Check out what’s happening across Mano a Mano’s 5 counterpart organizations in Bolivia and Minnesota over the past month:

Mano a Mano US Office is Closed November 28-29

We are taking a break! The Mano a Mano US office will be closed November 28-29 and will have limited availability on November 27. We will be back to normal hours on Monday, December 2.

Take a Tour With Mano a Mano in El Abra, Cochabamba, Bolivia

Community of Mamananca Sunchal Visits Mano a Mano’s Center for Ecological Agriculture in Cochabamba

Community members of Mamanaca Sunchal in the municipality of Arbieto were trained on the efficient use of water and the production of organic fertilizers at the CEA. These workshops were held in Quechua.

Distributing 10,000+ Pounds of Medical Supplies and Equipment for 20 Bolivian Health Centers – November 15th, 2024

On Friday, November 15th, 2024 Mano a Mano distributed nearly 4.8 tons – about 10,500 pounds – of medical supplies, mobility equipment, and other items for 20 health centers from 10 municipalities throughout Bolivia at our Cochabamba warehouse (including Trigal, Moro Moro, Pampa Grande, San Pedro, San Javier, El Torno and Concepción coming from the department of Santa Cruz, and Alcalá and Padilla from the department of Chuquisaca). 8 individuals also received personal mobility equipment.

Travel to Bolivia with Mano a Mano – May 2025

Mano a Mano invites you to join us on a one-week trip to Cochabamba, Bolivia. On this trip, we will celebrate alongside subsistence farmers who helped build and will benefit from the Mano a Mano partnership-development projects that are transforming their communities: a reservoir that provides water for crops and livestock; deep wells that yield clean drinking water; access to health care through community health clinics and aviation support; a school that provides a clean, safe environment that is conducive to learning; an airport that will support health care and economic opportunities throughout the Cochabamba Valley.

Interested? Email Segundo Velasquez: [email protected] for specific trip questions, or email Carmen Paredes Dockry: [email protected] for a PDF detailed trip packet.

New School Dedicated in Parko Khocha, Bolivia – November 18th, 2024

Our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Bolivia dedicated a new school project in Parko Khocha, Bolivia on Monday, November 18th, 2024! Parko Khocha is in the municipality of Vacas, Province of Arani, Department of Cochabamba, and is Mano a Mano’s 70th school project in Bolivia.

International Acute Care Conference with Mano a Mano Bolivia & MELA – November 6th-10th, 2024

Our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Bolivia wrapped up their Acute Care Conference with Medical Educators for Latin America in early November. These Acute Care Conferences for Bolivian medical professionals are accredited with local Bolivian medical organizations; they are a critical component of Mano a Mano’s health programs in Bolivia to provide health education, and serve as a complement to the construction of community clinics throughout rural Bolivia. A nursing-focused conference took place on November 6th and 7th in Cochabamba, and a doctor-focused conference followed on November 8-10.

Mano a Mano Bolivia Has Their 2025 Schedule for Health Education Programmed

Starting Work on Water Well in Mamanaca Sunchal, Bolivia – Late November

Our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Nuevo Mundo recently started work on a deep water well project in Mamanaca Sunchal, Bolivia.

First Rains of the Season Flowing Into Laguna Sulty Water Reservoir

UNITEPC Students Practice First Aid

As part of their practical training, nursing students from the Cosmos Private Technical University (UNITEPC) performed first-aid exercises in different hypothetical situations.

Construction on Mano a Mano Airport Project in Punata Continues

Emergency Flight – November 14th, 2024

On November 14, the hospital in Riberalta in the Bolivian tropics placed an urgent call to Mano a Mano, requesting airlift of a critically injured patient. Although the hospital is certified to perform major surgery, its staff told us that they had neither the equipment nor the expertise required to save this patient. Together, our counterpart organizations Mano a Mano Aviation and Mano a Mano Bolivia prepared their response: file the flight plan, complete the required review of the aircraft, assemble a team of physicians to care for the patient during the 3-hour flight, load medical cargo for donation to the Riberalta hospital, and pass airport inspection. The aircraft was in flight within an hour.

Picking up the patient on the Mano a Mano plane in Riberalta

The patient, an otherwise healthy young person, had suffered both a broken spine and hip. Personnel from the hospital, along with the Mano a Mano team, unloaded the dozens of boxes of medical supplies that awaited delivery to a level 2 hospital (one that has surgical capacity), while the others carefully prepared the patient for loading onto the aircraft. During flight, the pilot contacted the level 3 Cochabamba hospital which has the capacity to perform highly complex surgery. Often, Mano a Mano aviation personnel must search for a receiving hospital that will accept a patient, with no guarantee of payment. Fortunately, in this case, the patient is enrolled in a program that covers its employees.

Arriving at the Cochabamba airport for transport to level 3 hospital

Present when the aircraft touched down at the Cochabamba airport, the ambulance and its personnel could complete a safe and efficient transfer. It will be a long recovery, but his prognosis is positive. The Riberalta Hospital personnel said he could not have survived, if Mano a Mano’s airlift had not been available.

MINN Conference – November 8th, 2024

Our Executive Director Nate Knatterud-Hubinger participated on a panel at the MINN (Minnesota International NGO Network) conference at the University of Minnesota on “Leading Global Change: Insights from Minnesota’s International NGO Leaders.”

“Positioning” Workshop – Late November

Month in Review: November 2024