February 25th, 2009
From US With Love, together with the Smutsville Primary School Volunteer Clinic, is currently funding a project that is helping the children of Smutsville Primary School with their dental care and oral hygiene.
What is a daunting visit for anyone having to go to the dentist is like a gift for these children of Smutsville Primary in Sedgefield. Most of these children have no access to a dental practitioner and very little knowledge of basic oral hygiene. FUWL and the volunteers that run the clinic arrange monthly visits to local dentist Dr Sunet Senekal in Sedgefield.
A typical visit will start off with the waiting room filled with inquisitive, yet nervous faces waiting in anticipation to see the dentist. One by one they quietly venture into the procedure room and are warmly introduced by Sister Reinet Barnes. You can see a trust from the children that have been won over with many caring words and actions by her in the past. Once they settle in the dentist chair, Dr. Sunet Senekel gently asks each child which teeth are bothering them. It is heartbreaking to see such decay and damage to young teeth.
Many of these children have to bear pain as a result of rotten, painful teeth, like not being able to eat, sleep or concentrate at school. Once each child’s problem has been identified the dentist will either extract the rotten teeth, which are sometimes permanent teeth or perform a filling for permanent teeth that can be saved.
The children are very brave and the care from all involved is wonderful. The children’s smiles are big and bright at the end of each visit.
We have treated over 350 children through our Dentistry Project in the last 2 years. The Colgate Corporation sponsors classroom kits that have supplies and educational materials for the children.
FUWL is looking for Sponsors to fund the Dentistry Project. The cost to send 4 children to the Dentist each month is $100.00.
URGENT NEED: We have two young girls that need plates because they lost their permanent front teeth. If you can help with this need, the cost is $500.00.
UPDATE: The funds have been received for the two girls needing plates by a group of German Journalists and a Knysna resident. THANK YOU!!!
