Volunteer

Volunteers

It's easy to volunteer, or to find out more:

We would welcome your interest in volunteering with Mano a Mano! Here are several ways in which you can get involved:

1. Packing medical supplies and equipment.

Mano a Mano volunteers pack medical supplies in our sorting room at 774 Sibley Memorial Highway in Mendota Heights every Friday afternoon from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. We empty boxes of donated supplies, sort them into general categories (such as drapes, gauze, syringes) and box them for shipment to Bolivia. Volunteers must be able to lift at least five pounds and stand for up to two hours. No medical knowledge is needed.

We also pack medical equipment (such as walkers, wheelchairs, dental chairs, examination tables) and palletize equipment and boxes of medical supplies during 2-3 Saturdays each month. This activity is done at our warehouse at 3045 Highway 13 in Eagan. Volunteers who work with equipment or palletizing must be able to lift 30 - 50 pounds and move pallets using a pallet jack.

You are welcome to participate individually in these activities or to form a special group of up to 12 people to work with both supplies and equipment.

2. Picking up medical donations.

Transport medical donations from donor's location to Mano a Mano storage. Requires valid driver's license and ability to carry 30 pounds. Most pick-ups occur on Monday thru Friday between 7:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Pick-ups can be regularly scheduled from frequent donors or on an as-needed basis.

3. Coordinating craft sales.

Through purchases of colorful Bolivian crafts Mano a Mano provides income to families in Cochabamba; through sales of these same totes, tablecloths and travel bags we raise funds to continue our work. We need individuals to coordinate sales of crafts at special events and holiday craft sales at area churches. The time commitment is up to 10 hours per craft sale.

4. Speaker's Bureau

This opportunity is especially for long-time volunteers and people who have traveled with Mano a Mano to Bolivia. Volunteers make presentations to major donors, prospective donors and other interested groups. Mano a Mano provides presentation materials and training.

5. Fundraising

We offer flexible volunteer opportunities for those who enjoy searching the web for funding prospects or have experience with writing grants or public relations materials.

6. Office and computer-related tasks

Improving our data bases, doing data entry, cataloguing photos - these are just a few of the dozens of office tasks with which Mano a Mano could use your help. Again, time commitments are flexible and can be arranged around your schedule.

7. Helping out in special or one-time ways.

We need people with special expertise to help us with a variety of tasks. Among the specialists we need:

An accountant with non-profit expertise to contact with occasional questions;
Someone who enjoys cooking for large groups to prepare food for volunteer events;
A gardener who would take pleasure in tending the flower beds that surround the office.

This is your chance to "make a difference" in our community and in Bolivia!

Volunteer accomplishments

Since its inception in 1994, Mano a Mano's volunteer Twin Cities "staff" has contributed over 81,000 hours performing the tasks required to run Mano a Mano in the U.S. During these 13 years over 200 volunteers have:

Contacted dozens of potential donors of medical items, forming ongoing relationships with health care programs that now set aside their surplus for Mano a Mano.
Collected and packed more than 2.2 million pounds of medical supplies and equipment.
Arranged for transport of these donations to its distribution center in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
Raised the funding required to support its programs in the U.S. and Bolivia.
Maintained all accounting, reporting and medical donation inventory records required to operate an accountable organization.
Prepared brochures, newsletters and press releases to keep others informed of its work.
Created a network of contacts with other organizations and persons with experience in international health programs.

Bolivian volunteers are equally critical to the work of Mano a Mano in Bolivia. All of our Bolivia programs depend heavily on enthusiastic and committed volunteers.

Cochabamba volunteers spent more than 10,400 hours last year unpacking and processing cargo shipped from the U.S., completing office work and assisting with projects.
Medical professionals donated 590 hours, providing specialist services to Mano a Mano clinics on weekends.
Community residents provided all unskilled labor required to complete construction projects. In 2006, these volunteers contributed an astonishing 91,000 hours. Their involvement deepened their commitment to maintain and use their facilities and ensure that they will be sustained over the long term.

Mano a Mano simply could not function without its talented and dedicated volunteers.

Get More Information about Volunteering

or EMAIL: manoamano@manoamano.org