Yesterday, we sent out our e-newsletter, which we send out about once a month. You can sign up here, or you can subscribe to our blog directly (our website is WordPress), add us on a service such as Feedly (“manoamano.org”), or just check back regularly! These October updates are only a portion of Mano a Mano’s current projects; scroll through our blog archives, or read this post to get a better idea of our comprehensive programs.

Here are a few highlights from the past month:

Mano a Mano Article in the Longfellow Nokomis Messenger

Mano a Mano was featured in the October 2021 issue of the Longfellow Nokomis Messenger: “Non-profit sends medical supplies to Bolivia – and shares surplus at home.”

Containers Leaving Our Minnesota Warehouse & Containers Arriving at Our Bolivia Warehouse

There was lots of activity this month with our Recovered Resources Program! Both of our containers that volunteers recently loaded with over 58,000 pounds of medical supplies, mobility equipment, and other items were picked up on October 13th from our St. Paul warehouse, and are now on their way to Bolivia. Also on October 13th, our 2 containers that we sent from Minnesota in June with 46,829 pounds of supplies cleared Bolivian Customs, and will arrive at our Cochabamba warehouse within a few days of clearing. All of these supplies will be distributed by Mano a Mano to people and organizations in need throughout Bolivia. With both of these shipments included, we have shipped over 180,000 pounds of supplies and equipment from Minnesota to Bolivia in 2021.

Distributing Medical Supplies For 8 Health Centers in Tarija

One example of how the supplies we send from Minnesota are distributed took place earlier this week. Our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Internacional was in Tarija on October 26th, 2021 to distribute medical supplies and mobility equipment for 7 health centers in Tarija as well as San Antonio – a 2nd level hospital. Thanks to El Gobierno Autónomo Municipal de Tarija and the Secretaría de Desarrollo Humano y Gestión Social Municipal for partnering with Mano a Mano to make this donation possible. Supplies included instruments, hospital linens, catheters, wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, and other items.

Why Our Heavy Equipment is Important for Community Development Projects in Rural Bolivia

Mano a Mano is made up of 5 counterpart organizations focusing in different areas of community development – health, education, economic development, food security and nutrition, and more – with the same mission of “Partnering together – Hand in Hand – to transform the health and well-being of Bolivian communities in need.” One component that makes much of this work possible is the heavy equipment that we own. We are able to better partner with communities because we have well-trained staff and the equipment needed to complete water reservoirs, water wells, roads, airstrips, and other large-scale infrastructure projects. This video looks at the importance of our heavy equipment with our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Nuevo Mundo:

---

Our Counterpart Organization Mano a Mano Bolivia Has Multiple School & Clinic Projects Currently Under Construction

Each of these projects is a partnership between Mano a Mano in Bolivia & the US; the local Bolivian community; their municipal government; and funders in the US and elsewhere that provide the seed funding. Learn more about a few of these current projects at the links below:

• Guadalupe Clinic
• Sarafuya Clinic
• Chirusi School