ATTENTION: Mano a Mano has been chosen to be part of Razoo's March Goodness Tournament. Any donations made to our "MG2010 Midwest: Mano a Mano International Partners" project page between March 15-March 30 will give us a chance to advance to the Final Four for a chance at a $10,000 grand prize. Advancing to the Final Four is based on total number of individual donations over $10 during this time period; help us spread the word! Go to our project page here: http://www.razoo.com/story/Mg2010-Midwest-Mano-A-Mano-International-Partners.

For years Mano a Mano's founder of Mano a Mano rescued usable, often new, tools, building materials and household items from their destined journey to a U.S. landfill and carried them with him on trips to his native Bolivia, certain that his impoverished compatriotas could use them to improve their lives. When his brother, a pediatrician, began asking for instruments and equipment for the non-profit, Methodist hospital he directed in the city of Cochabamba, the founder decided to create a formally recognized organization to focus on retrieving surplus medical items in Minnesota for use in providing health care to Bolivia's poorest citizens. With family and friends joining this effort, Mano a Mano Medical Resources (now Mano a Mano International Partners) incorporated in Minnesota as an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) organization in 1994. These volunteers set a formidable goal: to fully re-equip and supply the Methodist hospital within five years. By the end of 1996, Mano a Mano's volunteers reached a milestone that far exceeded their dreams: they had collected a total of 70,000 pounds of medical surplus and met their original goal. In the process they learned that dedicated volunteers reaching across national boundaries could join hands in literally making the difference between life and death for many of Bolivia's poorest citizens. Yet, they recognized that their successful efforts to provide life-saving materials to the poor did not reach those in greatest need: families who had no access to health care because there was no infrastructure through which to serve them. In 1997, the 70th birthday of one of Mano a Mano's most committed volunteers presented an opportunity to address this disparity. Suggesting that Gloria MacRae's friends donate funds for building a community health clinic in Bolivia in her honor drew in funds with which to initiate this program. By the end of 2000, Mano a Mano constructed clinics in seven communities that had no previous access to medical care. In 2000, a major donor invited Mano a Mano to submit a proposal for a major expansion of its efforts to build a health care infrastructure in Bolivia's poorest communities. Mano a Mano helped create a counterpart organization, Mano a Mano - Bolivia, which hired staff from among its Bolivian volunteers, and initiated the "30 Clinic Project" in January of 2001. Successful completion of this project by mid-2004 and a major commitment of additional funds from the same donor led Mano a Mano to plan to add another 96 clinics to its network by 2012.