Check out what we have been doing together over the past month:
Celebrating 15 Years of Laguna Sulty Reservoir and Progress on Mano a Mano Airport in Punata
On Saturday, May 20, 2023 Mano a Mano was present for a celebration marking 15 years of projects in the Laguna Sulty area, and highlighting the progress being made on the Mano a Mano airport in Punata. The Gobernación de Cochabamba Facebook page shared a short video from Saturday.
Water Flowing From New Deep Water Well in Islas Malvinas, Bolivia
Hosting 12 Visitors from Bolivia at the Mano a Mano Office in St. Paul on May 10th
We were so happy to be able to host 12 Mano a Mano visitors from Bolivia at our St. Paul warehouse! They were in the US to celebrate Van Miguel Martínez Velásquez’ graduation from a virtual engineering IT masters program in Texas (congratulations Van!), but they made sure to travel to Minnesota for a few days. Mano a Mano’s mission is: “Partnering together – Hand in Hand – to transform the health and well-being of Bolivian communities in need.” In this picture, we have staff and Board Members from Mano a Mano International (US office); staff and Board Members from Mano a Mano Nuevo Mundo; staff from Mano a Mano Internacional and Mano a Mano Aviation; local Mano a Mano volunteers, at least 7 of whom have been in Bolivia with us within the past year; our Spring 2023 Public Health intern from St. Catherine University; and many Bolivian family members that are (of course) Mano a Mano volunteers. (Staff from Mano a Mano Bolivia also were in the office for a meeting, after wrapping up their 14th International Acute Care Conference in Cochabamba in late April.) It takes many people in many places, working together on behalf of Bolivian communities, and it’s always great to have the opportunity to share our day-to-day work with each other. Even though many of us talk/text/email all the time, it just isn’t the same as being able to connect in-person.
Training Mamanaca, Bolivia Residents on Efficient Use of Their Water
Mano a Mano agronomist Juan Carlos Cardenas recently provided training to around 60 Mamanaca residents in the efficient use of water. Community residents recently dedicated their newly drilled well built in partnership with Mano a Mano.
Weekend Health Clinic in Potosí on March 4th-5th, 2023
Our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Aviation provided a weekend health clinic on March 4th and 5th, 2023 in Potosí, Bolivia (one of many recent weekend health clinics). 8 volunteer dentists participated in the weekend health clinic, and provided a total of 356 treatments to 128 people ranging in age from 3 to 60. In addition to the dental care, Mano a Mano provided discussions on how to prevent dental problems, and donated supplies for dental health.
3 Containers of Supplies on Their Way to Bolivia
In late April, Mano a Mano staff and volunteers loaded 3 40-foot containers with 75,272 pounds of medical supplies, mobility equipment, and other in-demand items at our St. Paul, Minnesota warehouse. They were picked up on May 1st and are now on their way to Bolivia, where they will be distributed from our Cochabamba warehouse to people and organizations in need throughout the country.
Pictures From Our March 2023 Trip to Bolivia
In March we were happy to be able to visit Bolivia with a group of travelers from the US – our first trip since 2019. (Our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Bolivia also hosted two health education conferences over the past month, with guests from the US; it’s nice to be able to get back to traveling.) During the March trip, we participated in a distribution of medical supplies and equipment sent from Minnesota for 84 Bolivian organizations; visited a Mano a Mano community greenhouse project in Sacabamba; attended a dedication ceremony for a new Mano a Mano deep water well in Mamanaca; went to Toro Toro National Park; visited Mano a Mano’s new school in Chirusi Rosario and the many other projects that are part of the Punata Regional Complex; spent time at Mano a Mano’s Center for Ecological Agriculture; and more.
14th Acute Care Conference on April 26-28 – Continuing Health Education in Bolivia
Our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Bolivia hosted its 14th “Acute Care Conference” on April 26-28, 2023. This conference had theory and practical sections, and was in partnership with Medical Educators For Latin America – MELA, Mayo Clinic, Sociedad Científica Boliviana de Medicina General Filial Cochabamba, and Colegio Médico de Bolivia – Quillacollo.
5-Day Jornada in Beni – April 2023
During a five-day set of clinic events in the Beni Department (state) communities of Naranjal, Jojori, and San Salvador in April 2023, 3 health care professionals served 200 medical patients. Mano a Mano also provided needed medical supplies; the Unidad de Salud en San Lorenzo de Moxos provided vaccinations.