Mano a Mano is currently constructing a clinic in Chunavi, a small community north of La Paz, nestled more than 13,000 above sea level in some of the tallest mountains in South America.
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| Site for the clinic; Andes mountains in the background |
As with all of our projects, the community signs an agreement with Mano a Mano detailing everyone’s roles and responsibilities. The model we have used has resulted in 119 completed health clinics throughout Bolivia, with 108 financially independent of Mano a Mano.
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| Mano a Mano Bolivia’s Executive Director Jose Velasquez meeting with community leaders |
In addition to Mano a Mano’s master builders, two master builders from the community were hired and will work alongside our staff and local volunteers. A typical clinic project takes around 2-3 months to complete
and more than 4,000 hours of volunteer labor from the community. That’s the equivalent of having 10 additional full-time workers!
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| Women from Chunavi mixing cement for the clinic |
Construction is on schedule to be completed within the next month. A group of US donors who have been tremendous supporters of this project will be traveling to Bolivia for the opening dedication ceremony. The group traveled last year to Chunavi, when this clinic project really began (they also kept a blog about their experiences). Thanks to everyone involved; our model requires the hard work and dedicated effort from the local community, our staff and volunteers in Bolivia, and our staff, donors, and volunteers in the United States. We need everybody, working together, for these projects to be successful and sustainable.
