Check out what we have been doing together over the past month:

Remembering Gloria MacRae

From Gloria’s memorial service on June 17th, 2023

We were honored to be able to attend and participate in Gloria MacRae’s Memorial Service on June 17th. Gloria was so actively involved, in so many ways, with Mano a Mano throughout our entire 29+ year history. She will be missed.

From Gloria’s obituary in the Star Tribune:

“In 1990, she retired, and became her church’s official social worker (with a salary of $2 a year). She also volunteered to teach conversational English for many years. And, most dear to heart, she became involved in Mano a Mano, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing health care and public-health education to impoverished Bolivian communities. Over the years, Gloria raised enough money to build 2 clinics in Bolivia: Clinica Gloria I and Clinical Gloria II. Gloria’s mantra was “Life is good”, and she certainly lived life to the fullest.”


Mano a Mano Trip to Bolivia in May


The nine-day mid-May trip coincided with the now-annual celebration of the Laguna Sulti Water Reservoir and the many ways in which it has transformed the thirteen rural communities that directly benefit from water it holds for them to share. But before the Laguna Sulti celebration, those who traveled with us found many additional projects to celebrate together.

A few pictures from our May trip to Bolivia

2 New Health Clinics Nearly Complete

Mano a Mano’s new health clinics in 20 de septiembre and Santa Ana are nearing completion.

Our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Bolivia is nearing completion on 2 new health clinics in 20 de septiembre and Santa Ana – both in the municipality of Punata!

Learn more about our health programs.

Thanks Frogtown Green!

Thanks to Patricia and Frogtown Green for helping make our front parking lot garden look better (especially in the high heat)! We are always grateful to our volunteers and the many ways they contribute to Mano a Mano.

Thanks City of Minnetonka!

Enrique and John packing a donated item onto the Mano a Mano truck at the City of Minnetonka Special Community Drop-Off Day – June 3, 2023

We were grateful to be able to participate in the City of Minnetonka Special Community Drop-Off Day on Saturday, June 3rd!

Each year, the city hosts two special Saturday drop-off events where Minnetonka residents can dispose of appliances, tires and other large household items.

City of Minnetonka website

Mano a Mano collected 1,170 pounds of medical equipment and supplies, including 6 canes, 6 walkers, 8 wheelchairs, a Hoyer lift, an oxygen concentrator, oxygen tanks, and many miscellaneous medical and physical therapy items.

St. Kate’s Public Health BA/BS Students Volunteering at Mano a Mano

Nice to see this picture of St. Kate’s Public Health BA/BS students volunteering at Mano a Mano this past semester!

Aviation Brings Healthcare to Remote Underserved Communities in Bolivia

Weekend Health Clinic in Beni, April 2023

During January-April this year, volunteer professionals have treated 664 medical patients and 454 dental patients through Mano a Mano’s weekend clinic program.

Mano a Mano’s aviation program brings healthcare into sparsely populated remote communities whose location is hours or days away by land or river from the nearest health services. Since 2005, we have served these communities through:

  1. “Pop up” weekend clinics (or five-day events, when possible) for which we transport volunteer health care professionals to provide primary medical & dental care, health education, and referrals to specialists, if needed;
  2. Emergency rescue of ill and injured individuals, transporting them to urban hospitals for life-saving treatment. 

Always Meeting with Bolivian Communities about Potential Future Mano a Mano Projects

A Mano a Mano site visit in June.

Every Mano a Mano community project in Bolivia starts with a request from the community. Mano a Mano staff will meet with the community and municipal leaders and visit the site to determine the potential feasibility of the project (this picture is from a site visit a few weeks ago). If the project is a possible fit, we can then progress to discussing a partnership agreement, and work on securing funding. It is a neverending process: we always have multiple projects underway at any given time, and we always have many communities on our waiting list.

Learn more about our partnership model.

Providing Mobility Equipment for Hogar Fatima in Santa Cruz, Bolivia

We were happy to be able to provide mobility equipment, including wheelchairs and walkers, for Hogar Fatima in Santa Cruz, Bolivia earlier this month.

Mano a Mano’s recovered resources program – the program that started Mano a Mano nearly 30 years ago – collects donated medical supplies, mobility equipment, and other items in Minnesota for shipment to Bolivia, where they are distributed to people and organizations in need throughout the country. Almost all of these supplies were destined for the landfill in the US; instead they get new life and get put to good use in Bolivia, and elsewhere.


In 2022, we sent 9 containers with 220,704 pounds of supplies to Bolivia. 25,910 pounds were given to other organizations with programs in the US and around the world; we also donated 328 vital pieces of physical therapy equipment benefiting 454 individuals in the Twin Cities area through our Mobility Closet.

Supplies donated by Mano a Mano to the Minnesota Cuba Committee arriving in Cuba in April 2023.

Dedicating New Mano a Mano Projects

These are some brochures and pictures from dedication ceremonies for a few Mano a Mano clinic, school, and water projects in recent months.

Every time Mano a Mano completes a project in partnership with a community in Bolivia, there is a dedication ceremony to celebrate, recognize the hard work of everyone involved, and to publicly turn the project over to the community – the ultimate owners of every project we do. These are some brochures and pictures from dedication ceremonies for a few Mano a Mano clinic, school, and water projects in recent months.

Making Progress on the Mano a Mano Airport in Punata


Mano a Mano continues to make progress on our airport project underway in Punata, Bolivia. Learn more about this huge project at any of the following links: