Few
of us like visiting the dentist. However, in the UK, in an emergency,
there is usually one within a reasonable distance. This is not the case
in many poorer countries throughout the world where oral healthcare is rare, sometimes
non-existent. To get an example of what this means, think of the last bad
toothache you had then multiply the pain by a lot. Add to this the danger of serious
infection that can follow if adequate treatment is not forthcoming, then you will
appreciate the hardship and agony that the lack of adequate health care means
to these people.
This
is why we in Lions support Dentaid, a small charity based near Salisbury, which
addresses this situation in different ways. In addition to education and
training, Dentaid provides and ships complete surgeries in response to specific
requests for assistance. These surgeries are mainly made up of equipment donated
by dentists throughout the UK and refurbished in the Dentaid workshop. The Lions
assist in this by collecting and transporting this equipment from the donating
dentists to the Salisbury workshop, thus saving funds for the Charity to use elsewhere.
In
the last three years we have handled over 600 transportations and we mean to continue
helping this very worthwhile charity for the foreseeable future.
The following letter was recently
received from Uganda.
I
would like to take this opportunuity first of all to introduce myself. I
am Dr Eva Kyomugisha Nkandu, the Director and Founder Member of JOSEVA Dental
and Medical Services Consortium Ltd. And actually, a beneficiary of the Blackmore
Vale Lions Club.
I am writing to you to sincerely extend my heartfelt thanks
to the Blackmore Vale Lions Club for their kind sponsorship to us with a complete
Dental Surgery! We received the equipment and installed it and it is
now fully operational. Your kind support is really making a lot of
improvement in the lives of deprived people.
The reality on the ground is
that the oral health care situation in the project area was very bad and of course
Uganda in general is still a very big challenge. Therefore, when we get
support like this, we feel honoured and we appreciate that there are people who
care for the less advantaged.Thankyou very much once again for your support -
and the struggle continues!
God bless Blackmore Vale Lions Club.
Dr. Eva Kyomugisha Nkandu BDS. Kampala,
Uganda | |
Appeal. Would
the gentleman from Newcastle who kindly offered us a dentists chair for the Dentaid
programme please forgive us but we appear to have mislaid his contact details.
Could he please give Bill Reed a ring on 01258 473162 to re-establish communication.
