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

Memorial Service for Mano a Mano Co-Founder Joan Velasquez: May 24th, 2025 at 1pm CST at Unity Church in St. Paul, MN

A celebration of life was held for Mano a Mano Co-Founder Joan Velásquez at Unity Church-Unitarian (733 Portland Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104) on Saturday, May 24th, 2025 at 1pm.

The memorial service was livestreamed on Youtube, and is still available as a recording, at the following link: https://bit.ly/jvelasquezmem

You can read Joan’s full obituary in the Pioneer Press here.

Welcoming Matt Hartranft as Executive Director

The Mano a Mano International Partners Board of Directors is excited to welcome Matt Hartranft as our next Executive Director! Matt is an accomplished attorney, has years of experience working in international nonprofits, and speaks Spanish proficiently; he also has a longtime connection with Mano a Mano, having previously served on our Board, and has traveled to Bolivia with us. He is starting with Mano a Mano in May, in a planned transition and onboarding process over the coming weeks in collaboration with our current Executive Director Nate Knatterud-Hubinger and Board President Segundo Velásquez. We are also excited to share that Nate will transition into a new leadership role with Mano a Mano after Matt gets acclimated, as we work to grow our US team and build for the future, always in support of our mission of “Partnering together – Hand in Hand – to transform the health and well-being of Bolivian communities in need.”

Limited Public Office Hours at our St. Paul Warehouse for the Next Few Weeks (Construction)

From our Operations Manager Carmen:

“Thanks to the generous support of one of our dearest supporters, we will beautify our lobby. As part of this project, an expert team will begin removing the existing flooring on Thursday, May 22nd. This phase of the work will take approximately two days.

The installation of polished concrete flooring will begin on Monday, May 26th.

Out of an abundance of caution and considering those sensitive to dust and particles (and overall messiness during this project), we will temporarily suspend all volunteer activities in the warehouse and minimize staff presence on-site during this period.

We plan to resume regular schedules on Monday, June 9th, but we will closely monitor the progress and update you. If it becomes possible to return sooner, we will certainly let you know—we will miss seeing you around!”

Supplies and equipment on their way from our St. Paul, Minnesota warehouse to Bolivia, February 2025

Containers Sent From Minnesota in February Arrive at Mano a Mano Warehouse (May 28th, 2025)

We are happy that our 3 containers of supplies and equipment loaded at our St. Paul, Minnesota warehouse in February arrived at our Cochabamba, Bolivia warehouse this week (May 28th, 2025)! Mano a Mano staff and volunteers will be busy unloading everything to distribute to people and organizations throughout the country (like this recent distribution).

Map of Mano a Mano distributions of supplies and equipment in 2024.

May 10th, 2025: Celebrating 17 Years of Laguna Sulty Reservoir

Every May, Mano a Mano celebrates the anniversary of the Laguna Sulty, Bolivia water reservoir (originally built in 2008) with a festival. Mano a Mano staff, volunteers, and travelers gathered with the community and local government to showcase local agricultural products, enjoy music, and participate in recreational activities. This is the 17th anniversary of the reservoir, which has been expanded multiple times over the years, and is also the site of Mano a Mano’s airport under construction, among other projects in partnership with local communities.

Dedicating a Deep Water Well in Caracollo in May

Mano a Mano staff and travelers were present to dedicate a new deep water well project in the community of Caracollo, in the Municipality of Anzaldo, earlier this month. Every Mano a Mano project is a partnership; thank you to our counterpart organizations in Bolivia, donors, the local community, and municipal government for working together to make this project a reality!

Students Visiting the CEA in late May

More than 500 students from Unidad Educativa Thiomoco de Vinto visited Mano a Mano’s Center for Ecological Agriculture (CEA) this week, where they learned about plants and animals and how a farm works. The CEA hosts students, farmers, interns, volunteers, and organizations on a regular basis.

Continuing Health Education Workshop with Mayo Clinic Global Health Program and Mano a Mano Bolivia

Our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Bolivia hosted a continuing health education workshops in collaboration with medical professionals from the Mayo Clinic Global Health Program on May 26-27. 59 Bolivian medical professionals attended the 2-day event. These more advanced collaborative courses (30+ to date) complement Mano a Mano Bolivia’s more frequent basic health education workshops (188+ to date).

Fundacion Contra El Hambre Visits CEA – Late May

Making Progress on the Mano a Mano Airport

Learn more about the project here.

Learn More

Mano a Mano’s mission is: “Partnering together – Hand in Hand – to transform the health and well-being of Bolivian communities in need.” We are so grateful to our 5 counterpart organizations; every Bolivian community we work with; every volunteer, intern, and supporter that is a part of Mano a Mano. This work isn’t easy, and only together can we accomplish things that none of us can do on our own. Thank you!

Month in Review: May 2025 (Joan Memorial, Welcoming Matt as New ED, Limited Office Hours, Updates)