By Jolene Farley
I was unsure what I'd encounter when I set off on a 13-day trip to Bolivia, South America, with Mano a Mano on March 13.
The idea of a trip to Bolivia began to formulate when I interviewed Segundo and Joan (Swanson) Velasquez about Mano a Mano for the Feb. 14 issue of the Crescent.
Mano a Mano, headed by the Velasquezs, was trying to address healthcare needs in Bolivia, where many never saw a doctor or nurse in their lives.
Non-profit Mano a Mano, incorporated in 1994, began small by carrying surplus medical supplies down to Bolivia.
In 1996, Mano a Mano branched into building clinics. Then in 2000, a $2 million anonymous grant allowed Mano a Mano to plan the construction of many more clinics.
It may have been a mere courtesy, but the couple told me if I ever wanted to travel to Bolivia and see Mano a Mano in action to let them know.
I was very interested in the process of bringing medical care to people in need. I quickly signed up for the next trip, giving myself one month to make arrangements for my absence.
My agenda on the trip was to observe how Mano a Mano operates in Bolivia (for myself) and take pictures (as a volunteer) for Mano a Mano to use in future marketing materials.
My trip turned out to be an awesome, unforgettable experience. Our Bolivian hosts were wonderful and gracious, and the countryside was beautiful.
Throughout my trip I journalized some of my experiences. Following is a summary of those journal entries along with other memorable events worth sharing.
Wednesday, March 13 - I arrived in the Twin Cities last night and was given a tentative rundown by Joan and Segundo on what I will be seeing on my trip.
I am carrying an extra bag of medical supplies to Bolivia for Mano a Mano because I am under the airlineÕs two-bag limit with my personal luggage (I was kind of proud of this). Segundo and Joan tell me what specific pictures they want me to take while I am in Bolivia.
I fly out of the Twin Cities early Wednesday, March 13, with another volunteer, Sandra Peterson.
We fly to Atlanta, Ga., on Delta Airlines, meet the rest of our group in Miami, Fla., board a flight to Santa Cruz, Bolivia, and then catch another short flight to our final destination Cochabamba, Bolivia.
The city of Cochabamba is aptly dubbed by tour books the "City of Eternal Spring." The weather is wonderful!
Thursday, March 14 Ð Around 2 a.m., we arrive at our hotel in Cochabamba. After some debate, our living arrangements (who sleeps where) are decided for the next few days.
We leave in seven hours for Charamoco to help outfit Mano a ManoÕs recently completed clinic.
The route to Charamoco is a steep, bumpy, narrow stone road. The countryside is green, mountainous and beautiful. Thankfully, we are able to ride fairly comfortably in two donated four-wheel-drive vehicles.
Soon after we arrive at Charamoco a dump truck pulls in filled with medical supplies that need to be unloaded, cleaned and put away in the appropriate area of the clinic.
Even though the community agreed to supply water and electrical hookups before the clinic was dedicated, water lines had not yet been dug in at Charamoco. A crew is stringing electrical wires to the building as we drive up.
Bolivia has an ongoing problem with corruption in government, according to Segundo. Resources often never make it to the people for whom they are intended.
Segundo's brother, Dr. Jose Velasquez, fearlessly tells local people they haven't upheld their part of the agreement.
Apparently Jose's words were effective; soon workmen arrive to dig the water lines.
Very quickly, Mano a Mano volunteers and community members prepare the Charamoco clinic for the dedication planned on Saturday, March 16.
Friday, March 15 Ð The Alto Buena Vista clinic is our destination today.
En route to Alto Bueno Vista we pay a surprise visit to the Chaqui Mayu-Villa Isreal clinic, which opened last fall.
Segundo and Jose are pleased that the clinic is clean and well-kept. Patient numbers have steadily increased at the clinic.
This visit provided my first opportunity to photograph actual Mano a Mano patients. In one of the exam rooms, a nurse was treating a little boy's leg wound.
Since opening, the clinic has become the economic epicenter of the community. Three buses are parked at a new bus stop near the clinic. Street shops have sprung up in previously open areas near the clinic.
We walk from the clinic to a small village. A doctor is administering vaccinations to residents on a street corner.
We drive on to Alto Buena Vista, our original destination. Alto Buena Vista, which is growing steadily, seems to spring out of the side of a mountain.
Residents are mostly street merchants, according to Segundo. They sell a variety of goods on almost every street corner in Cochabamba.
The race is on in Alto Buena Vista between electrical power for the community and the clinic opening. Workmen are running the electrical lines and are due to finish the day of the clinic dedication.
There is less work for us at Alto Buena Vista. Women from the community have completed much of the cleaning before our arrival.
The dump truck arrives loaded with medical supplies. We unload the truck and begin to clean the supplies and put them away. Many women from the community help with this process.
I make a special friend while taking pictures of local women. My subject follows me everywhere like a shadow. When I sit to eat she immediately sits next to me.
When we were ready to leave for Cochabamba, she hugs me and tells me (through a translator) that she will have all her babies at the clinic.
After we complete our work, we walk around in the community. With the help of a fluent Spanish speaker in our group, we are able to communicate with three Brazilian nuns who run a community day-care center.
They care for 70 children who otherwise would spend their days on a street corner with their street vendor parents.
On the way back to our hotel, we are told the Mano a Mano Bolivia volunteers have planned a party for us later in the evening with food and dancing ...
... My Bolivian trip story continues in next week's Crescent.