Mano a Mano Ministry Team

Mano a Mano Community Outreach Ministry Team

What is the Mano a Mano Ministry Team?
This  ministry team supports the work of Mano a Mano International Partners, a  non-profit organization founded in 1994 by Segundo and Joan Velasquez, long-time members of Unity Church.






What is Mano a Mano International Partners?
Mano a Mano International Partners is dedicated to building infrastructure for health care, education, transportation and economic development in rural Bolivia. Mano a Mano works in bilateral partnership with three Bolivian counterpart organizations: Mano a Mano-Bolivia with its focus on health and education; Mano a Mano Nuevo Mundo which builds roads and water projects; and Apoyo Aereo, providing air transport and air rescue to remote areas. Through these partnerships, Mano a Mano has constructed and delivers health care and public health education through a network of 132 community health clinics, built several dozen schools with on-site housing for teachers, hundreds of kilometers of graded roads that serve to connect remote villages with larger towns and services, and water projects that support food security for subsistence farmers in the high Andes.

---

How does the Team support Mano a Mano?
Members of the Ministry Team support Mano a Mano International in a variety of ways including:

• Organizing informational forums and workshops to inform church members
• Collecting and packing medical and school supplies
• Selling Bolivian handicrafts to raise funds
• Becoming passionate advocates for the organization by “spreading the word” about its sustainable projects

Do Team members go to Bolivia?
Many ministry team members have traveled to Bolivia to observe the work of Mano a Mano’s partner organizations. Group trips are coordinated by team members and are comprised primarily of Unity Church members. Trips are planned annually. On a typical trip, travelers tour clinics in poor urban barrios and remote rural areas; see roads that Mano a Mano has carved into mountainsides; and visit water reservoirs that help farm families increase their meager incomes.

How does the Team work?
The Ministry Team is coordinated by Andrea Bond, and chaired in rotation by team members. The team meets monthly except in the summer months.

How can I get involved?
To learn more about the Mano a Mano Outreach Ministry Team, contact Lisa Friedman, Minister of Congregational and Community Engagement, lisa@unityunitarian.org or 651-228-1456 x107. For more about Mano a Mano International Partners, visit www.manoamano.org.