New Clinic Expansion Project in Omereque

Mano a Mano recently completed the expansion & improvement of Mano a Mano’s health clinic in Omereque, Bolivia. The new clinic expansion was dedicated on February 12^th, 2016.

Omereque, Bolivia

Omereque Clinic

Omereque is a community of 6,918 people in the municipality of Omereque, province of Campero, department of Cochabamba, Bolivia. It is about 240 kilometers southeast of the city of Cochabamba, or a 5-hour drive from the city (30% of Mano a Mano’s clinics are between a 3 and 10-hour drive away from Cochabamba).

Omereque, Bolivia.

The Omereque clinic joins Mano a Mano’s network of 155 clinics throughout Bolivia. In 2014 (the last year with complete data), Mano a Mano’s network of clinics had 1,197,078 patient visits, surpassing 1 million patient visits for the first time.

Providing Access to Health Care for 6,918 People

With the improved clinic, medical professionals working in the community will have a much more comfortable working environment (which is very important for retaining staff in isolated rural communities), and community residents will have regular access to quality health care services provided through the Bolivian Health Ministry. 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.

Omereque Clinic

As a Mano a Mano clinic, it will have Volunteer Health Promoter Training and Continuing Health Education workshops provided through our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Bolivia; it will also receive equipment and supplies to ensure that it is fully-furnished, and is connected with Mano a Mano Bolivia medical staff via radio for help with any difficult cases or issues.

Mano a Mano volunteers unloading 99,000 pounds of supplies in Cochabamba that were sent from Minnesota. The supplies will be distributed to Mano a Mano's network of clinics and other organizations working with those in need.

Mano a Mano volunteers unloading 99,000 pounds of supplies in Cochabamba earlier this week that were sent from Minnesota. The supplies will be distributed to Mano a Mano’s network of clinics and other organizations working with those in need.

Working Together to Make These Projects Possible

Every project that Mano a Mano does, including this clinic expansion in Omereque, depends on many people working together (read more about our partnership model here). We are very grateful to everyone that has been involved in this project in some way!

Omereque residents checking out the interior of the clinic.

The Omereque clinic project was a collaboration with:

our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Bolivia (who oversees and manages the project from inception to completion)
the Bolivian Government
the Municipality of Omereque
the community of Omereque
Mano a Mano donors in the US

Mano a Mano Bolivia Executive Director Jose Velasquez along with Omereque representatives dedicating the clinic expansion.

Many Mano a Mano Projects in Omereque

Mano a Mano has partnered with the municipality of Omereque many times over the years on a variety of projects, from 153 small water ponds for rural farmers, to clinics, to schools, to airplane runways and pedestrian bridges.

Pena Colorada school project dedicated in December 2014.

On this map of the Omereque area, each dot is one of the small water ponds, and other Mano a Mano projects are highlighted with the red arrows.

On this map of the Omereque area (taken from a larger banner), each small dot is one of the 153 small water ponds, and other Mano a Mano projects are highlighted with the red arrows (this map is from 2010 and is missing quite a few more recent projects in the area).