Six College of New Caledonia dental hygiene students and their instructor travelled to Tanzania last week to provide preventative oral health care treatment to children, adults and seniors.
The students, including 108 Mile resident Kelsey Raimundo, are spending two weeks as part of Projects Abroad, a volunteer organization that provides meaningful and safe work and study placements around the world.
"I'm really excited. I think it will be one of the best experiences of my life,” says Raimundo, a first-year CNC student.
“I'm expecting to gain a lot of knowledge and show my fellow students what I've learned."
Says first-year student Megan Ball: “We’re working with two orphanages and a hospital. The wealthy class has access to dental care, but we’ll be seeing children who have never seen a dentist and the people who are in the hospital are there because they’re in so much pain.”
The students left Prince George on Feb. 10 for Dar es Salaam, a city of 2.8 million people located on the coast of the Indian Ocean in eastern Africa. The port city is the country’s largest and most affluent with a high concentration of trading, manufacturing and service industries.
The CNC contingent includes three first-year dental hygiene students: Denise Densmore, Raimundo and Ball, as well as three second-year students: Kerry Smith, Tyana Huetzelmann and Trisha Pichoch.
They will be accompanied by their instructor Heather Mohr as well as longtime Prince George dentist Dr. Richard Wilczek.
“Thanks to the dental community, we’re taking all of our own supplies – masks, gloves, gauze – and all of our dental hygiene instruments,” said Mohr.
“We’re not sure what we’ll find there, so we want to be prepared for any situation. We’re even taking extra scrubs to leave behind.”
Staying with two host families, they will spend much of their time volunteering at the Myananyamala Hospital, a large government-run facility that sees an average of 1,500 patients a day. The dentistry unit serves 20 to 30 patients a day.
The CNC students will provide preventative care, such as fluoride treatments, oral hygiene instructions, temporary restorations as well as assisting dentists with extractions and restorative treatments.
"I want to be more grateful for what I have. I think this experience will make me a better hygienist in the long run,” says Raimundo.
“I will experience things that I definitely won't in Canada. I'll be dealing with children who haven't seen a dentist or a hygienist before.”
Raimundo adds she is excited about being one of the first people they see to teach them about oral care."
In between their work at the hospital, the students will talk to children at a couple of orphanages to promote dental hygiene and oral care. They’ll also learn some Swahili (the official language of Tanzania), tour local markets, prepare traditional meals and take African dance classes.
When they return to Prince George Feb. 24, they will have a wealth of experience that is second to none.
CNC formed a partnership with Projects Abroad in 2011 based on demand from students and faculty. This is the first group of CNC students to participate in a volunteer placement through Projects Abroad.
Andrea Johnson is the Communication Services writer/editor for the College of New Caledonia.