the country. Most of these items were destined for the landfill in Minnesota; instead they get put to good use in Bolivia, where they are often unavailable or cost-prohibitive.
- Health Education & Training – 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.
- Agricultural Education & Training – Mano a Mano’s Center for Ecological Agriculture (CEA) in Cochabamba, Bolivia provides training and tools for Bolivian farmers, students, and interns with the goal of increasing food security and nutrition using an ecological approach. Training also includes communities that have recently partnered with Mano a Mano on a water project, so they can learn ways to maximize use of their water.
- Aviation Program – Mano a Mano’s counterpart organization Mano a Mano Aviation has provided emergency rescue of ill and injured individuals, transporting them to urban hospitals for life-saving treatment; and weekend clinics for which we transport volunteer health care professionals into remote areas to provide primary medical & dental care, for nearly 2 decades. Having an aviation program also allows Mano a Mano to transport cargo and people in support of these goals and our other programs.
- Physical Therapy: Education, Training, and Direct Services – Since 1994, Mano a Mano’s Recovered Resources Program collects supplies and equipment destined for Minnesota landfills and ships them to Bolivia, where they are distributed to people and organizations in need. In recent years, we have established a comprehensive Physical Therapy Program in Bolivia; utilizing the specialized physical therapy, mobility, and orthopedic equipment sent from Minnesota and with a skilled technical staff, Mano a Mano provides physical therapy for primarily children onsite in Cochabamba and in-home visits for patient’s families. Students and interns from local universities are incorporated into the PT Program.
MANO A MANO’S CAPACITY AS AN ORGANIZATION. To provide support for Mano a Mano projects and programs, we bring plenty of resources across our 5 counterpart organizations. Our capacity includes skilled staff in Bolivia and Minnesota; buildings that house our staff and programs; equipment that directly helps implement our projects and programs (aviation, heavy equipment, vehicles); and resources (funding, supplies). Our capacity as an organization is part of what we bring to the table in our partnership-based approach, so that together we can accomplish work that none of us can do on our own.

Your support is the springboard that makes each project and program for Bolivian communities possible.

Thank You Minnesota State Fair Volunteers!

Thanks to Mano a Mano volunteers Sandra, Sheila, and Peter for hosting our booth at the Minnesota State Fair! As we have done for many years, Mano a Mano participated in the Reuse and Repair section of the “Eco Experience”:

Get inspired to lead a more sustainable life with easy, everyday reduce-reuse-recycle how-tos and engaging, interactive exhibits on renewable energy, green technology, organic agriculture, transportation alternatives, healthy cooking, and clean air and water. Presented by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota State Fair.
– Minnesota State Fair website

Our founding in 1994 started with the goal of “putting surplus into service” – Mano a Mano collects donated supplies, mobility equipment, and other in-demand items in Minnesota for shipment to Bolivia, where they are distributed to people & organizations in need throughout the country. Most of these items were destined for the landfill in Minnesota; instead they get put to good use in Bolivia, where they are often unavailable or cost-prohibitive. Our Recovered Resources Program continues to be an integral part of our work in Bolivia, while also reducing waste in Minnesota.

Challenges in 2025 – 6-Part Video Series on Youtube

Although there are always challenges in Mano a Mano’s work, 2025 has been particularly difficult; in this 6-part series on Youtube made in July, we chat with some of our staff in Bolivia about what goes into their daily work across a variety of Mano a Mano projects and programs, and we are grateful for their commitment and ability to keep moving forward as Mano a Mano. Here is one of the six videos:

Graduating from Mano a Mano’s Physical Therapy Program in Cochabamba, Bolivia

Stories that fill our hearts! With pride and happiness, we celebrate the ‘graduation’ from Mano a Mano’s physical therapy/rehabilitation program for Abdiel! Abdiel reached the wonderful goal of walking independently, an achievement that seemed far away when he arrived in his mom’s arms 10 months ago.

Distributing Supplies & Equipment for 19 Organizations in Bolivia on August 22nd, 2025

On Friday, 19 organizations from 10 municipalities (4 departments) throughout Bolivia traveled to our warehouse space in El Abra, Cochabamba, Bolivia to receive supplies & equipment. These supplies, sent from Minnesota where they were destined for the landfill, get put to good use in support of healthcare in Bolivia.

Recipients from Santa Cruz included: Cabezas, Warnes, Charagua, Montero, Urubichá; from the department of Beni: Santa Rosa; from Chuquisaca: San Lucas, Azurduy, Tarvita (8 centers); from La Paz: Palos Blancos.

Drilling a Deep Water Well in Aplema, Arbieto

Our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Nuevo Mundo is nearing the final depth of around 300 feet for a new deep water well project in the community of Aplema, located in the Municipality of Arbieto.

Building New Clinics and Schools

Our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Bolivia is currently working on 8 new projects (6 clinics, 2 schools) in partnership with local Bolivian communities. These are all in varying stages of the construction process, from near-completion (like the Vilaque clinic) to a few months out from the work starting. There is also always a waiting list for communities hoping for a clinic or school project in the months and years to come. Construction projects are complemented with Mano a Mano Bolivia health education and training workshops that take place on a monthly basis.

August 2025 Activities at Mano a Mano Internacional

Our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Internacional hosts workshops, tours, internships, volunteers, training and direct services, and more on a daily basis. Check out a few pictures from August 2025, from their Facebook page:

Welcome Metro State Social Work Interns!

Welcome to our 9th(?) year of Metro State Social Work interns starting their fall semester with Mano a Mano this week! Here is our thank-you for last fall’s Metro State students.

Metro State Social Work interns with Mano a Mano staff and volunteers, December 2024.

Work on Mano a Mano Airport Continues

Our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Nuevo Mundo is continuing the daily work on the Mano a Mano airport in Punata.

Here are a few pictures from the work in August 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.