Who We Are: Mano en Mano (Hand in Hand)

Mano en Mano is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Mano en Mano started as a targeted effort in Granada, Nicaragua. We wanted to find a way to make a lasting difference by giving these families help and hope.

Much of the population is paralyzed by abject poverty. We found many children sleeping on cardboard beds, without the promise of a better tomorrow. There are few jobs, many children go hungry, and education is out of their reach. We saw that aid was possible from outside sources.

Many children are frail, underweight and in need of basic medical care. And with many families earning less than $1 a day, the children are expected to help contribute to the family income. The promise of education – the most powerful tool in eradicating poverty – is a distant hope. For the children of Granada, life is a matter of daily survival.

We started small and initially focused on providing the most basic necessities: food, clean water, critical health care, and education. We worked to build a grassroots presence, partnering with Carita Feliz and the Sisters of Charity of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, both already on the ground in Nicaragua, to deliver what was needed and necessary to make life better. Our priorities were education, health and housing, feeding the hungry and income creation programs.

In 2008 we purchased a portable dental drill and brought a team of American dental students to the community. Carita Feliz allowed us to use their school site to administer
basic dental care to 395 people who had no access to dental care.

In 2004, Mano en Mano funded a water cistern for the pre-school run by the Sisters of Charity which was inadequate to serve the needs of the children.

We have built over twenty homes on land located by the Mano en Mano endowment.

Beginning in 2009 we provide daily food for many families as well as at a pre-school with 235 children located in a rural area of Granada. The pre-school is privately run by a volunteer minister and his family. We found that this pre-school is in dire need of help to provide meals for these children.

One of our success stories is helping others help themselves become self-reliant. Mano en Mano purchased a horse and cart for a gentleman who wanted to make his living as a carpenter and needed these items to haul building materials.

We have funded income-generating businesses for two families. A key priority area going forward is to fund additional families with income creation programs.

We want to inspire donors to help us in our efforts in Nicaragua and the Western Hemisphere.