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.

(We missed a February ‘Month in Review,’ so that is included here as well.)

Partnering Together

On a daily basis, Mano a Mano is partnering with Bolivian communities to build clinics and water wells; distribute supplies and equipment sent from Minnesota; provide training and education ranging from health to agriculture to physical therapy; and provide weekend health clinics, among other projects and programs. Check out more pictures from March 2025 at the link.

Visiting Physical Therapy Program Participants at Home in Rural Bolivia

Staff and volunteers from our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Internacional recently visited Lucas at home in Santivañez, a community about 25 miles from the city of Cochabamba, Bolivia. Home visits are an integral part of Mano a Mano’s physical therapy program, to complement the regular PT sessions onsite at our PT center in Cochabamba (Lucas attends sessions 3x/week in Cochabamba) and solidify those sessions into their daily home life with their families.

Supplies and equipment are acquired as part of Mano a Mano’s shipments of donated items from Minnesota to Bolivia.

First shipment of supplies and equipment in 2025 on their way to Bolivia from Minnesota, February 2025

Distributing Supplies and Equipment in Trinidad, Beni, Bolivia – February 25th, 2025

As 3 containers with 80,000+ pounds of supplies and equipment left our Minnesota warehouse destined for Bolivia, Mano a Mano staff and volunteers in Bolivia were busy distributing more than 10,000 pounds of supplies and equipment from a previous Mano a Mano shipment in support of 22 hospitals and health centers in the department of Beni in northern Bolivia.

Dedicating a Deep Water Well in Mamanaca Sunchal, Bolivia

We were happy to celebrate the completion and dedication of a new deep water well in Mamanaca Sunchal in early March! 5-6 liters of water came out of the pipe as the pump came to life. Residents applauded and gave thanks for this project with Mano a Mano, which is always a partnership.

Starting Construction on New Health Clinic in Vilaque, Bolivia

Our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Bolivia started construction on a new health clinic in Vilaque, Bolivia in early March. Vilaque is a community about an hour outside of the city of Cochabamba, and has a population of 1,500. Local residents were present to help unload the first truckload of materials that arrived. 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’s 187 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.

16th Acute Care International Conference with Mano a Mano Bolivia & MELA: April 11-13, 2025 in Cochabamba

Weekend Health Clinic in San Lorenzo de Moxos – February 21-23, 2025

Thanks To Everyone That Stopped By Our Gathering For Joan

Thank you to everyone that stopped by Mano a Mano on February 26th for our gathering in memory of our Co-Founder Joan Velásquez. We appreciated the flowers, memorials, and time together to share some happy memories and honor the impact Joan had for so many people over her lifetime.

There will be a Celebration of Life for Joan on May 24th at Unity Church.

Large-Scale Distributions, and Specialized Individual Distributions of Supplies & Equipment

Check out a quick snapshot of our distributions of supplies and equipment in 2024: our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Internacional in Cochabamba provided items to 408 institutions throughout Bolivia; these items included 4,462 pieces of mobility equipment and 394 wheelchairs, in addition to tens of thousands of pounds of medical supplies and other in-demand items. Mano a Mano shipped 7 containers with 182,317 pounds of supplies from Minnesota to Bolivia in 2024.

Birds Gathering at Mano a Mano Water Reservoir in Laguna Sulty, Bolivia

We were happy to see so many birds gathering at the water reservoir built by Mano a Mano in partnership with the community in Laguna Sulty, Bolivia in February. We are also happy to see the reservoir at near-full water capacity.

Distributing 3+ Tons of Supplies & Equipment – Mid-March 2025

Check Out Other ‘Months in Review’ in 2024/2025

Month in Review: February/March 2025